months before the Rock the Country festival traverses the United States, three of its named performers have dropped out.
The annual festival, which consists of an eight-city tour featuring sets by popular music artists, initially featured Ludacris, Morgan Wade i Carter Faith among the star formation. The trio of artists have since quietly canceled their participation without offering further explanation.
While Ludacris and Wade’s names have been removed from the show’s official posters and website, Faith’s moniker has yet to be removed from the pages at press time.
Keep scrolling for a full breakdown of the drama at the Rock the Country festival:
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What is Rock the Country?
The festival is presented as a musical experience in eight small towns.
“Rock The Country is more than a festival, it’s a celebration of the community, tradition and spirit that has carried America for 250 years.” web site the description reads. “It’s where neighbors become friends, families gather under the open sky and people from all walks of life share the simple joy of good music and good company.”
The statement continued: “As we honor this milestone 250th year, every song, every laugh and every toast feels a little older. It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our peoples, the stories that shaped us and the moments we’ll talk about long after the lights go down.”
When is Rock the Country?
The festival kicks off in Bellville, Texas in May 2026 with two shows. There will be another pair of shows in Bloomingdale, Georgia later this month, plus 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. The dates in Anderson, South Carolina, were cancelled for an undisclosed reason.
Who are the Rock the Country headliners?
The festival’s official website reveals the likes of Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly RollCreed, Brooks and Dunn, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert i Nelly are among the performers.
While Ludacris, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith were originally listed to perform, they have all dropped out without offering many details. As for Ludacris, a rep for the rapper stated Rolling Stone in January 2026 that its inclusion was “a mix-up”.
“Lines were crossed and he wasn’t supposed to be there,” Ludacris’ rep told the network.
Faith, meanwhile, succinctly revealed via TikTok comment that she’s “no longer (playing the show)!”
Shinedown abandoned in February 2026noting in a statement: “Shinedown is everyone’s band. We believe we have been given a platform to bring all people together through power, music and song. We have a BOSS, and everyone in attendance. The purpose of our band 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 that this decision will create differences of opinion, but we do not want to participate in something that we believe will create more division.”
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Why did it spark Rock the Country?
Several social media users have them he inferred that the festival is affiliated with the conservative “Make America Great Again” moment fueled by President Donald Trump.
Ludacris is an outspoken supporter of Black Lives Matter, while Morgan Wade is an avid defender of human rights, both issues that apparently run counter to MAGA’s agenda.
Drummer Shinedown Barry Kerchfor his part, he revealed that his band also received hate online for signing on to shows.
“There’s been tons (and) knives come out when they don’t like it,” Kerch said on “Vinyl Road.” podcast in January 2026. “We’re an apolitical band, but the knives are out. It’s crazy, and to be honest, I had no idea.”
According to Kerch, none of his bandmates also knew that Rock the Country was “Kid Rock’s thing.” (Kid Rock is a prominent supporter of President Trump and the Republican Party.)
“It was just, ‘Hey, here’s an offer. This looks like a great lineup, and it’s a mix of country and rock (artists),'” Kerch recalled of signing the festival. “We accepted the offer … and then all of a sudden we found out that this (has) a certain political bent. I don’t care, I’m just going to play a show.”
He continued, “Keep your politics to yourself. I don’t have an opinion one way or the other about Kid Rock. I love his music (and) this is about music.”
Rock the Country has not publicly addressed his political affiliations.
Why did Ludacris, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith leave the festival?
While neither Ludacris, Morgan Wade, nor Carter Faith have revealed why they chose not to perform at Rock the Country, fellow artist Maren Morris he has a theory
“I don’t know all the details, but I will say that sometimes as a young opening act on a tour, your tour route happens on festival dates between regular shows,” Morris wrote in a TikTok to comment “Sometimes 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 a festival in 2018 and I didn’t realize until I was there how (suspicious) it was because I was opening for someone who was headlining.”
Morris, who was never involved with Rock the Country and has since stepped back from the country industry for politics, has known Wade for years. (Wade above opened for Morris’ ex-husband, Ryan Hurdon one of their headlining tours.)
“In any case, good for them for taking a stand!” he concluded his comment on social networks.