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Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, and More!

Get ready for a toe-tapping, head-banging, unforgettable experience as the 'Rock the Country' tour takes the stage! Kid Rock and Jason Aldean, alongside an incredible lineup of country and rock stars, are set to deliver a musical fusion that transcends genres. Imagine the raw power of rock colliding with the heartfelt melodies of country, creating a night of pure musical magic. With each headliner bringing their unique flair, this tour promises to be a can't-miss celebration of the best that both worlds have to offer. Grab your tickets and get ready to rock and roll with the 'Rock the Country' tour!

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Jason Aldean and Kid Rock Will Headline ‘Rock the Country’ Tour of Small Towns

By Larisha Paul

Larisha Paul

Seven small towns in the U.S. will welcome Jason Aldean and Kid Rock next year when the polarizing singers co-headline the Rock the Country Tour. The festival tour will stick mainly to the South, spending two nights at each stop in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky, and Georgia.

“Rock The Country is for everyone who makes this country run and loves America. Nobody knows how to party like Small Town America,” Kid Rock said in a statement about the predominantly country music showcase.

The tour will also feature select appearances from Miranda Lambert (on two dates), Hank Williams Jr. (on two dates), Lynyrd Skynyrd , Nelly, Koe Wetzel, Brantley Gilbert, Travis Tritt, Lee Brice, Warren Zeiders, Big and Rich ft. Gretchen Wilson, Randy Houser, Uncle Kracker, Tyler Farr, Pecos & the Rooftops, and more. The lineup will vary by date, but Aldean and Kid Rock will appear on each stop.

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Aldean has also made headlines in recent months, but his was at least about his music, though not any less controversial . In July, the country artist released the music video for his single “Try That in a Small Town,” in which he performs in front of a courthouse that was the site of a 1933 lynching . Aldean has spent many weeks since then defending the song and video.

The small towns featured on the 2024 Rock the Country festival tour include Gonzales, Louisiana; Ashland, Kentucky; Rome, Georgia; Ocala, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; Poplar Bluff, Missouri; and Anderson, South Carolina. The festival will run from April through July.

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Jason Aldean, Kid Rock Partner for Series of Country Music Festivals

Jason Aldean and Kid Rock will be spending a lot of time together in 2024. The two country-rockers have teamed up to headline seven Rock the Country Festival dates in 2024.

Each show also promises a lineup that artists from a curated list of hitmakers:  Miranda Lambert , Hank Williams Jr ., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brantley Gilbert  are four taking part in some or each of these shows. Lee Brice , Nelly, Warren Zeiders, and Randy Houser are a few more.

• Rock the Country is a new festival series created by producers of Rock the South.
• The seven shows target small towns, mostly in the southeast.
• RV and car camping is available at each show. Tickets go on sale on Nov. 17 at 10AM.

The first Rock the Country Festival will be a two-day fest at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzalez, La. From there, the circuit will travel to rural towns like Rome, Ga. and Ocala, Fla. The final stop is on July 26-27 in Anderson, S.C.

See all seven dates below.

Rounding out the acts connected to the festival are Koe Wetzel, Uncle Kracker, Tyler Farr, Pecos & the Rooftops, Kolby Cooper, Colt Ford, Elvie Shane, Treaty Oak Revival, Gavin Adcock, Sadie Bass and Dee Jay Silver.

The full lineup for each show is available at the Rock the Country website .

Jason Aldean and Kid Rock's 2024 Rock the Country Festival Dates:

April 5-6 — Gonzalez, La. @ Lamar-Dixon Expo Center April 19-20 — Ashland, Ky. @ Boyd County Fairgrounds May 10-11 — Rome, Ga. @ Kingston Downs June 7-8 — Ocala, Fla. @ Majestic Oaks Ocala June 21-22 — Mobile, Ala. @ The Grounds July 28-29 — Poplar Bluffs, Mo. @ Brick's Offroad Parks July 26-27 — Anderson, S.C. @ Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center

PICTURES: See Inside Jason Aldean's Stunning $10.2 Million Florida Oceanfront Mansion

Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker

More From Taste of Country

Kid Rock and Jason Aldean announce ‘Rock The Country Tour.’ Get tickets

They’ll be singing “Sweet Home Alabama” all summer long.

Kid Rock and Jason Aldean just announced their seven-concert ‘Rock The Country Tour’ that will send them to small towns that “know how to party” from April through July 2024.

“Can’t wait to bring you Rock the Country,” Kid Rock shared on Instagram . “A music festival like no other for hard working folks who love this country!”

At each stop on the run, the co-headliners will put on two days worth of shows in each city along with many big name acts they’re bringing along for the ride on select dates.

Just a few of the icons set to join the duo include Lynyrd Skynyrd , Miranda Lambert , Hank Williams Jr. , Koe Wetzel and Brantley Gilbert .

That’s not all, though.

They’ll also perform with Uncle Kracker, Travis Tritt , Lee Brice , Randy Houser and Big and Rich featuring Gretchen Wilson.

Nelly will be there, too.

And if you want to join in on the Southern-fried fun, you can grab two-day passes for all concerts as of today.

Below, you’ll find all the information you need about the 2024 ‘Rock The Country Tour.’

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues, five special guests set to appear and links to buy tickets can be found below.

But wait, there’s more!

In total, 21 artists will be joining Kid Rock and Jason Aldean on the road. Here’s who they are:

For a closer look to see all the acts coming to your city, you can find a more detailed breakdown here .

Kid Rock aka Robert James Ritchie has made headlines over the years for his outspoken political and social views.

The 52-year-old rap-rocker turned country-rocker has displayed the Confederate flag at concerts, publicly disparaged Colin Kaepernick, used homophobic slurs and most recently shot Bud Light beer cans with a semiautomatic rifle in response to the company partnering with Dylan Mulvaney.

He has also publicly endorsed Donald Trump for President.

In July of this year, Aldean released the music video for his polarizing single “Try That In A Small Town,” that may have had a pro-racism and pro-lynching message.

Over the course of three minutes, the 46-year-old country star displayed images of George Floyd protests projected onto Tennessee’s Maury County courthouse, which has a bit of historical significance.

Said courthouse is where a 1946 race riot and 1927 lynching took place.

The video was pulled down by CMT after four days on the air.

Many household names will be boot scootin’ to small towns and big cities all over North America these next few months.

Here are just five you won’t want to miss.

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Jason Aldean, Kid Rock headline Rock the Country festival visiting small towns. Here's what to know.

Jason Aldean and Kid Rock have announced they will be hitting the road for a seven-stop small town "Rock the Country" tour. From April to July 2024, the pair will be headlining music festivals in American small towns, joined by other notable country musicians at each stop.

The two will make stops in Kentucky, Georgia and South Carolina among other states.

In a press release, Kid Rock said, “Rock the Country is for everyone who makes this country run and loves America. Nobody knows how to party like Small Town America."

The tour comes on the heels of backlash Jason Aldean received over the past year for his "Try That in a Small Town" song and music video. Online criticism perceived the song's lyrics and music video as portraying a pro-gun violence stance and lynching sentiments. Aldean called those references meritless and dangerous .

More: Jason Aldean's new album not afraid to spark 'necessary conversations'

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Who is on Jason Aldean and Kid Rock's Rock the Country tour

On select dates, Aldean and Kid Rock will be joined by the following artists:

• Miranda Lambert
• Hank Williams Jr.
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Travis Tritt
• Big & Rich ft. Gretchen Wilson
• Brantley Gilbert
• Warren Zeiders
• Randy Houser
• Uncle Kracker
• Pecos & The Rooftops
• Kolby Cooper
• Elvie Shane
• Treaty Oak Revival
• Gavin Adcock
• Dee Jay Silver

Where will Jason Aldean and Kid Rock perform on the 'Rock the Country' tour?

Here are the cities the two country performers will be performing.

• Gonzales, LA. – April 5 & 6 at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center
• Ashland, KY. – April 19 & 20 at Boyd County Fairgrounds
• Rome, GA. – May 10 & 11 at Kingston Downs
• Ocala, FL – June 7 & 8 at Majestic Oaks Ocala
• Mobile, AL. – June 21 & 22 at The Grounds
• Poplar Bluff, MO. – June 28 & 29 at Brick’s Offroad Parks
• Anderson, SC. – July 26 & 27 at Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center

How to get Rock the Country festival tickets

Pre-sale for tickets will begin on Thursday, Nov. 16. Public sale begins Friday, Nov. 17.

Fans can sign up for pre-sale and find more information at rockthecountry.com .

• Anniston/Gadsden

Rock the Country 2024 traffic, parking, tickets: What to know

• Updated: Jun. 21, 2024, 9:53 a.m.
• | Published: Jun. 21, 2024, 9:29 a.m.

Kid Rock headlined at the 2019 Rock the South festival in Cullman, Alabama. (Courtesy of Nathan Baugh/Rock the South)

• Lawrence Specker | [email protected]

The Rock the Country traveling festival brings Kid Rock, Jason Aldean and an expected audience of more than 20,000 fans to The Grounds in Mobile this weekend. Here’s what you need to know if you’re going, or just trying to drive through the area.

Routes leading to The Grounds, at the intersection Cody Road and Ziegler Boulevard, tend to back up for major events. If you’re not actually headed for The Grounds during afternoon or evening on Friday, June 21, or Saturday, June 22, it might be wise to detour around the area at peak times. (Gates open at 3 p.m. daily, music starts at around 4 p.m. and major acts go on around 5-6 p.m., with headliners starting at 9-9:30 p.m.) As at a 2021 Morgan Wallen concert, one way organizers are trying to alleviate traffic jams is by opening parking lots early for tailgating. Parking opens at noon daily.

The Mobile Police Department has issued the following statement: “We have no plans for enforcement operations this weekend. However, we will play a significant role in controlling the traffic flow in and out of The Grounds property. Both traffic squads will work on this assignment on Friday and Saturday, and we will be supplemented by additional personnel placed on orders. These will be separate from those placed on orders to work security inside the venue. We have two different traffic plans depending on the vehicular flow. We will monitor the traffic flow and be prepared to implement the appropriate traffic pattern as needed.”

The Mobile PD also released a video for those headed to the event:

Rock the Country takes over The Grounds in Mobile this Friday and Saturday, so expect a lot of traffic in and around that area. Our officers will be monitoring the traffic flow and making adjustments when needed. Remember, stay patient and try to allow extra time for your commute. Posted by Mobile Police Department on Tuesday, June 18, 2024

MEDICAL/HEAT

At the previous Rock the Country event, held June 7-8 on Ocala, Fla., heat contributed to some issues: A spokesman for Marion County Fire Rescue told the Ocala Gazette that over two days, the department treated more than 475 people for problems related to “heat-related illnesses, falls and intoxication,” and took 32 patients to local hospitals. That’s with an estimated crowd of nearly 40,000.

It’s going to be hot in Mobile, too, with highs in the mid-90s both days. The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department released a statement about its plans: “The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department will be providing emergency and medical coverage for the upcoming Rock the Country event. More than 20 paramedics and EMTs from MFRD will be on duty for the event, with 2 ambulances, 2 mini ambulances, 2 golf carts, walking teams and a mini fire suppression unit staffed to help out. In addition to the regular coordination and planning for special events with all agencies involved, MFRD has prepared to handle additional heat-related calls if they need should arise.”

