Kid Rock‘s Rock the Country festival just lost its South Carolina stop after a wave of artists bailed on the MAGA-friendly event.
The Anderson County show scheduled for July 25 and 26 got axed after too many performers dropped out. County administrator Rusty Burns confirmed the cancellation to Fox Carolina.
“Anderson County has been proud to host Rock the Country for the past two years,” Burns said. “The event was a huge success drawing tens of thousands of visitors, making a multi-million-dollar economic impact on the Upstate.”
The festival bills itself as celebrating 250 years of American freedom. Critics call it a MAGA fest because of Kid Rock and his loud Trump support.
Ludacris was the first big name to jump ship. His team told AllHipHop he was never supposed to perform there. Shinedown delivered the final blow with a public statement.
“Shinedown is everyone’s band,” they said. “We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song.”
The rock band added, “Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock The Country Festival.”
Shinedown said they “do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
Creed, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith also quietly dropped off the bill without public statements. The original Anderson lineup featured Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, Gretchen Wilson, Parmalee, Chase Matthew, Lakeview and Fox N’ Vead alongside the departed acts.
The New York Times called Rock the Country “a vision of the MAGA movement in pure party mode” when covering the 2024 version. They said it felt like Trump rallies without Trump showing up.
Last year, Trump himself introduced Kid Rock’s set via video message. “Fight, fight, fight, win, win, win, for the American people,” Trump said.
Country artist Gavin Adcock went on a Biden rant at the 2024 festival. “F### you Joe Biden, you c########## m###########,” he shouted onstage.
The 2026 tour still has seven other stops planned across eight states from May through September. Kid Rock, Jelly Roll, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Hank Williams Jr., Ella Langley and Lynyrd Skynyrd remain on the lineup.
Nelly stayed on the tour despite the controversy. He performed at Trump’s 2025 inauguration and defended it by citing his military family background.
“I was born in a military base in Austin. My father served, my grandfather served, my uncle served, my auntie served,” Nelly said. “If these people can give their life for the office, Nelly can perform for it.”
Rock the Country launches its 2026 run May 1-2 in Belleville, Texas.
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