Photo: Jemal Countess / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Rock band Shinedown announced Friday (February 6) that it has withdrawn from the upcoming Rock the Country tour following backlash and growing debate around the event.
In a statement shared on social media, the band emphasized its long-held belief that music should bring people together, not deepen divisions.
“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song,” the group wrote. “We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience. Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide.”
The band continued by explaining its decision to step away from the festival, acknowledging that not everyone would agree with the move.
“We know this decision will create differences of opinion. But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
Shinedown had been scheduled to perform at the Rock the Country stop in Anderson, South Carolina, on July 25–26, but the band has since been removed from the festival’s lineup. Other artists originally slated for that weekend included Creed and Brantley Gilbert.
Shinedown is not the first act to exit the tour. Country artists Morgan Wade and Carter Faith have also pulled out. Rapper Ludacris appeared on an early promotional poster, though his representatives later said he was never officially booked for the festival.
Rock the Country is scheduled to visit seven cities nationwide, launching May 1–2 in Belleville, Texas. The tour’s lineup across various dates includes Jelly Roll, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Jon Pardi, Ella Langley, Brantley Gilbert, and Hank Williams Jr.
While organizers have not publicly tied the festival to a political movement, some participating artists have drawn attention for their political affiliations. Jason Aldean and Kid Rock have both voiced support for President Donald Trump, and Kid Rock and Gilbert are also set to appear at Turning Point USA’s “All-American” alternative halftime show, airing opposite the NFL’s official Super Bowl broadcast featuring Bad Bunny.
SOURCE: Billboard