Artists withdraw from Kid Rock festival: Shinedown becomes the fourth act to pull out—here’s the current dropout list and what’s confirmed
Shinedown has pulled out of Kid Rock’s traveling “Rock The Country” festival, becoming the fourth act to exit the 2026 lineup amid mounting attention around the tour’s branding and fan reaction. The band announced the decision Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, saying it does not want to be part of something it believes could “create further division.”
The departure follows earlier exits involving Ludacris, Morgan Wade, and Carter Faith. The festival is still scheduled to run from May through September, but one of the originally announced stops now appears to have been removed from the event’s official city list, leaving a seven-city run.
What Shinedown confirmed Friday
In its statement, Shinedown framed the decision as values-driven rather than logistical. The band said it views its role as bringing people together and that it does not want to contribute to deeper polarization. The message acknowledged the choice would spark disagreement, but emphasized that the group’s priority is unity through music.
Shinedown had been promoted as a featured act on the festival’s 2026 poster and was also tied to at least one city stop where it had been positioned as a major draw. With its exit, the festival’s undercard and city-by-city lineups are now under heavier scrutiny for additional changes.
The current dropout list and what’s confirmed
Below is the confirmed list of acts that have been publicly identified as no longer participating, along with what has been said so far.
| Act | Status | What’s been confirmed publicly |
|---|---|---|
| Ludacris | Removed from lineup | His representatives said his original inclusion was a “mix-up” and that he was not supposed to be listed. |
| Morgan Wade | Dropped out | No formal reason has been publicly detailed. |
| Carter Faith | Dropped out | No formal reason has been publicly detailed. |
| Shinedown | Dropped out | The band said it does not want to take part in something it believes will “create further division,” emphasizing a goal of uniting audiences. |
What’s also confirmed: the tour remains on sale and is still being marketed as a multi-stop event across small-town venues, with lineups varying by city.
What changed on the festival schedule
The festival initially promoted eight stops, but the official city list now shows seven locations for 2026. A page previously associated with the Anderson, South Carolina stop now redirects to the event’s main page, and the city no longer appears in the current navigation list of stops.
Separately, some ticketholders have described receiving cancellation and transfer/refund messaging tied to that stop. The event itself has not published a detailed public explanation in a single, central announcement, so the practical confirmation right now is the updated city list on the festival’s own site.
Why artists are pulling out
The exits have not come with a single unified explanation, and two of the four departures did not include public reasoning. Still, the pattern suggests three overlapping forces:
First is reputation risk. The festival’s identity is closely tied to its top-line personalities and the cultural associations that come with them, which can become a flashpoint for fans and critics alike.
Second is routing and booking complexity. Large traveling festivals often involve layered agreements, shifting availability, and promotional materials that are finalized early. In that environment, misunderstandings about billing can happen, as illustrated by the “mix-up” explanation tied to one of the removals.
Third is simple audience calculus. For mid-card or emerging artists, a high-visibility festival slot can be valuable—until the attention around that slot becomes the story. At that point, some acts may decide the tradeoff isn’t worth it.
What’s next for the lineup—and what fans should watch
The most important near-term signal is whether the festival issues clear, city-by-city lineup updates and whether additional changes follow. Even without more dropouts, the festival now faces a communications test: explaining what is unchanged, what is evolving, and how ticketholders are being supported when a billed act is no longer appearing.
Fans tracking the tour should focus on three things:
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City pages and daily schedules, since the festival’s roster differs by location
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Any official replacement announcements for removed acts
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Ticket policies for cancellations, transfers, and refunds where applicable
For now, four departures are confirmed, the 2026 run is still marketed as active, and the schedule footprint appears to have tightened from eight cities to seven.
Sources consulted: Reuters; Associated Press; Billboard; People