Festival organizers are encouraging fans to stay hydrated. Going into the Ocala event, even headliner Kid Rock offered some advice via social media on that point: “YES, there is gonna be some Florida heat to deal with! I am not one to tell people what to do, but what I DO when I am drinking beers on a hot day is the 3/1 rule…For every 3 beers I drink, I slam one water … Seriously, that sh-- works for me!”

Tickets are still available through https://www.rockthecountry.com/mobile . Single-day passes start at $79.99.

Friday, June 21:

* Dee Jay Silver between all sets *

● Noon: Parking Opens

● 3 p.m.: Festival Doors Open

● 4:10 p.m.: Gavin Adcock

● 5:20 p.m.: Uncle Kracker

● 7:05 p.m.: Big & Rich ft. Gretchen Wilson

● 9:10 p.m.: Kid Rock

Saturday, June 22:

● 3:35 p.m.: Trippp

● 4:05 p.m.: Sadie Bass

● 5 p.m.: Tyler Farr

● 6:15 p.m.: Randy Houser

● 7:45 p.m.: Brantley Gilbert

● 9:35 p.m.: Jason Aldean

Clear bags are not required. However, all bags will be subject to search at the festival entrances, and patrons will pass through metal detectors.

According to the festival website , prohibited items include guns, knives, or weapons of any kind; outside food or beverage; tents or umbrellas; animals; illegal substances; laser pointers; chains/chain wallets; fireworks; flags; and professional cameras, video cameras, or audio recording devices.

Sunscreen; hats; phones and chargers; empty water containers for use at the water stations; towels; non-professional cameras; small to medium bags; medicine (in approved containers); blankets or lawn chairs for use in the chair zones.

COOLERS/CONCESSIONS

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Patrons are not allowed to bring coolers into the event. Organizers say they have “a diverse selection of over 25 food and beverage vendors ready to serve you, offering everything from Southern barbecue to hamburgers , lemonade, Greek food and more.”

Re-entry to the concert area is allowed if you have a car camping or RV wristband. However, for those without these specific wristbands, entry is allowed one time per day.

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Jason Aldean & Kid Rock to Headline Small-Town Festival Series Rock the Country

The seven-city shows will also feature Miranda Lambert, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more.

By Dave Brooks

Dave Brooks

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Jason Aldean

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Quick insists the tour is not political, but it’s booking of one of former president Donald Trump’s biggest boosters, and its timing months before the election injects an unavoidable dose of political energy into the tour that will be impossible to ignore.

Could the controversy have been avoided had Aldean’s song been a little lighter on the rhetoric? Maybe, but once the conversation becomes a word-for-word litigation over intent and historical context, it becomes difficult to find middle ground.

And yet finding commonality is probably the most effective way to deal with major challenges facing rural communities, like the closure of more than 600 rural hospitals in the near future, according to a recent study by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform . Rural communities have also been much harder hit by major economic downturns, leading to higher and longer rates of joblessness and unemployment during recessions.

Whatever direction Aldean decides to, Rock the Country is a rare opportunity for the artist to lift up rural America, and a rare chance for his fans and fans of country music to travel to small towns and celebrate together.

Dates and locations for Rock the Country are listed below. To learn more and buy tickets, visit rockthecountry.com .

• Gonzales, La. – April 5 & 6 at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center
• Ashland, Ky. – April 19 & 20 at Boyd County Fairgrounds
• Rome, Ga. – May 10 & 11 at Kingston Downs
• Ocala, Fla – June 7 & 8 at Majestic Oaks Ocala
• Mobile, Ala. – June 21 & 22 at The Grounds
• Poplar Bluff, M. – June 28 & 29 at Brick’s Offroad Parks
• Anderson, S.C. – July 26 & 27 at Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center

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Brick's Offroad Park

Lineup - Poplar Bluff, MO

Jason Aldean

Hank Williams Jr

Travis Tritt

Uncle Kracker

Elvie Shane

Pecos & The Rooftops

Gavin Adcock

Dee Jay Silver

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*Lineup subject to change

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Did Kid Rock and Jason Aldean's Tour Break Taylor Swift's Concert Attendance Record?

"the success of the 'you can’t cancel america tour' lies in its ability to resonate with a wide range of audiences," the article claimed., taija perrycook, published jan. 11, 2024.

About this rating

On Jan. 6, 2024, Esspots.com published an article positing that ticket sales for Jason Aldean and Kid Rock 's joint concert tour had broken an attendance record previously held by pop legend Taylor Swift . "The success of the 'You Can’t Cancel America Tour' lies in its ability to resonate with a wide range of audiences," the article claimed. But the story was a piece of fiction.

The article began:

Breaking: Kid Rock and Jason Aldean’s You Can’t Cancel America Tour Breaks Taylor Swift’s Attendance Record In an unprecedented event in the world of live music, Kid Rock and Jason Aldean’s joint venture, the “You Can’t Cancel America Tour,” has shattered the concert attendance record previously held by pop sensation Taylor Swift. This groundbreaking achievement not only marks a new era in the live music industry but also highlights the evolving tastes and preferences of music enthusiasts across the United States.

The claim made its way to Facebook, where a post by account @SpaceX Fanclub received more than 27,000 reactions and 2,900 comments, as of this writing.

First, although Kid Rock and Aldean do have an anticipated tour together, it is not set to begin until April 2024. It is not titled "You Can't Cancel America," as the claim states; rather, the seven-stop tour will visit primarily small towns and is titled the "Rock the Country" tour , with dates extending through July 2024.

The claims made by Esspots.com have no basis in reality and there is no evidence to indicate that the pair's attendance rates are projected to exceed those held by Swift.

Esspots.com describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire , parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.

According to Newsweek , Swift currently holds the record for the most-attended concert by a female artist ever in the U.S., with a 69,000 strong crowd. While Swift has also broken the record previously held by Elton John for highest grossing tour in history with The Eras Tour, exceeding ticket sales of $1 billion to date, she does not hold the top spot for most-attended concert tour for anyone in the U.S., which the Esspots.com article vaguely claims. The highest attended concert in U.S. history was a 1977 show by The Grateful Dead, which drew 107,019 fans.

Outside of the U.S., the highest attended concert ever was in 1994: a free Rod Stewart concert in Brazil attended by approximately 4.2 million people, according to Guinness World Records. The title for the highest-selling tour in history, also according to Guinness World Records, belongs to Ed Sheeren for his "÷ [Divide] Tour," which 8,882,182 people attended across six continents.

We've previously debunked other rumors regarding Kid Rock and Aldean, including that actor Mark Wahlberg would be joining them on tour.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Facebook . https://www.facebook.com/SpaceX6683/posts/pfbid02hr42e3cDpuQrPcGwDz1SDjUGy7Aqufam4ZkhEFazwKD1juUYPEmrDWXiBQef6mrol. Accessed 10 Jan. 2024.

‘Highest Attendance for a Music Tour’.  Guinness World Records , 26 Aug. 2019, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/585769-highest-attendance-for-a-music-tour.

Jason Aldean, Kid Rock Headline Rock the Country Festival Visiting Small Towns. Here’s What to Know.’  The Tennessean , https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/11/14/rock-the-country-tour-what-to-know-about-jason-aldean-kid-rock-tour/71580644007/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2024.

‘Largest Free Rock Concert Attendance’.  Guinness World Records , 31 Dec. 1994, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/73085-largest-free-rock-concert-attendance.

Mutsoli, Vivian. ‘Top 15 Biggest Concerts Ever with the Largest Crowd as of 2024’.  Tuko.Co.Ke - Kenya News. , 24 Jan. 2023, https://www.tuko.co.ke/facts-lifehacks/music-singers/463351-top-largest-crowds-a-concert-history/.

Robin, Alex. ‘Breaking: Kid Rock and Jason Aldean’s You Can’t Cancel America Tour Breaks Taylor Swift’s Attendance Record’.  Esspots , 6 Jan. 2024, https://esspots.com/breaking-kid-rock-and-jason-aldeans-you-cant-cancel-america-tour-breaks-taylor-swifts-attendance-record/.

By Taija PerryCook

Taija PerryCook is a Seattle-based journalist who previously worked for the PNW news site Crosscut and the Jordan Times in Amman.

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On This Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert Festival Tour

Trigger Random Notes Hank Williams Jr. , Jason Aldean , John Rich , Kid Rock , Miranda Lambert , Nelly , Oliver Anthony , Randy Houser , Travis Tritt --> 133 Comments

In yet another sign that mainstream country is dramatically heading in a decidedly right-leaning direction in the aftermath of members of the media, academia, and the performer class attempting to cancel country artists and stifle speech, a massive multi-day traveling festival has just been announced that will undoubtedly have implications well beyond the music itself. On Monday (11-13), organizers of the inaugural “Rock The Country” touring festival announced their initial lineup, as well as the seven towns that the festival will travel to in 2024. Kid Rock and Jason Aldean will headline all dates, with a cavalcade of other country and Southern rock stars participating in the festival as well. Miranda Lambert, Hank Williams Jr., and Lynyrd Skynyrd round out a list of some 20 additional names that will appear at select shows. Rock The Country Fest is being produced by festival promoter Shane Quick of LiveCo who also promotes the annual Rock The South festival Cullman, Alabama. He’s joined by Nathan Baugh of 46 Entertainment on the promotion team. Even in an otherwise favorable article on the festival, Billboard concedes, “It’s booking of one of former president Donald Trump’s biggest boosters, and its timing months before the election injects an unavoidable dose amount of political energy into the tour that will be impossible to ignore.” In a nutshell, Rock The Country runs the very big risk of being a political rally with country music as the backdrop, and don’t be surprised if Donald Trump or other politicos appear at some of the dates personally. Kid Rock was just seen last weekend hanging out with Trump at a UFC event in New York. But it’s not just Kid Rock’s strong support of the former President that tips off what Rock The Country could be all about. Jason Aldean has been a big Trump supporter as well, and hung out at Mar-a-Lago with Trump over New Year’s. Travis Tritt is one of the most right-leaning and politically active members of the country music community, continuously posting political stuff on social media. John Rich of Big & Rich at this point is known much more as a right wing political commentator than a country music performer. Hank Williams Jr. is also a right-leaning country artist, previously commentating on Fox News . Bocephus released the very-politically charged anti-Obama album Old School New Rules in 2012. Randy Houser just released a new song called “ Cancel ” that unabashedly (and rather poorly) attempts to take on cancel culture, trying to piggy back off the recent enthusiasm behind Oliver Anthony. Other Rock The Country artists like Brantley Gilbert and Tyler Farr have let their right-leaning political affiliations be known in the past as well. Any objective assessment of how this lineup was curated will come to the conclusion that political affiliation was a critical part of the decision making process. “It’s for the people who love America,” is the official slogan of Rock The Country.

