During a recent episode of “The Vinyl Road” podcast, co-hosted by former Shinedown and current Saliva bassist Brad Stewart alongside Jason Bailey, Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch addressed the reaction to his band’s newly announced appearance at this year’s “Rock The Country” festival. The country-focused event, launched in 2024 by headliner Kid Rock, will once again feature Kid Rock at the top of the bill, joined by fellow Donald Trump supporter Jason Aldean. The lineup also spans a wide musical range, with acts including Creed, Shinedown, Gavin Adcock, Brantley Gilbert and Nelly.
When the 2026 “Rock The Country” roster was revealed on January 12, Ludacris was initially listed among the performers. However, just four days later, Rolling Stone reported that the Grammy-winning rapper’s name had been removed from the promotional poster. A representative for “Rock The Country” subsequently confirmed to Billboard that Ludacris was no longer part of the festival.
During the discussion, “The Vinyl Road” co-host Jason Bailey asked Kerch whether Shinedown had faced any backlash for signing on to “Rock The Country” — an event that is not officially billed as political.
Barry responded as follows (as transcribed by Blabbermouth):
“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 Brent [Smith]— I think 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.'”
Barry continued: “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.”
When questioned about whether Shinedown would ever decline a festival slot due to another performer’s political views or criticism from a portion of their fanbase, Barry responded by saying: “I would hope not, but [Shinedown] is a democracy. There’s four of us to vote. My vote would be no, but if three of the other guys vote against it, then, again, it’s a democracy. I can’t change their vote. But I would hope not. ‘Cause I like to stick by my grounds. And listen, I don’t do politics when it comes to the business of Shinedown. I have my own beliefs. I keep those to myself, and so do the other three guys. I just wanna go play a rock show with some country bands ’cause it looks like fun.”
The currently announced date and locations for “Rock The Country” festival are as follows:
- May 1–2 — Bellville, TX — Austin County Fairgrounds
- May 29–30 — Bloomingdale, GA — Ottawa Farms
- June 27–28 — Sioux Falls, SD — W.H. Fairgrounds
- July 10–11 — Ashland, KY — Boyd County Fairgrounds
- July 25–26 — Anderson, SC — Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center
- August 8–9 — Hastings, MI — Barry Expo Center
- August 28–29 — Ocala, FL — Florida Horsepark
- September 11–12 — Hamburg, NY — Erie County Fairgrounds
After Ludacris’ name was quietly removed from the list of performers on the “Rock The Country” festival’s official website, a spokesperson for the rapper told Rolling Stone that “lines got crossed and he wasn’t supposed to be on there.”
According to reports from several outlets, including Rolling Stone, Ludacris faced criticism for his brief association with the tour. Some fans took issue with his involvement, believing the event carried “political undertones of supporting President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement,” as noted by Rolling Stone.
