Kid Rock's latest attempt at MAGA relevance has flopped in spectacular fashion. Kentucky's Freedom Fest, where the singer was set to headline, has been cancelled after organizers sold just six of the $1,000 VIP tickets they needed to cover the event's costs.
A Festival Built on Faith in Rich Friends
Deters, who has hosted Freedom Fest on his Morning View farm since 2022, once billed it as the best MAGA event in the country, with past lineups pulling in heavy hitters like Candace Owens and Trump's own sons. This year's ticket wasn't even required for general admission; the whole business model rested on convincing about 100 wealthy contacts to pony up $1,000 apiece for VIP access. Deters figured his network of well-off acquaintances would come through. They didn't.
I am never, ever, ever, ever, ever doing this event again.
Eric Deters
Deters announced the cancellation in a Facebook video this week, admitting he'd banked on selling out those VIP slots and instead moved just six. The event's would-be lineup, alongside Kid Rock, included Kentucky House candidate Ed Gallrein, Rep. James Comer, and Fox News contributor Joe Concha, none of whom were apparently enough of a draw either.
Kid Rock's Rough Year Gets Rougher
This is just the latest indignity in a string of them. Back in February, Kid Rock was announced as the headliner for Turning Point USA's halftime show extravaganza, a booking that quickly turned sour when decades-old lyrics from a 2001 song began recirculating online. He kept cozying up to MAGA world regardless, aligning himself with figures like Pete Hegseth and RFK Jr., only to watch ticket sales sag and find himself conspicuously left off the lineup for Trump's own Great American State Fair. Now the man who once seemed untouchable in right-wing entertainment circles can't fill a farm in Kentucky.
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It's hard to muster sympathy here. Kid Rock has spent years peppering his lyrics with slurs and mocking anyone who objects. He's opposed marriage equality, told trans people what bathrooms they should use, and has been openly dismissive when called out for it.
If someone says you can't say gay like that, you tell them to go f*ck themselves. You're not going to get anything politically correct out of me.
Kid Rock
The politicians he was set to share a stage with have records to match: Comer voted against the Equality Act, and Concha has mocked the LGBTQ+ acronym while opposing trans athletes and gender-affirming care for youth. When even a friendly crowd of well-off MAGA donors won't pay to be in the same room as this lineup, it says something about where the enthusiasm actually stands. Kid Rock built a second act on grievance politics. Turns out grievance doesn't sell tickets.
Sources: Queerty, LGBTQ Nation
Cover photo: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
