Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch recently addressed the backlash received for performing at Kid Rock’s “Rock the Country” festival.
Shinedown drummer addresses backlash
Speaking on The Vinyl Road podcast, Kerch recently discussed the criticism, stating that the band was unaware of the festival’s political affiliations.
“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.”
The drummer explained their decision to accept the offer.
“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.’”
Kerch also commented on rapper Ludacris’s withdrawal from the festival.
“I don’t care. I’m just gonna go play a show. 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.”