Even if other performers on the lineup aren’t really looking to join the political fray, that very well might be the ultimate result for them. It’s already happening to Miranda Lambert, who is getting flack from both sides of the political divide just for participating. Though Lambert has never really signaled any significant political affiliation, she made quite a few fans on the left when she released her song “ Y’all Means All ” in 2022 in conjunction with the Queer Eye TV show. Lambert’s brother is gay, and was a part of the production. This affiliation has some on the right attacking Lambert for being included on the lineup. But then when Lambert appeared at Jason Aldean’s Bridgestone Arena concert in October of 2022, numerous political types, performers, and activist journalists on the left were directly calling for her cancellation , including some who purport to be for supporting women in country music. Speaking of attempted cancellations, this is something that rapper Nelly has been curiously immune from. While some in country music want to cancel Miranda Lambert simply for singing a duet with Jason Aldean, Nelly has been credibly accused of rape and sexual assault by three separate women. This seems to be decidedly opposite to the message of something like Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.” Nonetheless, Nelly makes it onto the roster as one of the participants of the Rock The Country festival. Country and rock performers can have whatever political affiliations they choose, and it’s the 1st Amendment in action for them to congregate to perform. But this traveling festival will undoubtedly stir culture war acrimony at a time when it will already be at its peak due to the impending Presidential election in the United States. That acrimony runs the risk of then spilling out into the greater country music community. Expect when Rock The Country goes live next year, major national publications will report on it, focusing on Confederate flags and Trump T-shirts in the crowd, and talking about the cultural rot at the heart of country music while ignoring the counterbalance in independent country and Americana, and the unprecedented diversity the country genre currently boasts compared to its past. But as has been proven over and over again—whether it’s Morgan Wallen’s ‘N’ word incident, or Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town,” or Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond”—the more X/Twitter types try to impugn these things, the more attention they draw to them, and the stronger they become. Straight up politicians and political pundits all of a sudden have decided they’re country fans and have joined the effort to support songs and artists that others are attempting to cast as verboten. It’s also hard to not tie this development back by the headlong and ongoing effort by academia to activate country music as an agent for social change. Since the cancellation of the [Dixie] Chicks in 2003, country artists were strongly compelled to keep their politics to themselves by publicists and label heads, regardless of what their ideologies were. Jason Aldean personally refused to speak on politics when Rolling Stone attempted to coax it out of him just a few years ago. As Saving Country Music has been saying since 2016, the plan to use country music to switch the rural electorate from red to blue was not only guaranteed to be ineffective, it ran the risk of dramatically backfiring and being counter-productive. The idea that country artists would come out and advocate for left-leaning causes simply because think pieces in elitist publications behind paywalls were compelling them to do so was always hubris. If country performers did start to speak politically once again, it would be in the polar opposite direction as these intellectual pundits desired. That is now what we’re seeing unfold in many sectors of the country mainstream. This whole cycle of culture war back and forths in country music started when major media publications like The Washington Post , and performers like Maren Morris started an open war with Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany Aldean on social media for sharing her right-leaning beliefs. You knew at that time that Jason Aldean was not going to sit idly by as his wife was continuously attacked and impugned. Now Jason Aldean is leading the charge of country artists speaking out politically. Meanwhile, you have otherwise self-respecting traditional country fans who would never even consider going to a festival with Colt Ford, Nelly, and Brantley Gilbert on the lineup lining up for tickets to Rock The Country just to “stick it to cancel culture.” If this festival really wanted to make a difference in the country, instead of focusing on divisive politics and individuals, it could draw attention to the issue of food deserts throughout the Deep South, the lack of hospitals in America’s rural areas, the fentanyl epidemic, and other universal issues affecting “flyover country.” Unfortunately though, this is unlikely to happen as country music gets drawn even deeper into the culture war by both sides, making the music more polarizing, dividing the community, and divesting one of music’s greatest attributes: bringing people together.

Rock The Country Dates:

• Gonzalez, La. – April 5 & 6 at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center
• Ashland, Ky. – April 19 & 20 at Boyd County Fairgrounds
• Rome, Ga. – May 10 & 11 at Kingston Downs
• Ocala, Fla – June 7 & 8 at Majestic Oaks Ocala
• Mobile, Ala. – June 21 & 22 at The Grounds
• Poplar Bluff, M. – June 28 & 29 at Brick’s Offroad Parks
• Anderson, S.C. – July 26 & 27 at Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center

Hank Williams Jr. , Jason Aldean , John Rich , Kid Rock , Miranda Lambert , Nelly , Oliver Anthony , Randy Houser , Travis Tritt

133 Comments

I don’t really know their politics but I’ll admit Miranda Lambert’s and Randy Houser’s participation in this caught me off guard. Even if they are right leaning being associated with this is not a good look in my opinion.

Good thing, your opinion holds little value.

About as much as yours.

This is exactly the type of political division this article is warning about. People throwing insults at each other, rather than “agreeing to disagree”.

Your opinion means nothing

Sounds like an amazing concert, with a great line up.

only thing I see is a line up of artists and people who look like a hell of a lot more fun to party with than the Maren Morris, Dixie Chicks and Jason Isbells of the music world. Except for Nelly, I wouldn’t let my wife anywhere near that guy.

Yes, but does a 2-day, 7-date traveling festival tour exist with these names? No it doesn’t. There have been some fundraisers and such that have seen those kinds of pairings. But this traveling festival is a first of its kind in the modern era. I think this speaks to an escalation of the politicization of country music.

I wouldn’t be surprised of some sort of left-leaning counter programming to this materializes at some point. And then we can all choose what music we listen to, and what events we go to based off of who we all voted for for President. That’ll be the way to solve all of our problems, have one half of the country actively laboring to undermine the other half at all times, and vice versa, and in perpetuity.

you say it “speaks to an escalation of the politicization of country music”. I say it’s a reaction to the politicization of country music. what came first? the progressive activists who figured out that they could use pop culture to social engineer the masses and advance their leftist agenda, or the fed up right wing activists who for too long tried to take the high road and appear apolitical so as not to ruffle the feathers of fans who live on one side of the political divide or another? There are certainly politics involved here, but I’d also say this is what happens when the Isbells, Marrin Morrises & Rolling Stone magazines of the world try to co-op country music for their own political grand standing. The culture war is like any other war. Everyone will eventually have to choose a side whether they want to or not. I don’t like it anymore than anyone else. I wish every country singer could just sing about universal themes that everyone deals with in everyday life, but the progressive left have made it harder and harder to do.

Cancelling the Dixie Chicks came first.

I still love the Dixie Chicks

I guess you are what you say you are. A dog fan. You are a sad, weak individual desperately seeking attention. You sound bitter. don’t like the event? get off the site and find something else to bitch(or sorry bark and sniff butts) about. I stopped listening to country music when they were so weak they had the audacity to welcome Beyoncé that almost broke country music, and Lady Antebellum went WOKE and changed their name among other things. I love this lineup of artists and encouraged that they are giving you the middle finger, without intimidation. Like Kid Rock said F*** You!!!

This 100% already happened, lots of concerts in the last election for president. Only big difference is it a touring festival https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/katy-perry-black-eyed-peas-rock-the-vote-livestream-1015056/

I think we all need to appreciate just how massive this event is going to be. This is a two-day festival, likely with two stages, that is then going to be held in seven different locations for a total of 14 days. I also expect that if these initial dates sell through well—and they likely will—they will add additional dates, perhaps up to around 12 to 15 dates total. This is why they start in the spring and go into the early/mid summer. If successful, I expect this to stretch into late summer/early fall.

This thing is going to be huge.

These MAGA idiots wouldn’t have any fans at all if it wasn’t for trump’s white supremacist base.

Aldean, rock and Williams supporting a lying racketeering conman with 91 indictments and guilty of sexual assault and fraud is a disgrace to the industry.

Don’t pretend like you represent regular Americans..just because you dress like you’re changing my oil and sing anti American trash songs.

So you hate people who change your oil?

You need to get your facts straight and stop lying to yourself. Only conman is Biden. Oh, and FYI, s.f b’s Trump was never found guilty of sexual assault, rape or anything else… You are a true dem that’s for sure… Your IQ shows us that much.

Folks, let’s please not get into outright political discussions here. Ultimately this is a music site.

The fact that you are spewing talking points which detailing bogus/made up charges disqualifies any comment you may make.

You trigger are full of your woke self

Can someone criticize Aldean without being accused of being woke? Maybe it’s just that his music sucks and that he’s an idiot? If you’re a pop princess who loves corporate Nashville garbage, then Aldean is your man. This toll was calling for gun control when he thought the left was more influential, and now he’s releasing “Try That In a Small Twon” because he has seen how acts on the right wing have been successful recently. So FAKE.

Keeping it real. Jason is saying try that in a small town and we will show you the way out . So ya come to my small town and run your mouth. See If I personally don’t run you out with a can of whoop ass. Talk big on here and don’t show up. That’s a coward. Bring it on lil mouth

Dear Mike, “talk big on here” is exactly what you’re doing now. Are you annoyed that i called out your little pop princess music? Not my problem. I listen to real country music. It is your problem if you like fake princess music. If you want to come meet me for a beer, I will give you a really nice country music lesson. Feel free to show up at 207 Murrel St, Dickson, TN.

And maybe some of us agree with him and think people with the likes of you are low life idiots and need to pull your heads out of each other’s arses…

Nikki, I am a right wing voter. I simply don’t buy this Aldean clown releasing a song like that after calling for gun control. Moreover, he’s not country. Enough?

“But this traveling festival will undoubtedly stir culture war acrimony at a time when it will already be at its peak due to the impending Presidential election in the United States. ”

So what?….

Simply being a Republican does not mean we have to care about the unhinged emotions of those on the other side. Are they tayloring their beliefs to do the same for people on the right? No

Honestly a MAGA lovers tour like this could potentially ruin the Republican Party for the next 50 years if enough support is garnered for a candidate that will be convicted before next Nov. I’m saying this as a republican, there will be zero chance for getting independent votes. To see how Brittany Aldean has tried to suck on trumps teat, it’s difficult to see this as unrelated.

You sound left leaning and jealous! I don’t hear you reprimanding artists fir language, sex and violence; ohhhh because they are NOT country

“The idea that country artists would come out and advocate for left-leaning causes simply because think pieces in elitist publications behind paywalls were compelling them to do so was always hubris.”

Wait what? Tyler Childers put out Long Violent History because Rolling Stone told him to? Left-leaning publications are pulling Sturgill Simpson’s strings? Ryan Bingham is a NYTimes puppet? There might be an instance or two of this but you can’t be saying this is the reason a multitude of (large umbrella) country artists are expressing liberal views.

No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. What I am saying is that in 2017 when “Rolling Stone” published a dedicated piece saying that the time for country artists to remain silent was over and they needed to speak out against Trump—and when other publications and journalists said similar things—they were planting the seeds that are now sprouting into things like this “Rock The Country” Fest. Previously mainstream country artists purposely avoided politics entirely because they didn’t want to be perceived as polarizing. Now, it’s an outright marketing angle.

Did the media have something to do with Tyler Childers releasing “Long Violent History”? It might. In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, Tyler Childers was one of the artists listed on an “accountability spreadsheet” fielded with artists that did not post a black square or otherwise address the George Floyd killing. Members of the media were actively compelling political speech, and admonishing people for their behavior. Ironically, Tyler Childers still appears on that spreadsheet, despite arguably being the artist in country who addressed the situation the most as opposed to a performative act on social media. That tells you how poorly that effort was executed, and how extremely dangerous such efforts can be.

Okay, thanks for the clarification. No argument from me that the media is fanning the flames of division wherever and whenever possible. And yes, Tyler being on that spreadsheet is peak irony.

Would you suggest to Tyler Childers’ face that he only wrote “Long Violent History” as a marketing angle or to get the media off his back?

Yes, the Twitter mafia was ridiculous for their accountability spreadsheet, but any true artist (and I think Tyler falls into that category) is not going to let that dictate what and how they write about topics.

