Fans who purchased tickets early to Kid Rock‘s Rock the Country Festival are feeling cheated after the event slashed prices this week.
Read More: Rock Band Replaces Jelly Roll at One of Rock the Country’s Festival Stops
Rock the Country announced plans to slash ticket prices in a social media post, where it also let fans know that Jelly Roll will no longer be headlining one of the dates.
Why Is Kid Rock’s Rock the Country Festival Slashing Ticket Prices?
According to the festival, they’re lowering ticket prices to help compensate for rising fuel prices.
Rock the Country, Instagram
“Fuel costs are up and we want to help!” the announcement reads.
“In response to rising transportation costs, you can enjoy up to 50 percent off general admission passes to any of 7 small town stops of a limited time only.”
The deal on tickets ends next Thursday (Apr. 23) at midnight ET, and it can’t be applied to tickets that have already been purchased.
That last qualifier is the reason why many fans who’ve already purchased their tickets were upset by the news.
Why Are Fans Mad That Kid Rock’s Rock the Country Festival Slashed Ticket Prices?
One fan replied in the comments section saying that concertgoers were originally urged to purchase tickets early, and that prices would only go up.
Rock the Country, Instagram
“I would have saved almost $450 if I had waited till now. This isn’t cool,” that fan pointed out. “Ticket sales will plummet next year due to this everyone will wait for the $99 tickets. Give people a partial refund to cover the difference.”
Others seemed to have a similar idea.
“Cool, can I get the discount on tickets I already purchased because next time I’ll just hold out to buy tickets,” another fan wrote.
Rock the Country, Instagram
A third put it succinctly: “We basically get punished for buying tickets right away?”
Rock the Country, Instagram
A couple of fans did applaud the festival for lowering their prices, with one writing, “Because y’all already bought tickets who cares cry about it” to the “haters” in the comments section.
Rock the Country, Instagram
Other fans suggested that the real reason for the lower prices had nothing to do with gas prices, but rather that the festival might be experiencing lower ticket sales than anticipated.
Did Jelly Roll Drop Out of the 2026 Rock the Country Fest?
Not entirely. More specifically, he only dropped out one-third of the way.
Per Rock the Country’s announcement, Jelly had a “scheduling conflict” that will prevent him from playing the headlining slot on June 28 in Sioux Falls, S.D. He’s still booked for Rock the Country shows in Ashland, Ky. and Bloomingdale, Ga.
But several performers have pulled out of Kid Rock’s festival since the lineup was announced, including Ludacris, Shinedown, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith.
Read More: Shinedown Drops Out of Kid Rock’s Rock the Country Festival
Representation for Ludacris said it was a mix-up and he was never supposed to be on the bill to begin with, but Shinedown said their departure was due to Rock’s controversial politics, and that they “do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
Who is Playing Kid Rock’s Rock the Country Festival?
It’s a multi-genre show, but with the exception of Staind, all remaining headliners come from the country genre.
Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley are all performing on various dates, along with Kid Rock himself, of course. Miranda Lambert and Jon Pardi are also scheduled performers, and Rock the Country’s newest post indicates that they’ve both been added to the bill for the Ocala, Fla. stop on Aug. 28-29.
See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born
Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
