Country star SLAMS artists who pull out of shows over backlash

Country star Brantley Gilbert expressed frustration at artists who agree to play gigs and then cancel after facing public backlash.

Gilbert, 41, was one of the musicians who opened for Kid Rock at the concert mounted by Turning Point USA – the organization once fronted by the late Charlie Kirk – to program against Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.

The Puerto Rican rapper’s Super Bowl booking had met with blistering outrage in some quarters over his left-wing views and the fact he performs entirely in Spanish.

‘Man, it is aggravating seeing guys sign up and then back out,’ said Gilbert, noting that ‘we took a lot of heat for the Turning Point thing,’ on the Net Positive podcast.

He refrained from exposing any specific singers who had withdrawn from the Kid Rock show, and no such names have yet leaked into the public square.

However his remarks came after a fleet of acts ranging from Poison’s Bret Michaels to Martina McBride to Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan pulled out of President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 festival in Washington, DC.

Country star Brantley Gilbert, pictured in 2019, expressed frustration at artists who agree to play gigs and then cancel after facing public backlash

Morris Day, Young MC and the Commodores also canceled on Freedom 250, which was thrown to celebrate two and a half centuries of American independence.

The most feverishly publicized Freedom 250 event was a UFC extravaganza held on the White House’s South Lawn on Trump’s 80th birthday, at which the fighter Josh Hokit went viral for bellowing that ‘Michelle Obama is a man!’ 

Bad Bunny slammed for ‘Sєxualized’ and ‘disgusting’ Super Bowl halftime show as FCC complaints are leaked

The Daily Mail has contacted Morvan and representatives for McBride, the Commodores, Michaels, Day and Young MC for comment.

The subject of the Kid Rock show arose during Gilbert’s new interview when podcast host John Crist brought up events ‘related to patriotism’ and mentioned that ‘a lot of people have been scared off doing shows recently.’

Gilbert characterized his own participation in the concert as a nonpartisan career move he made in part so his children could watch him perform.

‘It’s like: “Bro, I got to watch two quarters of football – my kids got to watch two quarters of football and see their dad play. That’s cool,”‘ he said. 

‘We agreed to do it. I’m a businessman at the same time I’m an entertainer. I didn’t do it for free. We get paid to play music,’ Gilbert observed.

Given he had recently switched labels from Big Machine to BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, ‘doing a big show like that was not a bad idea for us,’ he added.

‘I never once looked at it like: “This is gonna be divisive. This is gonna be great.” It doesn’t make any sense,’ Gilbert maintained. 

Gilbert, 41, was one of the musicians who opened for Kid Rock in February at the concert mounted by Turning Point USA to program against Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl booking had met with blistering outrage in some quarters over his left-wing views and the fact he performs entirely in Spanish

Gilbert’s remarks came after a fleet of acts pulled out of Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 festival, during which the president is pictured at a UFC event held on his 80th birthday

Regarding Bad Bunny, he said: ‘I don’t know nothing about that dude. I’ve never heard one of his songs before. I don’t speak Spanish really well. I wouldn’t understand.’

Gilbert had been heaped with opprobrium earlier this year for agreeing to play the Kid Rock show, which was billed as a paean to ‘American culture, freedom, and faith’ and also featured country singers Gabby Barrett and Lee Brice.

The concert opened with a video message from Trump’s defense secretary Pete Hegseth and closed with an homage to Kirk, who was murdered last September.

Gilbert began with his single Real American and then sang Dirt Road Anthem, a country hit he co-wrote that was popularized by Jason Aldean.

He found himself on the business end of an outcry so excoriating that he issued a statement in his defense, citing his turbulent personal history. 

‘I’m a recovering addict with the history of all the bad choices that come with it. I’m not proud of those choices, but I am proud of the choice I’ve made to live in another direction,’ the Georgia native wrote in part.

‘I share my story through my music in hopes that it may help and inspire others in their darkest hour. I’m a Christian, and I love our country despite its flaws.’

Gilbert, who played a USO tour in Italy and Kuwait in 2013, added that he had ‘dedicated part of my life to the men and women who fight for it and the families of those who gave their life for it. Above all, I’m a proud husband and father of three.’