Likewise, early 2000s Christian-inspired rock band Creed — which along with Ludacris was to be a premier headliner in Anderson — has been quietly removed from the event’s website as of Feb. 6.
The website also removed the stop in Anderson, leaving only Bellville, Texas; Bloomingdale, Ga.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Ashland, Ky.; Hastings, Mich.; Ocala, Fla.; and Hamburg, N.Y.
A host of popular artists remain listed, including Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, and Brooks and Dunn, among others.
The two-day Upstate event was to be held July 25-26 at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center and was billed as a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
In its first year in 2024, “Rock The Country” drew about 25,000 people and generated about $17 million for the state, Anderson County reported.
“Rock The Country” was primarily founded by Kid Rock (real name Robert James Ritchie), and while it wasn’t overtly billed as a political event, it served as a counter-cultural haven for MAGA-leaning ideology, with outspoken criticism of former President Joe Biden and progressive political policies.
Kid Rock campaigned for President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election, has visited the White House in flamboyant patriotic regalia, and to kick off a 2022 concert tour had the president introduce him via a pre-recorded video.
On Feb. 8, Kid Rock will headline a televised concert — sponsored by the late Charlie Kirk’s conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA — during halftime of the Super Bowl to serve as a counter-performance to the game’s halftime performer, Bad Bunny.
The Puerto Rico-born artist — real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and credited with bringing Latin rap to international fame — first drew the consternation of MAGA voices last October, when during hosting “Saturday Night Live” he spoke in Spanish and told the audience that if they didn’t understand what he was saying, they “had four months to learn.”
