Shinedown has abruptly pulled out of the 2026 Rock the Country Festival. The award-winning rock band took to social media on Friday (Feb. 6) to issue a statement with fans and explain their decision.
“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’s statement read. “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.”
The group continued, “We know this decision will create differences of opinion. But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division. And to our fans, thank you for supporting and believing in us. We love and appreciate you always. All love and respect, Shinedown.”
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This news comes after Shinedown’s drummer, Barry Kerch, spoke out on Ludacris’ exit from the event, calling him a “coward” during an interview with The Vinyl Road Podcast.
“There’s been tons. The knives come out when they don’t like it, especially now politically. And we are an apolitical band. But the knives have come out. It’s crazy. And to be honest, I had no idea, and neither did [Shinedown singer] Brent [Smith]—I think [guitarist] Zach [Myers] maybe had a clue — I had no idea this was Kid Rock’s thing. 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 explained. “I don’t care. I’m just gonna go play a show. I really, really don’t care. 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. 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.”
In addition to Shinedown, Ludacris, Morgan Wade, and Carter Faith have also backed out of the festival. Days after the festival was announced, a representative for Ludacris told Rolling Stone that there was “a mix-up. Lines got crossed, and he wasn’t supposed to be on there.” Wade’s management team confirmed her exit with Billboard, and Faith revealed her own departure to a fan in the comments of a post.
Shinedown was expected to headline Rock the Country Anderson, South Carolina, alongside Ludacris, who also exited the festival lineup. Since their departure from the event, Rock The Country Anderson has been cancelled “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
“We’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the Rock the Country stop in Anderson, originally scheduled for July 25-26, 2026,” a statement sent via email to fans from the event organizers read.
Rock the Country will kick off in May with its first show kicking off in Bellville, Texas, with seven weekends across the South, bringing massive shows to seven small towns with lineups featuring Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Creed, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Hank Williams Jr., Ella Langley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jon Pardi, Staind, Brantley Gilbert, Gavin Adcock, Nelly, Hudson Westbrook, Chris Janson, Chase Matthew, Austin Snell, Ashley Cooke, Josh Turner and many more.
“It’s this simple. Rock the Country isn’t just a music festival; it’s a movement,” Kid Rock, a co-owner and producer of the festival, previously shared of Rock the Country. “In 2026, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, this is a place for hard-working, God-fearing patriots to gather as one and celebrate freedom, music, and the party of the year.”
Individual lineups for each city are available now at rockthecountry.com.