Tyler seems to come by his progressive leanings naturally and the way he expresses it by standing in solidarity with the people from Appalachia where he’s from on issues impacting the region like opioid abuse and environmental degredation stands in sharp contrast to the media elite’s understandings about America’s political divides. I also think his approach to these issues has a much better chance of reaching the people who need to hear that message most than all the Highwomen songs put together.

No, I wouldn’t get in Tyler’s face and say that because I don’t believe it. I think Tyler Childers made “Love Violent History” because it was something he wanted to express. But I also think it would be incredibly naive to believe that the media and public perception didn’t have some factor in his decisions. It definitely factored into Tyler’s decision to record the accompanying video he posted with “Long Violent History,” and he said as much in the video itself.

I feel like we’re getting off on a tangent here though, because again, I’m not saying that the media influenced Tyler Childers as much as their incessant attacks on right-leaning artists have resulted in right-leaning mainstream country artists becoming more verbose and outspoken than they were previously.

On your second point, I agree completely and its something that Oliver Anthony seemed to push back against as well during his moment in the spotlight this summer.

For me, while I may be more sympathetic (though not completely in agreement) with Jason Isbell’s politics – to me, he’s become the left’s version of a Kid Rock where the political stances overshadow anything else you might have to think about them as artists.

Trigger loves blaming the media for any political trends he doesn’t like.

It’s also hilarious to spend so much time talking about cancel culture when literally the only country artist that has ever actually been canceled was The Chicks.

He only likes blaming the liberal media, even for the conservative media fanning the flames of the culture war.

He may blame the liberal media, but on the other hand, he seems to agree with maybe 60 percent of what they write on the subject, so it’s kind of a wash.

Yeah, because he knows his audience.

You are part of my audience, Adam S.

If I was pandering to a right-leaning audience, I would have promoted this event, not written a think piece saying it’s setting a dangerous precedent of dramatically politicizing popular country music.

The Dixie Chicks are the band in question.

I looked back at 2003 articles. No band called The Chicks were under fire.

did you high five yourself after that eye roller of a gotcha?

I am personally disappointed that Miranda is doing this.

But I guess I understand it. Miranda is a business woman.

The country music industry has “moved on” from Miranda. She hasn’t been on the radio in ages and even her albums aren’t getting as much attention anymore. She was pretty much slapped in the face (along with Carrie Underwood) by the CMAs last week.

Miranda needs some attention. What better way to get it than to involve herself in this divisive tour? After all, this kind of political controversy skyrocketed Aldean and “North Men” straight to the top.

Plus, well Miranda has always been one to do whatever the hell she wanted, regardless of what people (including her own fans) think.

I think one or a combination of these two things is happening here:

1) Miranda agreed to participate in this because they needed a top-line woman and Miranda wants to make sure women are represented, and when it was initially pitched to her, the presentation didn’t look as politically oriented as it does now.

2) The incessant and curiously vicious attacks on Miranda Lambert for co-writing with Morgan Wallen and appearing on stage with Jason Aldean—including from the “support women in country” crowd on X/Twitter—has pushed Miranda more to the right, which is commonly what happens in these instances. The idea that you’re going to shame someone like Miranda Lambert either out of existence or from collaborating with who she wants to is hubris. What you’re going to do is push her into the arms of people who will embrace her as opposed to judge her.

Number 1 seems like wishful thinking. As soon as Kid Rock and Jason Aldean were slated to headline, it was obvious what kind of thing this is. She had to have known.

of course she knew dumbass, she’s a southern redneck woman who sings country music. Of course she is not some left wing elitist. Let her do what she wants and sing with who she wants!! Ever think Aldean and Kid Rock are cool and nice people and she wanted to tour with them and they happen to agree on politics so what??

Why are you calling me a dumbass for disagreeing with trigger about her naivety? What a bizarre response. You should learn to be more civil.

Adam S doesn’t like it when people think outside of the predetermined boxes he made for them.

I have to agree with Adam about your first point. Miranda knew what she was getting into. It’s not like Aldean and Kid Rock haven’t been identified as ultra MAGA guys for years.

Having said that, I think your second point is very valid. Miranda has always struck me as the kind of person who does exactly what her critics demand she NOT do.

Having said that, I think it’s important to remember that Miranda has collaborated with Aldean multiple times throughout her career. She also has appeared with Kid Rock on more than one occasion. None of this is new.

Aside from the politics of this decision by her, I think it’s fair to be critical of the fact that although she has written and recorded some of the best mainstream country music of the last decade or so – and she is certainly one of the most important artists of her generation – she has OFTEN collaborated with and promoted….well, let’s just say crappy artists. For all of the GOOD she has done for the genre, she has also done a lot of damage. For every Stapleton and McBryde and Monroe she has lifted up, you have a Morris or a Wallen or an Aldean. I have always been a big fan of Miranda’s, but that has ALWAYS bothered me.

At this point in her career, she should be thinking about her legacy. This is just her associating with and promoting bad music -AGAIN. That makes me fat angrier than the politics.

Miranda has been a longtime friend and supporter of the Aldeans. Miranda was one of the few who was there after the shooting and supported Jason at his shows long before they did a song together. Mirand and hubby also vacation with the Aldeans here in Florida. Randy and Dee Jay Silver is also part of that group and golf with Brendan. She’s also friends with Kid Rock and they performed together in Texas and at her bar in Nashville. She’s not ashamed of her friends and knows they’re politics that is the same as hers. A proud conservative gun carrying woman.

A proud conservative woman with a song like Y’all Means All and a video like the techno remix of Tequila Does featuring her gay brother and who attends Gay Pride Parades and records and makes public appearances with Maren Morris.

OoooooKaaaaayyyyy.

It’s 2023 and there are plenty of conservatives who could care less about L/G/B issues (which is largely why party leaders moved onto stoking division around the ‘T’). It doesn’t surprise me at all when I meet MAGA folks who are indifferent or even supportive of gays — especially when it’s a family member who forced their hand rather than pure empathy, i.e. Dick Cheney, or possibly Miranda. (Although, I would add, not supportive enough to change their vote, given that the GOP platform still opposes Obergefell).

Add to that fact she’s married to a Long Island policeman… makes it hard to imagine she’s anything more than a right-leaning moderate.

Anyway, huge Miranda fan here. And a gay leftist. I could really care less about her billing in this, although this is obviously not a festival I would be drawn to nor comfortable in the crowd. I know a lot of people have trouble separating art and artists but it’s never been an issue for me, for whatever reason. Maren Morris is annoying as hell, so she’s a liberal (not a leftist) who I’d rather draw less attention to just about any cause. But if you’re interested in progressive politics gracefully woven into country music, check out Jaime Wyatt’s new album.

Ok. Trump was the 1st President to have an openly gay man serve in his administration (Rich Grennell). There are plenty of gay people posting their support on social media. Look up Branden Staka, gay man that started the #WslkAway Campaign (walk away from the Democrat Party. Also in 2020 there was another group called Gays for Trump. Do you guys live under a rock or what? Step out of the left wing propaganda and enjoy life with others.

What does NOT disappoint is the amount of cope and false sense of moral superiority in comments like this.

This is total bs! Why can’t these artists just perform? Everything is not about politics ! Liberals like you try to cancel people because you don’t agree with them! It’s called FREEDOM OF SPEECH

I prefer my music to be apolitical and speak to the relatable parts of life. I’m pretty conservative but I wouldn’t be caught dead at one of these shows. Mostly because of the type of morons it’s going to attract. I actually really like Kid Rock and think he’s an incredible musician, but the type of crowd that he will bring is a hard pass. Jason Aldean is a tool and makes absolute garbage music.

Give me a Turnpike show any day over this nonsense

There are plenty of good “political” country songs (and those from other genres). They mostly just keep the politics implicit.

To pick an example that was recently lauded on the site: Cafe Down On the Corner. That’s a deeply political song that doesn’t explicitly mention politics.

Or, for classic examples: Coal Miner’s Daughter, Sixteen Tons, King of the Road, Mama Tried, etc.

Discussing the effects of policies is political speech, even if the political process is never mentioned.

(And this even ignores stuff like Song of the South and The Pill, which are classics but more blatant in their politics.)

The problem isn’t political art – to a certain extent all art is political.

The problem is bad art.

As a long time songwriter I can tell you this. Making overtly political songs that are good is incredibly difficult. Out of several hundred finished songs I have maybe two that would qualify and I rarely play them. I work in subtle things that are hidden deep beneath the surface but mainly just write about life, and the stories that could occur while living it. Probably the best example I can think of where an overt political song is good would be “Your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore” by John Prine. For me, a lot of the best writing is exploring shades of grey, asking questions instead of giving answers.

Great comment Ira. One of my favorite songs is The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Great songs suck you in with the story and if there’s a lesson to be learned the writer makes you think you taught it to yourself. Ira Hayes is another great example. I’ll listen to anything that helps me walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes. If I wanna get yelled at or preached to I can go to church.

This leftist would definitely go to this if it was way geographically closer, and of course, if and only if they dropped the unmusical Kid Rock from the lineup. And moved Hank Jr up to the top line.

I agree Hank Jr. should have top billing . Greatest country performer of all time ! Would also be also great if Hank 3 would finally come out of retirement .

I’m late to this article, but worth pointing out this is a rotating lineup and KR & Jason are only two at all 7… miranda will appear at 2 of the dates as the 3rd headliner and I believe Hank will be the 3rd headliner at two others and same as Skynyrd. .

“in the aftermath of members of the media, academia, and the performer class attempting to cancel country artists and stifle speech, a massive multi-day traveling festival has just been announced that will undoubtedly have implications well beyond the music itself.”

See Libs???? It’s your fault we are making awful music.

Seriously, I don’t understand Trigger’s obsession with blaming the left. This shit is a two way street, and leading off with his usual diatribe about liberals is discrediting the role of conservatives in this whole stupid culture war.

I can’t take any of the partisan BS serious. Sure you are super super mad about what thE other side just did, you just never seem to notice when your side does it.

Yes, The [Dixie] Chicks were the first victims of cancel culture in country music, and really in popular culture overall. It’s a shame and an embarrassment on country music. But that was two decades ago. Also, the idea that they were the only victims of cancel culture is a canard. Try telling that to Unknown Hinson and Winston Marshall.

Obviously, what is being criticized is right-leaning characters like Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Travis Tritt, and John Rich who are now banding together to actively work to push country music more toward the right in a way that will polarize the music. But I also think that explaining how we got here is important.

“Unknown Hinson”

The man who called Dolly Parton a “slut”, a “bimbo”, and “forsaking your own race, culture, and heritage” for supporting a movement bringing light to police violence in black communities? Damn those libs for cancelling him for no reason. I don’t know how you can call that cancel culture.

“Winston Marshall”

I hardly think he was cancelled. Yes he received backlash for supporting Ngo, but he chose to leave Mumford and Sons, he wasn’t forced out, and his podcast is quite successful. I don’t see how that counts at being cancelled.

You can’t talk about “how we got here” by starting halfway. You don’t start with the Dixie chicks, or conservatives embracing jingoist songs during the war on terror, or the general culture war. You only choose to add the barest of context. “Cancel culture” in country didn’t start with liberals, and it’s now being pushed more by conservatives and conservative media.

BLM was about grafting money.

The founders are living the good life.

