Rock band Shinedown announced that it would be parting ways with the tour because “we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”

Kid Rock festival cancels several tour dates after artists drop out, one band says it wants to ‘unite, not divide’

Rock band Shinedown announced that it would be parting ways with the tour because "we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

EW's editorial guidelines

February 9, 2026 11:03 a.m. ET

Kid Rock performs in concert at Intrust Bank Arena on April 18, 2025 in Wichita, Kansas. Credit:

Gary Miller/Getty

Kid Rock has cancelled several dates on his Rock the Country tour after multiple artists dropped out of its lineup. **

On Friday, Anderson County, S.C., officials confirmed to the *Post & Courier* that the two-day festival originally set to take place on July 25 and 26 would not be moving forward as planned. **

County administrator Rusty Burns told the outlet that they’d been informed the shows had been canceled on the evening of Feb. 5, but declined to share a specific reason for their unexpected shuttering.

Kid Rock performs in concert at Intrust Bank Arena on April 18, 2025 in Wichita, Kansas.

Gary Miller/Getty

Still, the decision to cancel the festival’s South Carolina dates comes after rock band Shinedown announced on Friday that it would no longer be participating at the events. **

“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 band wrote in an Instagram statement on Friday.

Zach Myers and Brent Smith of Shinedown perform during iHeartRadio 103.5 KISS FM's Jingle Ball 2025 Presented By Capital One at Allstate Arena on Dec. 8, 2025 in Rosemont, Ill.

Barry Brecheisen/Getty

'View' star Sunny Hostin calls out Kid Rock's 2001 lyrics about liking underage girls

Kid Rock responds to haters with Kobe Bryant quote amid backlash to conservative Super Bowl halftime show

“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,” it continued. **

The band also acknowledged that their departure from the lineup might spark some strong reactions. “We know this decision will create differences of opinion,” the statement read. “But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”**

It concluded, “And to our fans, thank you for supporting us and believing in us. We love and appreciate you always.”

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Shinedown isn’t the only band who has parted ways with the festival before it officially hits the road in May. Ludacris also exited the lineup last month, with a representative telling *Rolling Stone *that a “mix-up” had occurred and he “wasn’t supposed to be on” the tour. **

Country singers Carter Faith and Morgan Wade, as well as rock band Creed, have also parted ways with the tour over the last month.

While Rock the Country isn’t explicitly a political event, Rock and its other headliners like Jason Aldean have been vocal about their support for President Donald Trump over the years.

Just last night, Rock headlined Turning Point USA’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show alongside fellow Rock the Country performer Brantley Gilbert. The conservative organization announced it would be holding its own separate program after the NFL tapped Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny — who has spoken out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement — to perform at the big game.

Despite cancelling its S.C. dates, the Rock the Country tour is still set to kick off in Bellville, Texas, on May 1. It will then make stops in Bloomingdale, Ga., Sioux Falls, S.D., Ashland, Ky., Hastings, Mich., Ocala, Fla., and Hamburg, N.Y.

In addition to Rock, Aldean, and Gilbert, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Hank Williams Jr., Ella Langley, and Lynyrd Skynyrd are also slated to perform on the tour.

- Concerts & Tours

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Concerts”