SHINEDOWN drummer Barry Kerch has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Ludacris’s exit from Kid Rock’s Rock The Country festival, calling the rapper a “coward” while making it clear that SHINEDOWN has no plans to back out of the event.
The comments were made during a recent episode of The Vinyl Road podcast, hosted by former SHINEDOWN and current SALIVA bassist Brad Stewart alongside Jason Bailey. The discussion turned to Rock The Country after Bailey asked Kerch whether SHINEDOWN had faced backlash for agreeing to appear at the festival, which launched in 2024 and returns this year with Kid Rock headlining.
The 2026 edition of Rock The Country features a lineup that blends rock and country acts, with Kid Rock and Jason Aldean — both outspoken Donald Trump supporters — topping the bill. The undercard includes artists such as CREED, SHINEDOWN, Brantley Gilbert, Gavin Adcock, and Nelly. While the festival is not officially political, its associations have sparked strong reactions online.
Kerch acknowledged that the criticism came quickly once SHINEDOWN’s involvement became public. He said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “There’s been tons. The knives come out when they don’t like it, especially now politically. And we are an apolitical band. But the knives have come out. It’s crazy. And to be honest, I had no idea, and neither did Brent [Smith, SHINEDOWN singer] — I think Zach [Myers, SHINEDOWN guitarist] maybe had a clue — I had no idea this was Kid Rock‘s thing. It was just, ‘Hey, here’s an offer. It looks like a cool lineup, and it’s a mix of country and rock. Okay, we’ll play it.’ We took the offer and played it, and then all of a sudden we find out, ‘Oh, this has got some political leaning to it.'”
Despite the noise surrounding the event, Kerch stressed that his focus remains solely on the music. “I don’t care. I’m just gonna go play a show,” he said. “I really, really don’t care. You can keep your politics to yourself. I have no opinion one way or the other on Kid Rock. I love his music. This is about music. Ludacris wasn’t tough… I mean, it’s not like he needs the money, Jeez. If he’s not tough enough to stick it out, that’s just silly. That’s him being a coward, in my opinion.”
Bailey also asked whether SHINEDOWN would ever decline a festival slot due to political associations or negative fan reactions. Kerch emphasized that decisions within the band are made collectively.
“I would hope not, but [SHINEDOWN] is a democracy,” Barry explained. “There’s four of us to vote. My vote would be no, but if three of the other guys vote against it, then, again, it’s a democracy. I can’t change their vote. But I would hope not. ‘Cause I like to stick by my grounds. And listen, I don’t do politics when it comes to the business of SHINEDOWN. I have my own beliefs. I keep those to myself, and so do the other three guys. I just wanna go play a rock show with some country bands ’cause it looks like fun.”
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