Good Lord is that a tin-eared false equivalency. Unknown Hinson and Winston Marshall? Did anyone have any idea they were “canceled”? Unknown Hinson has his stagename for a good reason. It’s not so much being politically incorrect, which they have or had a right to be, but that they really were sacrificed at the altar of “wokeness” or whatever the hell it is you want to call it. How many people on this site have heard of both or either? That these cult artists benefit from the bothsidesism of lowered expectations creates the illusion that they had as much to lose as the Chicks. Is anybody boycotting Hinson or Marshall? Has it hurt them financially? Please let me know if I’m wrong.

Unknown Hinson most definitely was and is cancelled. He lost his prominent role on Squidbillies and other voice over work, all of his endorsements are gone, you don’t see him playing shows any more, you don’t see him on festivals or making public appearances. It’s over. Was he a “cult” artist? Sure, I guess, though The Squidbillies were pretty mainstream.

Look, I’m not trying to draw a false equivalency. I have spoken many times about how unfortunate and embarrassing the cancellation of the [Dixie] Chicks was, and how I think it is something country music must continue to attempt to reconcile. But Unknown Hinson was cancelled. And hey, I criticized him for what he said about Dolly Parton too. It was completely out-of-bounds. Jimmy Allen was pretty certifiably cancelled recently as well, and likely for good reason.

I’m honestly not boned up enough on Winston Marhsall’s doings to speak more in-depth there, but he was fired from a pretty massive band.

I also find it a little strange that some are coming here to look for little threads and responses to comments where they can say this article is an attack on the left, when really is a lamentation about how mainstream country music is being politicized on the right. It’s my job to also forward what in my opinion is the cause of this political polarization. I respect people with differing opinions, but I think I present a rather plausible case that I’ve been referencing regularly since 2017 that is now coming to fruition.

Winston Marshall was not fired from Mumford and sons. You clearly aren’t boned up on the subject, and shouldn’t just spew out ignorant statements that contradict his statements and those of the rest of the band.

I don’t think you know what cancel culture is. You don’t have freedom from consequences for spewing vile sexist and racist shit. That’s not being cancelled.

I say this as a person who is fundamentally politically conservative: by adopting what is essentially a reactive political approach (i.e., taking positions not just that will aggravate their opponents, but taking positions because they aggravate their opponents), the modern conservative movement has inculcated in itself a lack of agency with respect to its own beliefs and agenda. This has created what is a frankly somewhat pathetic culture of passivity and victimhood on the right.

And, relatedly, it creates the ground for narratives like this, where those on the right are cast in the role of the acted-upon rather than the actor.

(I’m not saying the modern left doesn’t have its own problems; they just aren’t what is being discussed here.)

You’re correct in everything you say but it’s not really new, I don’t think. There’s a reason extreme conservatism is called “reactionary”.

There is a very specific pathology to this situation that has played out on a definable timeline, that among other things, as been incredibly, incredibly predictable. I don’t want to come across as pedantic when trying to explain this. I understand that some aren’t as intimate with the information as all of this stuff has unfolded, and perhaps it’s necessary to at some point to lay it all out in a detailed manner. But prior to the pandemic, country music was in an era after the cancellation of the [Dixie] Chicks that country artists were compelled both actively and passively to not speak out about political subjects regardless of the affiliation.

2017 is when all of this started when you had academics and journalists publishing literal manifestos explaining how country music needed to be targeted for political reformation by the left. I warned then of the very result we’re seeing play out now, which is country music going from apolotical, to aggressively right.

The big key to this festival is the participation of Miranda Lambert. That legitimizes this whole thing, and symbolizes that it’s not just some outlier characters like John Rich and Travis Tritt, or one lone superstar in Jason Aldean. This movement to the right is broad based. And when it comes to Miranda, you can specifically tie her back to the outrage and calls for her cancellation that I covered last year, simply for taking the stage and singing a song with Jason Aldean (article linked above).

In this case, I do think that these country artists are the “acted upon.” They were on the sidelines of politics. Then they received demands from the media and certain other artists (Maren Morris, Jason Isbell) that they must speak up about certain subjects, or they must shut up if their words were not in the proper alignment. Now the flood gates have opened, and it’s my fear country music is going to become a political apparatus for the near future.

It did not start in 2017. If you do ever write an article discussing politics in country in this era, you definitely should start with the Dixie Chicks and Toby Keith. But even if that’s too dated, starting in 2017 would be a mistake. 2016 saw huge polarization and politicization in country music through endorsements etc, that many of those articles and papers were responding to.

Country artists weren’t “acted upon”, they chose to embrace political division, on both sides.

Conservatives, by definition, just want to be left alone. Liberals can not stand this, they have to mess with everything. Thats why liberals like to make political music and complain about everything, and conservatives used to just like singing about the good ol days. It’s also why conservatives are losing the culture war, we are generally 3 steps behind in tactics. Sounds like many of us are feeling backed into a corner, and that’s not going to be pretty. I asked a teenage girl who her favorite country singer was the other day. She said Jason Aldean. I think it was a political statement, I just couldn’t imagine someone liking that crap. So I played some Waylon and Cash instead.

It’s because he spends too much time on X/Twitter, which has distorted his view of what the “mainstream view” is on matters.

I love this site, but it’s clear as day that Trigger needs to log off Twitter, cause it sure as hell seems to have convinced him everyone is out there trying to cancel everyone else.

Yeah, if you think I’m spending too much time on X/Twitter, you’ve missed VOLUMES of coverage where I talk about how terrible that place is. If I spend too much time anywhere, it’s with my nose in published think pieces in major publications that all come from the same basic hive mind. X/Twitter plays a role in that as the window many journalists use to the outside world. But I spend very little time on that app, and it has become agressively less useful as 2023 has transpired.

This is absolutely most definitely what is happening here. 100%. It is hard to express just how INSANE the media’s obsession was with shutting down Jason Aldean’s wife’s Instagram account and the opinions she was sharing there was, and this was counterproductive to the project launched via academia to turn the American rural electorate from red to blue via the country music medium. The Washington Post alone published THREE dedicated articles on Jason Aldean’s wife’s Instagram account alone. Meanwhile you had Jason Aldean ON RECORD saying he didn’t get into politics.

They have awoken a beast here. And that beast is only going to get bigger over time until there is something to change to momentum.

Jason Aldean who hangs out with Trump, dresses as Trump for Halloween, dresses his kids in anti Biden clothes while his wife walks around in a Daddy Trump shirt doesn’t get into politics?

We all know this is a Maga Trump 2024 tour. It’s also not a coincidence that they’re playing in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district of all places. Watch them do voter registration for Trump as well.

No big deal that for many, many years Willie Nelson has publicly endorsed left wing, progressive Democratic candidates, even holding fundraisers ….I don’t agree with his politics but that doesn’t mean that I have to hate him or any other musicians that don’t share my political beliefs nor who I support … good grief the hate even on this site for “MAGA” is disgusting…. quit tearing people down just because you disagree with them… right now you still have the God given right not to support this scary festival …

This site doesn’t hate anyone. You don’t have to venture any farther than this comments section to see folks on the left saying how I hate the left too. That’s how you know someone’s telling the truth. Everyone has a right to their political opinions, whether it’s Willie Nelson or Kid Rock.

LOL I’m pretty left leaning on a lot of issues and i think this definitely is the fault of a bunch of liberal media that didnt even understand what they were talking about in the first place.

The instances Trigger mentions of trying to cancel or shame some acts, etc backfired gloriously and i’m not sure why they thought it would ‘work’ in the first place.

The worst part of both sides is the loud-mouthed ones that rarely accurately represent the general population

I was referencing the hate spewed by others on here – not you. But why is it dangerous to you that this type of festival with some artists that openly support Trump is worse that Willie’s decades long championing – in all public forum? Not to mention Isabell, Cody Jenkins, Kacey whatever her name is …

“If this festival really wanted to make a difference in the country, instead of focusing on divisive politics and individuals, it could draw attention to the issue of food deserts throughout the Deep South, the lack of hospitals in America’s rural areas, the fentanyl epidemic, and other universal issues affecting “flyover country.””

Amen! I worry about this festival stopping in Ashland, KY. That’s an area of the country where concerts and festivals of late have been used to raise money for better drinking water, better education, and battling the opioid crisis. It’s a vulnerable region that has been making positive changes own its own that doesn’t need to be exploited for political purposes.

I don’t fault the artists who participate, but question the promoters motives.

If you want to drink a case of Busch lite and then puke down your shirt while trying to score with your 2nd cousin that seems like the event to do it at.

Just so long as it isn’t Bud Light. Attendees at this festival will have big emotions about that.

I scrolled these comments just looking for this one haha

Also, can we ALL just admit that Kid Rock and Jason Aldean are two washed up has beens who have no business headlining ANY festival (let alone one where Hank Jr. and Lambert are on the ticket). The ONLY reason these two men are getting this opportunity is to capitalize on their popularity in MAGA-land.

This is all nothing more than a money grab – preying ln the current political climate in both the country and in country music. As for Miranda’s decision to participate….well, like I said, guess she is just looking for some recognition right now. Even BAD publicity is at least SOME publicity.

I generally don’t like to use the term “washed up” to describe artists because often this speaks to the inherent ageism of the music industry that affects good artists and bad artists alike. But this definitely looks like a lineup for 14 years ago, making it not old enough to feel retro and cool, but definitely not relevant enough for today.

exactly. time machine shit, no doubt (hey, maybe they’ll play too!) this is about money. period. but it will morph into politics. it has to. they want it to! you’re right, trig. it’s gonna be HUGE. and, unfortunately, riotous. i can’t help but feel that the mixture of politics, alcohol and drugs, and (gulp) guns and ammo will lead to several deaths at some point. it’s inevitable. “If this festival really wanted to make a difference in the country, instead of focusing on divisive politics and individuals, it could draw attention to the issue of food deserts throughout the Deep South, the lack of hospitals in America’s rural areas, the fentanyl epidemic, and other universal issues affecting “flyover country.”” amen again!! that’s how it used to be, and not too long ago either. remember “rock the vote”? those acts were just trying to get people to register, and vote. they didn’t care how you voted, just vote!! thank you, pearl jam (and neil young). and they’re not washed up. just ask their rabid fan base. rockin’ in the free world, indeed…

there’s one more act this clusterfuck needs to really seal the deal… ted nugent!! he ain’t country, you say? well, neither is kid rock. or skynyrd. or nelly (really? i guess R kelly’s “tied up”…). uncle kracker? colt ford? please make it stop…

I have to agree with you. It’s a last gasp cash grab for many of the artists on the roster but also a new group of potential fans for somebody like Miranda. Her Vegas shows are starting up soon again and she needs to sell tickets. . Maybe this is a smart business move for her.

This festival just makes me appreciate my Jinks/TT tickets even more

Amen dude!!! Can’t wait for this show.

It’s funny how mainstream country performers skew right, while their fans lean left. And independent country acts skew left, while their fans lean right.

Regardless, putting Kid Rock as a co-headliner of anything is giveaway that the music is not the focus here.

I believe the majority of country music fans lean right, regardless.

Politics aside, I’d be interested in Hank Jr./Travis Tritt tour. Lynyrd Skynyrd can be in on it too if they find a way to bring to bring Ronnie Van Zant back from the dead.

I don’t give a fuck about any of the rest of these people.

So tired of the political divide. More power to you all, go out and sing your hearts out. This country is messed up! Let’s hope we can fix it.

