The Kid Rock-led “Rock the Country” music festival canceled the South Carolina stop on its tour as multiple marquee artists dropped out of the “politically charged” bash.
The two-night event was scheduled to take place at the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center in Anderson, SC, in July and feature headliners, rock bands Creed and Shinedown, country music star Brantley Gilbert and 3-time Grammy award-winning rapper Ludacris.
Additional artists included Gretchen Wilson, Morgan Wade, Lakeview, Parmalee, Chase Matthew and Fox N’ Vead.
However, Anderson County officials were notified on Thursday that the festival canceled the gig, County Administrator Rusy Burns told the Greenville Post and Courier.
The administrator declined to give a reason for the cancellation but said at least one band had issues with the festival being politically charged, according to the outlet.
Anderson County, which would have benefited economically from hosting the two-day event, was working to find performers for an unrelated concert in April.
Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Richie, founded the annual festival in 2024 and marketed the tour as a huge multi-state festival with stops in eight different cities, celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday.
This year’s tour was set to run from May to September 11 and 12, where the final gig would be held in Hamburg, NY.
“Rock The Country is more than just a festival, it’s a celebration of community, tradition, and the spirit that’s carried America through 250 years. It’s where neighbors become friends, families come together under the wide-open sky, and folks from every walk of life share the simple joy of great music and good company,” according to the tour’s website.
“As we honor this milestone 250th year, every song, every laugh, and every toast feels a little bigger. It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our towns, the stories that shaped us, and the moments we’ll be talking about long after the lights go down.”
Shinedown, who was the top group for the July 26th show, had previously announced its decision to pull out of the event.
“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,” the band said.
“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,” the band said. “But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
The group was the fourth to drop out of the gig.
Additionally, Ludacris, Wade and country singer Carter Faith had also backed out of the concert ahead of the cancellation, according to the Post and Courier.
Ludacris, whose real name is Christopher Brian Bridges, was named as one of the headliners but claimed there was a “mix-up” after the announcement.
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