Kid Rock has been forced to cancel his Rock the Country festival in South Carolina after multiple acts, including Ludacris, dropped out.
The festival has been accused of being ‘MAGA-leaning’, a reference to Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign.
It was due to take place in eight cities between May 1 and September 21, with two dates per city. However, the shows on July 25 and 26 in Anderson will no longer go ahead.
Consequently, the event’s Instagram bio reads: ‘7 cities. 7 small towns.’
Four acts have since backed out of the lineup, which includes country stars Jelly Roll and Blake Shelton as headliners and sets from Miranda Lambert and rising country songstress Ella Langley.
Morgan Wade and Carter Faith backed out first, with Wade’s name vanishing from the tour poster and Faith replying to a fan asking why she was performing.
‘I’m not anymore!’, declared the Cherry Valley hitmaker.
Following this, rapper Ludacris withdrew, with his spokesperson insisting that he was only there as a ‘mix-up’ after ‘lines got crossed and he wasn’t supposed to be’.
Now, Shinedown has withdrawn, stating the band’s ‘purpose is to unite, not divide’. When the poster was uploaded to Instagram three weeks ago, they initially appeared excited, commenting, ‘See you soon 🔥🔥🔥🔥’ underneath the post.
In a new statement on Instagram, the Second Chance singers shared: ‘Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song.
‘We have one BOSS, and it is everyone in the audience. 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.’
‘We know this decision will create differences of opinion. But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.’
The band thanked fans for ‘supporting and believing’ in them, with drummer Barry Kerch claiming on The Vinyl Road podcast they had ‘no idea’ the festival was ‘Kid Rock’s thing’.
He said the ‘knives [had] come out’ when the usually apolitical band were revealed as performers at the gig.
Kid Rock’s involvement in Turning Point USA’s halftime show has been part of the reason that fans are so angry at artists for signing up.
Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organisation, is staging a rival show during the Super Bowl, which Bad Bunny is performing at this year.
While the festival is marketed as a ‘Festival for the People’ that celebrates ‘250 Years of Freedom’, many have branded it ‘MAGA-fest’.
The 55-year-old musician himself is a known supporter of the Republican Party, having said he is ‘liberal’ on matters like abortion and same-sex marriage but ‘conservative’ on economics. He has also sold Trump T-shirts at his concerts and modified his lyrics to express support for the president.
Appearing on Fox and Friends on Friday, he defended the show: ‘I think I speak for Turning Point and all the artists involved that none of us are approaching this with any hate in our hearts at all. It’s just a love for our base and love for music, our country.’
‘There’s a big portion of this country, like it or not, that’s underserved entertainment-wise,’ he added.
‘We’re just [going to] go play for our base. You know, people who love America, love football, love Jesus.
‘It’s pretty much that simple.’
County administrator Rusty Burns told Fox Carolina: ‘Anderson County has been proud to host Rock the Country for the past two years. The event was a huge success, drawing tens of thousands of visitors, making a multi-million-dollar economic impact on the Upstate.
‘An event of this calibre proved what a great venue and exceptional hospitality we have here in Anderson County. Of course, we are disappointed that Rock the Country will not return to Anderson this year.
‘We are already planning additional major events and look forward to exciting announcements to come. Anderson County is committed to bringing high-quality arts and entertainment to our community.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.