I am not sure the artists would see it as a right wing political festival. I do not agree that it means country music is moving decidedly to the right. Respectfully, I disagree with your analysis on this one Trigger (I agree with your more often than not!). It looks like a rocking good festival to me whether I agree with their politics are not. I like the music of many whose politics I do not support and whilst liking some songs, do not always support the message within. I can see these shows selling well, regardless of politics. Looks like it will be entertaining.

Sounds like a great lineup of kick-ass artists.Just wish they could have added Toby Keith and or Trace Adkins. I guess you’re disappointed Zach – douche-bryan isn’t on the bill

Politics aside, this a shit lineup.

Two days in Gonzales, Poplar Bluff, and Ashland have to include a political rally. Otherwise, makes no sense to do two days. I don’t know anything about Pecos or Kolby Cooper personally but I hope it’s just for the paycheck as I like a couple songs.

I think it’s great. God forbid us deplorable conservatives.

By the way, just read on WR website a statement about Mark Chestnutt just made. Do not know what the health probem still is though:

““To my family, friends, fans and the country music community…

Many of you who know me well, know that I have been struggling with a battle that I’ve fought to overcome for many years on my own. Now after some extreme health issues I’ve recently experienced the time has come. The fight is over. I’ve made the decision, to take the time to get healthy.

I’ll be coming off the road for the next couple of months to concentrate on getting well…..to take care of me, my family and so that I can get back out on the road, to give back to ALL of you who have shown me unconditional support, care and love throughout my entire career. I truly appreciate your heartfelt understanding in my commitment, and your sensitivity to my decision, and the privacy to allow me this time.”

Trigger, if you could find out some details, it would be appreciated.

There’s even a question as to whether or not it can be called “conservatism”: anymore, but that’s another story.

Think I’m going to skip the comment section above me here. Already know where this is headed. Overall. this isn’t a very appealing lineup other than Hank Jr. and Skynyrd, and they are pretty much passed their primes. Miranda might be a good show, and I might be interested in Kolby Cooper.

As much as everyone has very vocal opinions on him, Kid Rock is the best show on this lineup. I’ve seen him a few times over the years and he always delivers a great show. But I don’t think I’m going to stand around all day wading through the rest of this until Hank, Skynyrd, and Kid come on.

As for the politics, or anyone who wants to tell me one of these artists suck, I don’t care.

Plan on spending 2500 or so to take your girlfriend or wife to the Ashland Kentucky show to get a camping spot, meet and greet, and 2 day pass. As usual, greedy assholes taking advantage of the poor hardworking folk. I thought kid rock use to pride himself on not overcharging his fans for tickets.

I just hope Treaty Oak Revival makes some serious money from this. That is a good band.

If country performers did start to speak politically once again, it would be in the polar opposite direction as these intellectual pundits desired. That is now what we’re seeing unfold in many sectors of the country mainstream.

Yup. I thought about that as I saw Jason Isbell talking about ”Try That In A Small Town” on MSNBC, even as I simultaneously thought he made good points about it.

Jason Isbell: “And if your words add up to nothing, then you’re making a choice to sing a cover when we need a battle cry…”

Jason Aldean: *records & releases ”Try That In A Small Town”*

Isbell: ”WAIT NO NOT LIKE THAT!”

Really, all of this is so unfortunate. I understand there’s been a political element to music for as long as music has been a thing, but even so, these days I much prefer it as a respite from the culture wars — not least of all because as a libertarian-leaning conservative, it bugs the ever-loving shit out of me to see conservative traditional country music fans who wouldn’t otherwise give Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, Tyler Farr, or Colt Ford the time of day fork over their money for this festival because of the Aldean song and the accompanying uproar.

(Say, Trigger, not sure if you saw it, but Randall King recently announced he’ll be dropping a new album early next year; it’s currently scheduled for a release date of Jan. 26th.)

It seems to be a good show. I agree with someone above that toby Keith would have been nice but maybe his health would come into play. None of the shows are real close for me but I probably wouldn’t go regardless. Would depend on what else is going on to make it a great whole day event.

The lowest tier of music opinion is from people who pick what artists to listen to based on what political opinions they espouse – basically everyone at Fox News.

Also it’s crazy to think how self defense, free speech, and saying children shouldn’t be pursuaded to have those surgeries and hormone therapies because they are minors…I do not understand why those opinions are overtly political. Thankfully the Right isn’t pro-war like they were in 2004. But I disagree with any artist choosing to avoid supporting the things I mentioned simply because the Overton Window shifted so much.

“self defense, free speech, and saying children shouldn’t be pursuaded to have those surgeries and hormone therapies because they are minors”

As a liberal, I agree with all of these notions and values. Too bad neither party represents those views.

Sorry. Hollywood and the pop music industry have been promoting left-liberal politics since, well, Hollywood’s beginning. The next person who claims that it is somehow a problem, contributing to this country’s polarization or needs to focus on “food deserts” will be the first. Did Billboard care about MTV and the music industry doing “Rock The Vote” to elect Bill Clinton back in the day? Or how all of Hollywood promoted Barack Obama? Jordan Peele made “Get Out” because he was outraged over some Democrats having the unmitigated gall to support other candidates during the 2008 primary. Boots Riley, one of the top independent directors today, is a literal communist who advocated a violent overthrow of U.S. government in his rap records. (The name of his rap group was “The Coup.” No, I am not making it up.) The album cover on one of his records depicted his band blowing up the World Trade Center. The album came out shortly before September 11th. It was a coincidence of course but when he was interviewed about it, he was 100% unrepentant. He is older now, of course, but he hasn’t moderated his views at all. Everyone in Hollywood knows his views but they don’t care. He’d be directing big budget blockbusters for all the studios by now if he wasn’t against the very idea of big business, capitalism and getting rich in the first place. And he is FAR from the only person with those types of extreme views. Hollywood and the music industry are full of them. Instead, it is getting increasingly difficult to have a mainstream Hollywood career if you don’t. You had people trying to run Chris Pratt out of Hollywood for years because he attends an evangelical church. Imagine were Pratt a bit less famous: a lot of studios and casting agents would have decided that he wasn’t worth the trouble. They also tried to do the same to Sydney Sweeney because – gasp! – members of her family are police officers. The days when you could be a visible Republican in Hollywood like Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzennegar, Patricia Heaton, James Woods, Tom Selleck, Bob Hope, Shirley Temple etc. are long over and those were actually MODERATE Republicans.

So yeah, Billboard is criticizing this tour but I bet that they have a 180 degree opposite attitude on this voter registration drive that Taylor Swift is now running. I am sorry but this idea that people on the left can do whatever they want but everyone else has to just tiptoe around and be inoffensive is just wrong and needs to be pushed back against as often as possible. So even though I personally can’t stand Kid Rock or Hank Williams Jr. I don’t mind this tour one bit and I hope that they and some others make it a regular thing. And I want them to explicitly state “if every single mainstream celebrity can endorse, promote, contribute to and raise money for Democrats how’s that different from what we are doing?” if anyone gives them grief about it.

I’m most curious to see how Lee Brice, Warren Zeiders and Koe Wetzel fare from here on out.

With Warren Zeiders, he is currently pushing his breakout commercial single “Pretty Little Poison” up the radio chart and released his debut album in August. So he is practically brand-new to the vast majority of listeners and, thus, he is still in the early stages of developing his career. Choosing to play this festival is definitely a risky proposition for someone of his sort.

Meanwhile, Lee Brice is someone who is no stranger to the singles charts, but also is in a unique position: where he has never been an A-lister in terms of popularity and commercial success, but has still racked up plentiful #1 hits as recently as two years ago. His career has continued to chug along, but I wouldn’t consider him among the names who are too big to fail either. So it is curious to me to see Brice on board with this, and it’ll be interesting to see where he goes from there.

And finally with Koe Wetzel: unlike the aforementioned two, this is a guy that obviously doesn’t shy from controversy……………..but his fanbase is notably broad and diverse compared to most country or country-adjacent acts. So I’d say it’s definitely quite risky for him latching his wagon to this festival out of the very real risk of splintering his fanbase.

With most the other established names listed aside from Miranda Lambert, it makes a lot of sense why they’re full speed ahead from a business perspective. Especially names who haven’t had a hit for years now like Tyler Farr and Uncle Kracker, where this is a prime opportunity for them to get back into the limelight somewhat.

How about enjoying the music? If you dont enjoy the music, don’t attend.

No problem.

Most music is inherently political and country music is certainly no exemption. Country music figures have been advocates for their politics through their music for all of the 29th century. And country as a wealth of lefties and conservatives from Johnny Cash to Merle Haggard to Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson. The Allman Brothers along with Charlie Daniels, Lynyrd Skynyrd and a host of others worked very hard to get Jimmy Carter elected in 1976. And MTV and Rock the Vote and more recently Taylor Swift are out there promoting their candidates. This concert is no cause of alarm Trigger nor is it anything out of the ordinary for either side. They’ll play their music they’ll bring their political friend on stage and then the voters will decide. ‘Merica.

I’m more offended that Miranda Lambert took second billing to Kid Rock.

haha it’s because she’s only scheduled for two, they will alternate the 3rd headliner between her hank and skynryd.

Sounds like an amazing concert and an awesome lineup. Hope it comes to Canada.

Well… here’s another way the PR story for country music that will continue the narrative I’ve been fighting against as a country fan for the past 10 plus years.

I know you don’t usually do straight political posts as, such but… I would love a deep dive into the origins of the the Billboard Country Charts, which as I understand it was formed in response to or alongside the Black Singles Chart. Country music was originally seen as/called folk music… I may have my things mixed up though, read so many books.

Point being labels wanted to create a divide on the charts to sell more records and keep things segregated. It was less about racism though and as always more about money.

It was touched on in the book “A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres” but not too much of a deep dive.

This topic really deserves its own article. But there is definitely and effort underway in academia similar to the 1619 project to portray country music as being founded solely on racist principles. The point of casting it as such is then you have the mandate to demolish country music as a cultural institution, and reconstitute it in the image that these intellectuals want it to be as opposed to what the fans and artists want it to be. What they won’t tell you is that at one point, country and folk songs were paired with songs from Black performers as a sort of “also-ran” on the Billboard charts when this music was seen as something apart from popular music. Yes, later the charts were separated based on race, though as you said, this was just as much about marketing as it was segregation. I don’t want to say that racism didn’t play a role in early country music because of course it did. But it was not the foundation of the genre. The first performer Ralph Peer ever recorded was a Black woman in Chicago. The Lomax family never receives its due credit, and they recorded artists irrespective of race.

What they also fail to explain is than all the way up to the ’90s, Billboard had a “Hot Black Singles” chart. The point of this was not to segregate Black performers, but to emphasize them.

It definitely deserves its own article and I look forward to reading and promoting it.

Just dont go if you dint like them. What you are doing isn’t gonna sway anyone from going if they want to go. Really just a bunch of wasted air that you may one day wish you had back!

Say it ain’t so, Miranda. Gross.

Do Kid Rock and Jason Aldean have a combined 100 IQ ? ( Miranda,it’ll be up to you to save to bill musically,aesthically and intellectually !!!!!)

It’s so funny how people talk about Kid Rock being a “has been” or whatever but then place Bocephus on a pedestal, lol. First of all, I love both of them and they would laugh at these comments together while they are out hunting and drinking beer together, because they are great friends. Having said that, I think Hank should be the co-headliner instead of Aldean, but whatever.

