The MAGA friendly 'Rock The Country' event in Anderson has been cancelled

The Anderson, SC, stop of the "Rock The Country" concert series, founded by rock star Kid Rock, was pulled from the tour without explanation.

ANDERSON - This summer's multi-day "Rock The County" concert, part of MAGA's hit series headlined by country music stars Kid Rock and Jason Aldean, has been canceled after the top performer pulled out of the tour, citing political divisiveness.

Anderson County, which would have benefited financially from the multi-million dollar economic impact of the rock event, on February 5, has canceled the two-day concert, manager Rusty Burns told The Post a Courier on February 6.

The province was not given a specific reason why, Burns said, although he said he was aware of online rumors about artists leaving the politically charged festival.He declined to elaborate, instead saying the province is focused on attracting performers for the April concerts.

A major act booked to perform as part of the eight-day run — Shinedown, a well-known rock group from the early 2000s — announced online on February 6 that they were pulling out to avoid it."More division"

"SHINEDOWN is one for everyone," the band announced on their X profile."We feel that we have been given the opportunity to bring everyone together through the power of music and music. We have a group BOSS, and that is everyone who listens. The purpose of our group is to unite, not divide."

"With that in mind," Post added, "we've decided not to play the Rock the Country Festival. We know this decision will be divisive. But we don't want to be involved in something we believe will be more divisive."

The band's departure follows three other artists who withdrew last month from the festival's offer without making it clear why they faced a backlash online for participation: Musicians Morgan Wade and Carter Faith and Rapper Atlanta Ludacris.

Likewise, the rock band Creed, inspired by the early 2000s, supposedly titled Anderson, along with Ludacris, has been quietly removed from the event’s website since February 6th.

The site also eliminated the stop in Anderson, leaving only Belleville, Texas;Bloomingdale, Ga.;Sioux Falls, S.D.;Ashland, Ky.;Hastings, Mich.;Ocala, Fla.;and Hamburg, N.Y.

The festival has dozens of artists performing in select cities, and a number of popular artists remain on the roster, including Kid Rock, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Brooks & Dunn and Aldean, who is not scheduled to appear at Anderson's show.

The two-day Upstate event is scheduled to take place July 25-26 at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center and is intended to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

In its first year in 2024, Rock the Country drew about 25,000 people and generated about $17 million in revenue for the state, according to an Anderson County report.

"Rock The Country" was originally started by Kid Rock (real name Robert James Ritchie), and while not overtly billed as a political event, it served as a cultural outlet for MAGA-based ideology, and outspoken criticism of former President Joe Biden and progressive political policies.

Kid Rock campaigned for President Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2024 election, visited the White House in a patriotic outfit, and embarked on a concert tour in 2022, asking the president to introduce him via a pre-recorded video.

On February 8, Kid Rock will host a televised Super Bowl halftime concert sponsored by the late Charlie Kirk's conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA against halftime act Bad Bunny.

The Puerto Rican artist — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and is credited with bringing Latin rap to international fame — sparked confusion among MAGA voices last October when he spoke in Spanish while hosting "Saturday Night Live" and told the audience that if they didn't understand what he was saying, "they would have four months to learn."

The latest twist came on February 1, when he denounced the recent crackdown on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement during his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards.

Anderson County will take an economic hit from the cancellation, Burns said, but the county hopes to bounce back with future shows.The past two "Rock the Country" events have proven the county can successfully host large concert events, he said.

"This happens all the time in business," Burns said.“We had a good two-year run.”