Turning Point USA’s alternative to the Super Bowl Halftime might have overwhelmingly been a country show, but not every country artist agreed with its message.
Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves were two big country names who voiced their support for the Bad Bunny-led Super Bowl Halftime Show and threw some digs at Turning Point’s, which billed itself as a “pro-American” alternative and featured headliner Kid Rock.
What Did Kacey Musgraves Say About Kid Rock’s Turning Point USA Halftime Show Performance?
Kacey Musgraves posted a succinct message to the social media platform X.
“Well. That made me feel more proudly American than anything Kid Rock has ever done,” she wrote, after watching Bad Bunny before at the Super Bowl.
She later shared another tweet that seemed inspired by the Super Bowl show: “Together, we are America.”
What Did Zach Bryan Say About Kid Rock’s Turning Points USA Halftime Show Performance?
Bryan’s take wasn’t as earnest as Musgraves’. Instead he jokingly shared video of his friend blocking out Bad Bunny’s halftime show with his hand, holding up his phone to watch Rock’s performance.
Zach Bryan Kid Rock Response
“What Kid Rock actually thinks is happening across America,” Bryan wrote.
In the next slide, he clarified the joke, saying his friend “watched Bad Bunny with me I swear” and that the first video had been filmed for comedic purposes.
Zach Bryan Kid Rock Response
He also said his friend was “hemorrhaging followers” after fans thought that he actually blocked out Bad Bunny’s performance in favor of Rock’s.
Why Were the Two Halftime Show Performances So Divisive?
To be clear: There’s no real comparison between the two in either production or in viewership. The Turning Point USA show was pre-taped and aired on social media platforms and niche streaming services, and no one was expecting it to match Apple Music’s show in terms of dazzling set design and production value.
Final viewership is still being tallied but early reports from The New York Times places Turning Point’s show at around 6.1 million concurrent views on YouTube, and over 19 million views on the platform by the following morning.
Meanwhile, early CBS reporting projects that Bad Bunny’s show is the most-watched Halftime Show of all time with over 135 million viewers.
But among country fans, those numbers might be more even, both because of Turning Point’s country-stacked lineup (Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Gabby Barrett) and because of its emphasis on Christian and conservative values.
Turning Point announced their show in direct response to Bad Bunny headlining at the Super Bowl, amid complaints from those who disapproved of the NFL’s choice to bring in a Spanish-singing headliner. Recently, Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk said she didn’t want to “bash” Bad Bunny, but called their show “an alternative that is pro-America.”
Read More: Why Erika Kirk Thinks Charlie Kirk Would Love the Turnings Points Halftime Show
Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican, is a U.S. citizen by birth and used his time on the field to embrace his experience of American culture, which includes symbols of Puerto Rican identity like piragua stands, street domino games and pava hats.
Hence Musgraves’ tweet about inclusivity and American pride: For many, a Halftime Show that embraced Latin culture spread a joyful message, and was especially poignant during a political moment when ICE, immigration and racist profiling are at the forefront of the national conversation.
Rissi Palmer Responds to the Super Bowl Halftime Show
One of country music’s most thoughtful takes came from singer Rissi Palmer, who pointed out that Bad Bunny once worked in a grocery store bagging groceries before his success in music.
“I can’t think of anything more American than coming from being a bagger in a grocery store to performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. You don’t have to [be] Puerto Rican or Latinx to appreciate that,” she wrote.
“It was beautiful. It was emotional. It was intentional. It was inclusive,” Palmer continued.
“I don’t speak Spanish but I understood the message VERY clearly,” she concluded. “Kendrick told us we were beautiful last year. Bad Bunny did that for his community tonight. If you can’t appreciate that, you are a straight up hater.”
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
