Singer Kid Rock abruptly ended his performance in Nashville this past weekend after expressing dissatisfaction with the audience’s level of participation during a song. The incident occurred on Saturday night at Bon Jovi’s Nashville bar, where Kid Rock was a special guest for keyboardist David Bryan’s birthday celebration.
The “Bawitdaba” performer took the stage with a band, including Bryan himself, to cover “Proud Mary,” a classic hit originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival. However, the performance took an unexpected turn when Kid Rock stopped the song midway, citing what he perceived as a lack of enthusiastic clapping from the crowd.
Frustration evident, Kid Rock addressed the audience, stating, “F*** them,” and then directly instructed the band to halt, declaring, “Hey, hey, stop … if you ain’t gonna clap, we ain’t gonna sing. That’s how it’s gonna go.” To demonstrate the desired level of engagement, Kid Rock began clapping his hands above his head, encouraging the audience to follow suit.
While some attendees responded and started clapping as the performance resumed, it appeared that the overall audience participation still did not meet Kid Rock’s expectations. He halted the song a second time, reiterating his displeasure and announcing his departure with the words: “You know what, f*** y’all. You ain’t gonna clap, I’m gone.”
Following Kid Rock’s exit from the stage, the band continued with their set, proceeding with the planned entertainment for the evening.
This Nashville appearance follows Kid Rock’s recent performance in January as part of President Trump’s inaugural events, where he delivered a four-song set. Looking ahead, fans can anticipate Kid Rock embarking on a tour in March with Chris Janson and Uncle Kracker, followed by the “Rock the Country” tour alongside Nickelback starting in April.
For more information about Kid Rock’s upcoming tour dates and other news, fans can visit kidrock.com.
