Shinedown Drummer Barry Kerch Slams Ludacris As “Coward” Over Festival Pullout

Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch has criticized rapper Ludacris for withdrawing from the upcoming 2026 ‘Rock The Country’ festival lineup, calling the move cowardly. The festival, led by Kid Rock, has drawn attention for its politically right-leaning messaging, with past editions promoting itself as “a gathering of hardworking, God-fearing patriots who love America.”

Kerch discussed the controversy in a recent chat with The Vinyl Road, reflecting on both Ludacris’ exit and the online backlash Shinedown faced for agreeing to perform.

“There’s been tons [of backlash]. The knives come out when they don’t like it, especially now politically. And we are an apolitical band. I had no idea, and neither did Brent [Smith] — I think Zach [Myers] maybe had a clue — I had no idea this was Kid Rock‘s thing. It was just, ‘Hey, here’s an offer. It looks like a cool lineup, a mix of country and rock. Okay, we’ll play it.’ Then all of a sudden we find out it has some political leaning.”

Kerch emphasized that Shinedown’s focus is on the music, not politics, and called Ludacris’ decision to pull out a failure to stand firm.

“I don’t care. I’m just gonna go play a show. You can keep your politics to yourself. Ludacris wasn’t tough… it’s not like he needs the money. If he’s not tough enough to stick it out, that’s just silly. That’s him being a coward, in my opinion.”

When asked if Shinedown would ever decline a festival due to another artist’s political stance, Kerch stressed the band’s democratic process:

“I would hope not. There’s four of us to vote. My vote would be no, but if three of the other guys vote against it… again, it’s a democracy. I can’t change their vote. But I would hope not. I like to stick by my grounds. I don’t do politics when it comes to the business of Shinedown. I have my own beliefs, I keep those to myself, and so do the other three guys. I just wanna go play a rock show with some country bands because it looks like fun.”

The 2026 ‘Rock The Country’ lineup still features Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Creed, Shinedown and more. Ludacris and Nelly’s planned appearances had been unexpected additions, leading to speculation that fan backlash influenced their withdrawals.

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