Months before the Rock the Country festival crosses the United States, three of its named performers have all dropped out.
The annual festival, consisting of an eight-city tour featuring sets from popular music artists, initially featured Ludacris, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith among the star-studded lineup. The trio of artists have since quietly canceled their participation without offering further explanation.
While official posters and the show website have removed Ludacris and Wade’s names, Faith’s moniker has yet to be taken down from the pages at the time of publication.
Keep scrolling for a full breakdown of the Rock the Country festival drama:
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What Is Rock the Country?
The festival is billed as a music experience in eight small towns.
“Rock The Country is more than just a festival, it’s a celebration of community, tradition, and the spirit that’s carried America through 250 years,” a website description reads. “It’s where neighbors become friends, families come together under the wide-open sky, and folks from every walk of life share the simple joy of great music and good company.”
The statement continued, “As we honor this milestone 250th year, every song, every laugh and every toast feels a little bigger. It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our towns, the stories that shaped us, and the moments we’ll be talking about long after the lights go down.”
When Is Rock the Country?
The festival kicks off in Bellville, Texas, in May 2026, for two shows. There will be another pair of shows in Bloomingdale, Georgia, that same month, in addition to gigs in South Dakota, Kentucky, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida throughout the summer. Rock the Country closes with a two-day event in Hamburg, New York, in September 2026.
Who Are the Rock the Country Headliners?
The official festival website reveals the likes of Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Creed, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert and Nelly are among the performers.
While Ludacris, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith were all initially listed to perform, they’ve each dropped out without offering many details. As for Ludacris, a rep for the rapper claimed to Rolling Stone in January 2026 that his inclusion was “a mix-up.”
“Lines got crossed, and he wasn’t supposed to be on there,” Ludacris’ rep told the outlet.
Faith, for her part, succinctly revealed via TikTok comment that she’s “not [playing the show] anymore!”
Shinedown dropped out in February 2026, noting in a statement, “Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power and music and song. We have one BOSS, and it is everyone in the audience. Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide.”
They continued, “With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country Festival. We know this decision will create differences of opinion, but we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
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Why Did Rock the Country Spark Backlash?
Several social media users have inferred that the festival is affiliated with the “Make America Great Again” conservative moment fueled by President Donald Trump.
Ludacris is an outspoken advocate for Black Lives Matter, while Morgan Wade is an avid supporter of human rights — both topics that seemingly go against the MAGA agenda.
Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch, for his part, revealed that his band also received online hate for signing onto the shows.
“There’s been tons [and] the knives come out when they don’t like it,” Kerch said on the “Vinyl Road” podcast in January 2026. “We are an apolitical band, but the knives have come out. It’s crazy, and to be honest, I had no idea.”
According to Kerch, none of his bandmates were also aware that Rock the Country was “Kid Rock’s thing.” (Kid Rock is a noted supporter of President Trump and the Republican party.)
“It was just, ‘Hey, here’s an offer. It looks like a cool lineup, and it’s a mix of country and rock [artists],’” Kerch recalled of signing onto the festival. “We took the offer … and then, all of a sudden, we found out this [has] got some political leaning to it. I don’t care, I’m just going to play a show.”
He continued,” You keep your politics to yourself. I have no opinion one way or the other on Kid Rock. I love his music [and] this is about music.”
Rock the Country has not publicly addressed its political affiliations.
Why Did Ludacris, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith Drop Out of the Festival?
While neither Ludacris, Morgan Wade nor Carter Faith have revealed why they opted against performing at Rock the Country, fellow artist Maren Morris has a theory.
“I don’t know all the details, but I will say sometimes as a young opener on a tour, your tour route loops in festival dates between normal shows,” Morris wrote in a TikTok comment. “Occasionally, artists don’t have eyes on every festival because they’re at the mercy of the headliner/tour package they’re opening for. I ended up playing at a festival in 2018 and didn’t realize until I was there how [suspicious] it was because I was opening on tour for someone who was headlining the bill.”
Morris, who was never involved with Rock the Country and has since taken a step back from the country industry over politics, has known Wade for years. (Wade previously opened up for Morris’ ex-husband, Ryan Hurd, on one of his headlining tours.)
“Either way, good for them for taking a stand!” she concluded her social media comment.