Miranda is in the mix because she is one of the few women left in “country” music with a don’t give a shit, outlaw mentality. Unlike the Dick Chicks, who I lost all respect for because they caved to political correctness by dropping the Dixie from the name, just like Dolly dropped the Dixie from Dixie Stampede. It’s really sad when people show how weak-minded they are and cave to other people’s politics. I do not support this tour for any political reason whatsoever. I support it because it’s a group of like-minded individuals who don’t give a damn what people think and stand by their beliefs. Whether you think they are washed up or has-beens or rednecks or whatever, the one thing they are is prideful and strong in their beliefs and that shows integrity. Being able to look at yourself in the mirror and be proud of the person you are is a lot more valuable than what the world thinks. I’m going now to listen to Kid Rock’s “FUCK OFF”! Have a blessed day! Peace!

i love how the conservative political platform these days is just to do the opposite of whatever the left does, including championing and doubling down on the shittiest music you have ever heard. meanwhile, kid rock is still drinking bud lite in a small town.

God totin’, gun fearin’ patriots! God bless America!

Art W.,at 70 and a cover boy handsome black Canadian man with a 160+ IQ who’s NEVER given a crap about folks thinking I shouldn’t be a Country fan because of my colour and far-left politics,don’t you think I epitomize the word “outlaw?”

Politics aside, the music on this tour is primarily terrible. Aside from Miranda Lambert and some of Bocephus’ tunes (both of whom I might watch if it was a different event and free) it all looks like hot garbage. I don’t even like big festivals when I like 90% of the acts. But hawking cheap, made in China American flag trinkets and merch and selling it to rubes is probably one of the most classic American moves out there, so I give them that!

BORING. Kid crock & the rednecks-afraid-of-the-world tour ’24. All these whiners about the politicization of country music. It’s artist like this that make it that way instead of staying true to the vibe. Oh well I guess that’s what you get.

Y’all are using too many big words for my likin’.

The list of artists I would refuse to listen to for political reasons is pretty short. Charlie Manson, John Hinkley Jr, Kenny Chesney. And none of them actually killed anyone, though the last one kills my ears with whininess.

(I will actually listen to a few Jon Pardi songs, even though his voice sounds like my table saw with a sliver of waste wood rubbing against the blade.)

For sure the line-up will tend to draw from one side of the political spectrum, but also shrewdly the venues are out in the sticks a good bit, where there will be plenty of access and parking for mud-boggers and side-by-sides. I think you still get a MAGA hat when you purchase one of those vehicles (I just got a dealer hat when I bought my 4-wheeler).

I don’t think the festival that appeals to ‘both sides’ exists yet, so I guess we’ll just have to party on.

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Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Lee Greenwood at the 2024 RNC

Kid Rock Threw the Party. MAGA Faithful Brought the Joy, Rage and Smirnoff Ice.

A music festival headlined by the pro-Trump musician offered a snapshot of a maturing American subculture, with a mash-up of hedonism, rebellion and beer-guzzling pursuit of happiness.

A mechanical bull at Kid Rock’s Rock the Country festival in Anderson, S.C., in July. Credit... Nicole Craine for The New York Times

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By Richard Fausset

Reporting from Anderson, S.C.

• Aug. 11, 2024

Alan Jeanetti, a 73-year-old retired barber, was tailgating with friends before Rock the Country, a touring music festival headlined by the pro-Trump musician Kid Rock. Mr. Jeanetti’s head was wrapped in a star-spangled bandanna. His T-shirt declared, “I Don’t Care.”

Mr. Jeanetti actually cares about many things, including the toll that his political leanings have taken on his personal life. “I have lost so many friends because I was a Trump lover,” he said. “I wouldn’t do that to them.”

On this broiling July day in Anderson, S.C., however, Mr. Jeanetti had a safe space. A tribe. All around him were fellow fans of former President Donald J. Trump, many with big trucks lining the green fields around the outdoor concert venue. Trump flags fluttered above R.V.s and tents, alongside American flags and a few of the Confederate variety.

Some 22,500 people would come on this first day of the two-day festival, according to the local sheriff’s office, drawn by Kid Rock and an abundance of country performers. “It’s going to be another Woodstock One,” Mr. Jeanetti said.

Starting in April in Gonzales, La., and stopping in six other midsize Southern cities through late July, Rock the Country offered a vision of the MAGA movement in pure party mode.

The shows felt like Trump rallies without the former president, unburdened by policy talk, speeches from lesser-known G.O.P. players, and the buzz-kill tendencies of Mr. Trump himself, who tends to noodle at the lectern like a jam-band soloist.

What remained was a snapshot of a maturing American subculture, with unwritten conventions rivaling those of Deadheads or Swifties, and a dizzying mash-up of hedonism and piety, angry rebellion and beer-guzzling pursuit of happiness.

It was also more evidence that Kid Rock, the 53-year-old Michigan entertainer and festival co-owner whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, has emerged as a chief cultural standard-bearer of Trumpism. At the Republican National Convention in July, Mr. Ritchie, who says he golfs regularly with Mr. Trump, performed shortly before the former president’s speech accepting the nomination, leading the crowd in chants of “Fight! Fight!” and setting a defiantly salty tone with his anthem, “American Bad Ass.”

In a phone interview last week, Mr. Ritchie said that Rock the Country had been designed to appeal to the conservative demographic that had made TV shows like “Duck Dynasty” and “Yellowstone” so popular.

Mr. Ritchie, who began his career as a rather apolitical party rapper, has not only ridden the wave of working-class anger that propels the MAGA movement, but he has also done much to shape it. His 2023 protest of Bud Light, after the beer brand partnered with a transgender influencer, sent its sales plummeting.

After the November election, Mr. Ritchie said, he would try to “lower the tone” politically, “and go back to trying to make good music that anybody can enjoy.” But for now, he said, “I’m going to go hard in the paint through this election for my guy, because I believe in his policies.”

At one point in the conversation, he was asked about prominent conservatives who have raised doubts about Mr. Trump’s fitness for office. Mr. Ritchie, chuckling, referred to those doubters with a homophobic slur; two days later, he texted The New York Times to note that his comment was a line from the 1982 film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

In South Carolina, Kid Rock was the biggest act on the first day of the festival, with the country star Jason Aldean headlining on the second. By late afternoon on Day 1, thousands of people — young and old, overwhelmingly white — had crowded into the open field in front of the stage. Young women clopped across the grass in cherry-red cowgirl boots and Daisy Dukes. Men tried to outdo each other with T-shirts with politically incorrect remarks (“Taxes are Gay”; “Ammosexual”; “I’m voting CONVICTED FELON 2024”).

It had been five days since President Biden announced he would not seek re-election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee — too soon, it seemed, for the rollout of anti-Harris shirts.

It had also been two weeks since a gunman had tried to assassinate Mr. Trump in Pennsylvania, and one shirt seemed to set the tone more than others: It showed Mr. Trump raising his middle fingers, with the words “YOU MISSED,” followed by an expletive.

The conservative movement once proudly defined itself in opposition to the recreational drug use of the leftist counterculture. At Rock the Country, a cannabis tent did a brisk business in prerolled joints and Delta-9 space pops. Another company sold gummies containing a “proprietary mushroom and nootropics” blend, the packaging said, for a “mind-bending experience.” Bud Light was the conspicuous sponsor of a two-story outdoor bar.

A lighting rig facing the stage had been designed, an organizer told the crowd, to resemble a cross, a reminder that “the true hope for the United States is Jesus Christ.”

Taking it all in from a picnic table were Margie Guden, 58, a supervisor at a fast-food restaurant from Zirconia, N.C., and her husband William, 62, who works at a farm supply store. “There’s no Biden fans here,” Ms. Guden said. “Fantastic!”

The Gudens said they identified with neither political party. They said they would like to see everyone currently in office voted out, and Mr. Trump voted in to cleanse a corrupt system. They also thought he could rein in inflation.

“There ain’t no such thing as balancing a budget no more, when you go to work and you’re making, let’s say, $10 to $15 an hour, and it costs you $22 an hour to live where you are,” Mr. Guden said. “How do you make up and adjust for that cost of living? Credit card.”

Mr. Jeanetti, a North Carolina resident, spoke over a happy din that mounted as the parking lot filled and his friends sipped from cans of Smirnoff Ice.

Mr. Trump, he said, bore some responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. But Mr. Jeanetti added that practical issues took precedence when it came to his vote: “The bottom line is called the economy.”

Faith in Mr. Trump seemed to paper over some serious disagreements among the concertgoers. Mr. Jeanetti said he was staunchly in favor of abortion rights. “I grew up in the ’70s,” he said. “Who the hell are you to say I have to have this baby?”

But a few yards away, Jeremy Morey, 47, a plumber from Boyne Falls, Mich., said he believed that liberals’ support for abortion was proof they had aligned themselves with satanic forces when there were “actual angels and demons fighting right now for the soul of this country.”

Others were split on whether the MAGA movement was on the cusp of open rebellion. Edwin Poteet Black Jr., a longtime Kid Rock fan from Michigan with convictions for robbery, assaulting a police officer and other crimes, said that it was time for conservatives to rise up in a civil war against liberals. “We are to the point our forefathers would have already been out in the streets, shooting,” said Mr. Black, whose grandson had given him tickets to the festival for his 60th birthday.

Through the spring and summer, the Rock the Country shows mixed and matched performers, but most were from the world of country — a genre wide enough to encompass all manner of politics, both “ rednecks and bluenecks, ” as the writer Chris Willman once put it, but one that often aligns with conservative ideals.

In South Carolina, warm-up acts for Kid Rock repurposed recent rock sounds, from grunge to metal. But they mostly stuck to traditional country themes: patriotism, love and lust, God and family, trucks and beer.

Elvie Shane, a singer-songwriter from Kentucky, kicked off the show with “Forgotten Man,” a booming song about the pride and travails of the working life that segued into a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” In between songs, he sounded a rare note of concern about the way Americans seemed to have turned on each other.

“I feel like we’re just so divided these days. I know y’all ain’t,” he said with a laugh that seemed to acknowledge the crowd’s unified politics. He encouraged them to reach out to friends or family who might be on the other side of the political divide. “If you love them, you be the bigger man — you make the phone call and say, ‘Hey look, I know we disagree. But I still love you.’”

Before Kid Rock’s set, Shane Quick, one of the festival organizers, took the stage and asked the fans to join him in prayer. He thanked God for the military, the police, barbecue and Southeastern Conference football. “Dear God,” he said, “we thank you that just a few days ago, you kept the future president Donald Trump safe from the assassination attempt.”

The crowd went wild. Moments later, Kid Rock took the stage, flanked by dancers who gyrated on poles topped with American flags. He danced and rapped about his rough and rowdy ways. He performed his signature song, “Cowboy,” with its provocative line, “I can smell a pig from a mile away.” At one point he sang in a bluesman’s voice about the nefarious cultural imports of soccer and tofu .

Late in the show, Mr. Trump’s face hovered above the stage in a prerecorded video. He told the crowd they were the “true backbone” of the country.

“Let’s make America rock again,” Mr. Trump said in the video.

Mr. Ritchie said that he hopes Rock the Country will become a regular fixture on the American festival calendar, and predicted that Trumpism would live on as a cultural phenomenon beyond Mr. Trump’s time in politics, like Grateful Dead fans after Jerry Garcia died.

“I think the MAGA movement is probably bigger than Trump at the end of the day,” he said. “Whatever this is, I think it will continue without him.”

