Shinedown abandons patriotic festival as disappointed fans slam ‘woke’ decision to cancel

Shinedown has pulled out of the Rock the Country festival, sparking backlash among their fan base.

On Friday, the rock band took to X to announce their sudden exit from the festival, which is being touted as “a celebration of community, tradition, and the spirit that’s carried America through 250 years,” explaining that their mission as a band is to “unite, not divide.”

“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song. We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience.”

(L-R) Zach Myers, Eric Bass, Barry Kerch and Brent Smith of Shinedown. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

“Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country festival,” the statement read.

“We know this decision will create differences of opinion,” Shinedown continued. “But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”

Shinedown’s statement drew a lot of backlash on the social media platform.

“This is pathetic. What about being patriotic to your country is divisive? Lost my respect by backing out. Grow a backbone, quit bowing down. By the way, the boss is Jesus Christ, not people,” one user wrote.

Another added, “Your words say unity, your actions say division. Not playing because you want to cater to the woke mob? That’s division. Playing for everyone and all audiences? That’s unity. Spare us your virtue signaling noise. Shame, I was a fan.”

A third user mentioned that the band could have left politics out of their performance.

“You could have just performed and kept your politics to yourself. Huge L and major disappointment,” the user wrote.

Shinedown pulled out of the Rock the Country event scheduled for this summer. (Getty Images)

Even supporters of the band seemed confused by the statement, with one writing, “I love you guys but this is a terrible PR decision.”

Shinedown — which consists of members Zach Myers, Brent Smith, Eric Bass and Barry — was set to perform at the Rock the Country festival in Anderson, South Carolina on July 25–26.

The rock band’s move to pull out of the event follows Carter Faith and Morgan Wade’s withdrawals, according to Rolling Stone.

Brent Smith is one of the members of Shinedown. (Getty Images)

Rock the Country will be traveling to various states in 2026, including Georgia, Texas, Florida and New York. Stars such as Jelly Roll, Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Ella Langley, Brooks & Dunn, Jon Pardi, Brantley Gilbert and Hank Williams Jr. are slated to perform at the various shows.

The festival is a celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. According to its website, “It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our towns, the stories that shaped us, and the moments we’ll be talking about long after the lights go down.”