Shinedown’s Brent Smith has opened up about the decision to withdraw from Kid Rock’s Rock the Country music festival.
The Florida-founded rock band announced their decision on social media earlier in the month, joining Ludacris, Morgan Wade, and Carter Faith in pulling out of the event.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Smith didn’t hold back. “We saw infighting that we had never seen before, and for us, it was our job to diffuse it,” he said. “I just want to remind everybody, it says the ‘United States of America’ — united,” Smith says. “And a lot of people right now don’t feel united.”
He credits his parents for teaching him not to discriminate based on gender, skin colour, religion, or sexual orientation. “That is what makes you who you are, and we are all on this planet, and we occupy it together,” he added.
While Shinedown doesn’t “stand on any politics” – and Smith declined to label himself a Democrat or Republican, saying simply, “I’m an American” – he hopes Congress pays more attention to the people it represents.
He even proposed a bold fix for American politics: a bipartisan White House. “If you’re a Democrat, why can’t you have a Republican for your running mate?” he asked, pointing to Republican Abraham Lincoln, who ran with Democrat Andrew Johnson in 1864, as an example of how a balanced ticket can work.
Pulling out of the festival didn’t completely silence dissent among Shinedown’s fans. “There were certain people that were not happy about [pulling back],” Smith admitted. “I will say that there was an overwhelming amount of people that agreed with the decision.… You’re entitled to your opinion 1,000 percent in this country, and that’s one of the beautiful things about it.”
But for fans worried about missing out, he reassured them: “We’re getting ready to launch and release a lot of dates, man, and at the end of the day, we’re still who we are.”
The exodus began when Ludacris withdrew shortly after his appearance was announced. A representative told Rolling Stone at the time that the rapper was never intended to be on the lineup and his inclusion was a “mix-up”.
Country artists Morgan Wade and Carter Faith subsequently pulled out without issuing public statements.
The Rock the Country festival has positioned itself as a MAGA-aligned event, attracting both support and criticism within the music community. Kid Rock, the festival’s headliner and driving force, has been vocal about his political affiliations.