Richard Fausset, based in Atlanta, writes about the American South, focusing on politics, culture, race, poverty and criminal justice. More about Richard Fausset

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Do Charli XCX’s and Kid Rock’s endorsements make a difference? 19% of young people admit they might

Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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Richard T. Longoria does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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British pop star Charli XCX sent many young people’s group text chats and social media feeds wild when she endorsed Kamala Harris by playing off a term she coined in a song, and posted on X , that “ kamala IS brat .”

While this endorsement, which happened in July 2024 , likely means very little to most adults who don’t follow the singer’s music, it is considered high praise among young people. Harris’ campaign astutely embraced Charli XCX’s support – temporarily changing the background of its X profile to the same shade of lime green that Charlie XCX favors .

Celebrities, including singer John Legend and actors Octavia Spencer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, are all making appearances at the Democratic National Convention , which runs Aug. 19-24.

Several celebrities, including wrestler Hulk Hogan and singer Jason Aldean, appeared at the Republican National Convention in July.

So far, a range of other celebrities , including actor Jeff Bridges , the singer Cher , movie director Spike Lee and comedian Amy Schumer , among others, have endorsed Harris.

Meanwhile, comedian Roseanne Barr , as well as singer Kid Rock , model Amber Rose and actor Jon Voight have endorsed Trump.

Some researchers have estimated that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama in 2008 gave him an additional 1 million votes .

But overall, research shows that celebrity political endorsements don’t matter enough to determine an election’s results.

If celebrity endorsements don’t shift an election, then why do political campaigns seek them out?

The answer is that they still do matter and for many different reasons. Celebrities can easily get media attention, act as campaign surrogates, expand the voter base and make campaign contributions . All these things can help a candidate win.

What guides voters and celeb endorsements

Not many people will admit that they voted for a candidate because Oprah Winfrey or another celebrity told them to – so survey research will rarely find that celebrity endorsements are meaningful.

About 89% of adults also said in February 2020 that they wouldn’t switch their vote because of a celebrity endorsement .

However, this leaves 11% of American adults who said that they might change their preferred candidate based on what a celebrity said. Another 19% of younger voters also said in this same poll that a celebrity could help change their vote.

In a close election, these voters at the margins could change a candidate’s fortunes.

Celebrities can help keep a politician in the news cycle – and a celebrity endorsement gives candidates an extra opportunity to distribute their message to a public audience.

Whether it is Jeff Bridges – who played “The Dude” in the 1998 movie “The Big Lebowski” – speaking at a “White dudes for Harris” Zoom meeting, or the pro-Trump singer Kid Rock hosting a series of “Rock the Country” concerts, celebrity endorsements can also help candidates target specific demographic groups.

Celebrities also benefit when they get involved in politics because they, too, depend on staying relevant.

By weighing in on political issues, celebrities can keep themselves in the limelight and promote their personal brand. There is a risk, however, that a celebrity might alienate fans and business partners who don’t share their political views.

A strong online presence

Celebrities can also get a lot of media attention when they disagree with a politician or are offended by what they say.

For example, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, has said that “ the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.”

His 2021 comments about the country being run by “childless cat ladies” also resurfaced in July 2024.

Actress Jennifer Aniston and talk-show host Whoopi Goldberg went on the counteroffensive, stating that there are many reasons some women don’t have children, including fertility challenges.

“I truly can’t believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States,” Aniston wrote on Instagram .

“All I can say is … Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day.”

Expanding the electorate base

Celebrities can also effectively encourage people to register to vote or to actually vote. In September 2023, singer Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to register to vote with a link to vote.org .

The site saw a 1,226% increase in traffic, and over 35,000 new voters registered within an hour of her post.

There is speculation this election that Swift will formally back Harris, as she did President Joe Biden during the 2020 election . Some Swift fans have looked for clues of a possible endorsement, including that a Swift dancer – who wore a pantsuit during a recent concert – appeared to resemble Harris .

Trump falsely claimed on Aug. 18 that Swift endorsed him, posting an AI-generated image on Truth Social that showed an image of Swift and said, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.”

While Swift has not issued any endorsement one way or another, Swift’s fans have organized a “Swifties4Kamala” movement that has more than 180,000 followers across social media.

Celebrities still have political influence

Celebrity political endorsements are unlikely to change a voter’s core values or sway voters who are already closely following politics and are familiar with the different candidates and what they stand for.

But celebrities still have cultural influence and could encourage people who are not closely engaged in politics or an election to vote for or support a candidate in other ways, such as with donations.

And research also shows that celebrities are especially likely to shape the political opinions of younger voters .

Even if a celebrity endorsement is not the primary reason any voter would select a particular candidate, the celebrity endorsement might have value for some people. And in a close election, it can be just a few thousand votes that matter.

• Celebrity endorsements
• Donald Trump
• Taylor Swift
• celebrity activism
• Kamala Harris
• Democratic national convention
• Donald Trump supporters
• 2024 US elections
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• 2024 US election
• Kamala Harris supporters

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Jason Aldean's 4 Kids: All About Keeley, Kendyl, Navy and Memphis 

Country star Jason Aldean is a dad to daughters Keeley, Kendyl and Navy, and son Memphis

Contributor, PEOPLE

As Jason Aldean has gained fame in country music, he has also expanded his family.

The "Hicktown" singer welcomed his first child Keeley in 2003 with his high-school sweetheart turned first wife Jessica Ussery. The former couple welcomed another daughter Kendyl in 2007 before calling it quits in 2013.

Two years later, Aldean married former American Idol contestant Brittany Aldean, with whom he welcomed his first son Memphis in 2017. Their daughter Navy joined the family two years later.

In November 2021, Aldean spoke with PEOPLE about climbing his way to the top of the country charts while raising a family.

"It feels good to know that for the last 16 years, I've had a chance to wake up and go do a job that I truly love to do," Aldean said. "If it all went away tomorrow, I'd be like, ' My kids are good . It's been great.' I got no regrets at all."

It wasn't always easy raising a family while constantly on the road though, and Aldean said he missed some childhood milestones because of his touring schedule.

"I don't wanna say I've accomplished everything that I set out to do because I haven't, but I've accomplished a lot more than what I thought I would," Aldean told PEOPLE. "I got four beautiful kids. I got a beautiful wife and had a great career."

As his kids have grown up and he has continued to gain notoriety, Aldean has faced criticism for some of his songs and right-wing political opinions. In 2023, after he released the music video for his song "Try That In A Small Town," critics said the lyrics and video romanticized gun violence and furthered racist stereotypes. After a brief ban from the Country Music Television's music video rotation, Aldean was welcomed back to perform at the 2024 CMT Music Awards .

Here's everything to know about Jason Aldean's kids, Keeley, Kendyl, Memphis and Navy.

Keeley Ann Williams, 21

Aldean and Ussery welcomed Keeley on Feb. 14, 2003.

For his eldest child's sweet 16, the "Big Green Tractor" singer posted a birthday tribute on Instagram. "As Happy as i am to see her grow up, i still think of her as that little girl dancing around on stage, holding her microphone and pretending like she was the star of the show," he wrote in the caption. "I am so proud of the person she is turning into and even prouder to be her Daddy."

In 2016, after Aldean tied the knot with his second wife Brittany, the country musician opened up about Keeley's personality and said that both of his older daughters were excited by the idea of becoming big sisters.

" Keeley's always been a mother hen type with babies, so we'd have a built-in babysitter!" he told PEOPLE. "And Kendyl has always been the little sister, so for her to be the big sister, I think she'd be pretty stoked."

In May 2021, the proud dad shared another tribute to his eldest daughter on Instagram honoring a major milestone.

"Hard to believe this kid graduated from high school tonight. Really excited to see what the next chapter in life holds for her. Your future is what u make it, so go get em Keeley. We love you!" he wrote.

Keeley is also close with her younger sister Kendyl. In March 2022, she posted a video collage on TikTok of Kendyl and wrote, "you watched your little sister grow up and now she's the most beautiful person and my best friend."

Kendyl Aldean Williams, 17

Aldean welcomed Kendyl, his second child with his ex-wife Ussery, on Aug. 20, 2007. The country musician has taken his family on the road with him many times over the years and in 2021, he shared a throwback photo from a time when he brought Keeley and Kendyl along for the ride, saying it was one of his favorite photos from the road.

When Kendyl became a teenager in August 2020, the proud dad posted on Instagram to celebrate the occasion.

"Happy 13th bday to one of the coolest and sweetest kids I know," he wrote in the caption. "It has been so cool to watch u grow up and turn into the person u are. I love u so much and couldn't be prouder of you. Happy bday 🥜."

Three years later, for Kendyl's sweet 16, Aldean opened up more about her personality in an Instagram birthday tribute .

"Happy sweet 16 to one of the sweetest, kindest and most thoughtful people I know. It has truly been an honor and a blessing to be your daddy for the last 16 years," he wrote. "We are so proud of the person you are and what you stand for. Don’t ever change that!!"

Brittany shared about the birthday party on her Instagram Stories, highlighting the braid bar, custom illustrations and personal chef on hand to celebrate Kendyl's big day.

Memphis Aldean Williams, 6

Aldean and Brittany welcomed their first son Memphis on Dec. 1, 2017, in Nashville.

After marrying the former American Idol contestant, Aldean revealed the two were open to having children together.

"I know she would like to have at least one kid. And I'm down for that," Aldean told PEOPLE in 2016. "I love kids and being a dad is one of the best things in the world for me. If it's meant to happen, it will. Only time will tell."

The two became parents after a difficult journey to conceive due to Brittany's endometriosis. In fact, both of the couple's children were "IVF babies" and, according to their mom , were almost "IVF twins."

Jason Aldean Instagram

To announce the birth of Memphis, Aldean shared a family photo on Instagram of him, Brittany and their newborn baby. "So blessed today to see my little man come into the world. In a year that has been a rollercoaster ride, this is what its all about," he wrote in the caption. "I cant wait to see what life has in store for this kid."

In 2021, Aldean joked about having one son in a family with three girls.

"I feel really sorry for Memphis, though," he told PEOPLE, laughing. "It's him and three sisters, so he doesn't have a chance. I never thought I'd be having kids again at 40, but now I can't imagine life without them. I was an only child ... so having a big family was something I didn't really have. I love having them all there and just seeing them interact."

Navy Rome Williams, 5

Aldean and Brittany's younger child Navy was born on Feb. 4, 2019.

"After having our son, we knew we wanted to have two kids," the "She's Country" singer told PEOPLE. "I have my two older daughters already, so after Memphis was born we knew we wanted to have another one pretty quick — to go ahead and knock it out and have one that was a little closer in age to him."

Just a little over a year after Memphis was born, the couple had their baby girl.

"Today our family became complete as we welcomed our daughter Navy Rome to the world," the country star announced on Instagram , sharing a photo of the newborn. "Born on 2/4/19 weighing 7lbs 12oz and looking identical to her older brother. So excited to watch what life has in store for this little princess."

In August 2021, the dad of four posted a video on Instagram of Navy belting Frozen 's "Let it Go" from her car seat while one of her older sisters giggled behind her. Aldean ended the video by turning the camera to himself and joking, "Oh no, oh no." He captioned the cute moment, "And so it begins…… The Aldean music bug strikes again."

The Grammy nominee, who has a tattoo of Navy's name on his arm, posted an Instagram tribute to his youngest daughter on her third birthday. “You have the biggest smile and best personality of any kid I have ever seen," Aldean wrote in the caption. "You are one of a kind Navy Rome. We love u so much."

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