Shinedown Follows Ludacris and More as the Latest Act to Drop Out of Rock the Country Festival Lineup
- - Shinedown Follows Ludacris and More as the Latest Act to Drop Out of Rock the Country Festival Lineup
Daniela AvilaFebruary 7, 2026 at 5:25 AM
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Shinedown and Ludacris
Jemal Countess/Getty; Paras Griffin/Getty
Shinedown is the latest performer to drop out of Kid Rock's festival Rock the Country
The announcement comes after the band's drummer called Ludacris a "coward" for dropping out
Morgan Wade and Carter Faith have also been removed from the lineup
Shinedown has dropped out of Rock the Country, the festival tour headlined by Kid Rock, following several performers who did the same.
On Friday, Feb. 6, the rock band — who was scheduled to headline the Anderson, South Carolina stop in July — announced they were dropping out in a statement on social media.
"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," the statement read. We have one BOSS, and it is everyone in the audience."
The statement continued, "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."
The band acknowledged that the decision would "create differences of opinion" — but they "do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division."
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The statement concluded, "And to our fans, thank you for supporting and believing in us. We love and appreciate you always."
The announcement comes nearly two weeks after Shinedown's drummer Barry Kerch called out Ludacris for dropping out of the festival during an interview on The Vinyl Road podcast.
“There’s been tons,” Kerch said of the backlash playing the festival, due to Kid Rock's ring-wing political associations. "I had no idea this was Kid Rock’s thing."
He continued, "It was just, ‘Hey, here’s an offer. It looks like a cool lineup, and it’s a mix of country and rock. Okay, we’ll play it.’ We took the offer and played it, and then all of a sudden we find out, ‘Oh, this has got some political leaning to it.'"
Kerch added that he was "just gonna go play a show" and "you can keep your politics to yourself."
"I have no opinion one way or the other on Kid Rock. I love his music. This is about music," he said. "Ludacris wasn’t tough. I mean, it’s not like he needs the money, Jeez. If he’s not tough enough to stick it out, that’s just silly. That’s him being a coward, in my opinion."
On Jan. 16, Ludacris dropped out of the festival after he faced backlash from fans and his rep told Rolling Stone that his name appearing on the lineup was "a mix-up. Lines go crossed, and he wasn't supposed to be on there."
Since the festival's announcement, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith's names have also been removed from the lineup — though they have yet to speak out on the matter.
Rock the Country celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States of America and it will be held in seven small towns across the country from May to September. The artists slated to perform include Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
According to the festival's website, 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 the folks from every walk of life share the simple joy of great music and good company.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
