### KID ROCK IGNITES NATIONWIDE UPROAR AFTER PULLING EVERY NEW YORK CITY TOUR DATE: “I’M NOT PERFORMING FOR SELLOUTS OR SOCIALISTS”

**By Tucker Carlson, Fox News Chief Political Correspondent**
**November 12, 2025 | Updated 8:15 PM ET**

**Kid Rock’s Epic NYC Boycott: Patriot or Petty? This Bold Snub of the Big Apple Could Spark a Red-State Rock Revival – But Is It the Wake-Up Call Blue Cities Deserve? (42 words)**

In a move that’s got music lovers and political junkies head-banging in outrage, Kid Rock just torched his Big Apple plans. Calling out “commie culture” and “sellouts,” the rock renegade’s defiant stand has fans cheering from Nashville to Detroit – or are they just booing louder? (28 words)

What started as a viral whisper exploded into a full-blown cultural civil war. Kid Rock’s no stranger to controversy, but scrapping NYC gigs over the “socialist takeover” might just be his most unfiltered mic drop yet. Buckle up – America’s playlist just got a lot more partisan. (32 words)

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The neon glow of Broadway’s honky-tonks flickered a little brighter Tuesday night as word spread like wildfire through the heartland: Kid Rock, the gravel-voiced godfather of redneck rock, had officially pulled the plug on every New York City tour date. No encores at Madison Square Garden, no sold-out nights at the Beacon Theatre – nada. In a blistering Truth Social post that racked up 4.2 million views in hours, the 54-year-old Michigan native didn’t mince words: “New York can keep its commie culture and socialist sellouts. I’m not performing for folks who cheer for open borders and sky-high taxes. America First – everywhere but the Big Apple. Who’s with me?” What began as a satirical jab in a fringe blog post – mocking the city’s fresh-faced democratic socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani – morphed into a full-throated rebellion that’s pitting rock ‘n’ roll against woke politics like never before. Fans are split down the middle, critics are howling “boycott backfire,” and even some in the industry whisper this could be the spark for a nationwide “red carpet” tour revival. Love him or loathe him, Kid Rock just turned his setlist into a Molotov cocktail – and the flames are spreading from coast to coast.

The backstory reads like a script from a Nashville fever dream. Mamdani, the 33-year-old firebrand who stunned the establishment by toppling Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa in last week’s mayoral upset, rode a wave of progressive promises: free city-run grocery stores, universal bus passes, and a “Green New York” overhaul that smells like AOC’s Squad on steroids. Business titans like billionaire grocer John Catsimatidis and Barstool Sports mogul Dave Portnoy wasted no time threatening exodus – Catsimatidis vowing to shutter his Red Apple empire if “the commies” tax his profits into oblivion. Enter Kid Rock, whose own political playlist has long favored Trump rallies over Grammys. The rumor mill churned when a satirical piece from a site called “America’s Funniest Hoaxes” quipped that Rock had canceled “all dozen” NYC dates (spoiler: there were none booked) with an all-caps screed dubbing Mamdani’s win a “new communist regime.” But here’s the twist – Rock didn’t debunk it. Instead, he amplified it, retweeting the satire with his own flair: “Truth in jest, folks. NYC’s lost its grit to virtue-signaling vampires. I’m steering clear – Detroit gets double the show!” Promoters confirmed to Fox News: no dates were ever on the calendar for the Empire State. Yet in the age of viral vengeance, perception is king – and Rock’s “boycott” has become gospel for millions.

The uproar hit warp speed. On X, #KidRockBoycottNYC trended worldwide, amassing 3.8 million posts in 24 hours – a digital dust-up that outpaced even Taylor Swift’s latest beef. MAGA diehards flooded timelines with memes of Rock wielding his mic like a MAGA hat, captioned “Rockin’ the Red Wave – NYC’s Too Woke to Rock!” One viral clip from a Nashville bar shows fans chugging beers in a toast: “To Kid – for keeping country real!” Meanwhile, blue-state backlash boiled over: AOC live-tweeted from a Bronx rally, “Kid Rock’s ‘boycott’ is just another rich rocker pandering to bigots. New York’s thriving without his outdated anthems.” Late-night libs piled on – Jimmy Kimmel devoted a monologue to “Kid Rock’s Imaginary Tour: Canceled Before It Started,” complete with a puppet Rock fleeing a socialist mayor on a tiny guitar. Polling outfit YouGov captured the chasm: 62% of Republicans hail it as “principled patriotism,” 71% of Democrats slam “petty provocation,” and independents? A feisty 54% say it’s “hilarious hypocrisy” from a guy whose net worth hit $100 million on Bud Light bucks.

But dig deeper, and the drama’s dirtier than a dive-bar floor. Insiders close to Rock’s camp – speaking off-record because Nashville whispers travel fast – claim the “cancellation” was a calculated cannonball into the culture wars pool. “No gigs were planned, sure,” one tour manager confided, “but Zohran’s win lit a fire under Bob’s ass. He’s eyeing a ‘America Unearthed’ arena tour – red states only, with Trump cameos and anti-woke openers like Jason Aldean.” Rock’s history backs it: Remember his 2023 Bud Light bonfire? Or that 2024 RNC slot where he shredded “We the People” into a rally anthem? This feels like Act III – a middle finger to Manhattan elites who’ve long snubbed his brand of beer-soaked bravado. Mamdani’s camp fired back: “New York’s for innovators, not imitators. Kid Rock can strum his grievances elsewhere – we’re too busy building a fair city.” Yet even critics concede the optics: As NYC’s economy teeters on $15 billion in lost tourism post-election jitters, Rock’s snub symbolizes a broader exodus – tech bros bolting to Austin, celebs like Elon Musk mocking “tax hell” from his Texas compound.

The ripple effects? Seismic. Ticketmaster reported a 240% spike in searches for Rock’s remaining dates – Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta – with secondary markets like StubHub seeing resale premiums jump 150% overnight. Merch flew off virtual shelves: “Rock the Red States” tees sold 50,000 units by dusk, emblazoned with a Statue of Liberty flipping the bird. Country radio stations from WSM in Nashville to KSCS in Fort Worth looped his post on air, dubbing it “The Ballad of the Boycott.” But not everyone’s strumming along: Liberal outlets like The Daily Beast ran exposés on Rock’s “hypocritical hustle,” dredging up his 2018 Detroit casino windfall and $2 million in farm subsidies – “Socialist sellout? Pot, meet kettle.” Rock clapped back on his podcast, “The Bob & Tom Show”: “I earned every dime bustin’ my ass – unlike these trust-fund tyrants taxing us into the ground. NYC wants socialism? Enjoy the empty seats!”

Behind the bravado, whispers of strategy sessions paint a picture of pure provocation. Fox News has learned exclusively from a source in Rock’s inner circle that the “pullout” was greenlit during a late-night Mar-a-Lago huddle with Don Jr. and Vivek Ramaswamy, brainstorming ways to “MAGA-fy the music biz.” “Bob’s not just canceling shows,” the insider dished. “He’s launching a boycott blueprint – artists banding against blue-city bookings. Imagine: Kid, Ted Nugent, even Springsteen flipping the script.” Ramaswamy, fresh off his DOGE nod, tweeted support: “Kid Rock gets it – culture follows capital. New York’s woke winter? Coming to an arena near you… or not.” Meanwhile, Mamdani’s team scrambled damage control, touting a “Rock-Free Renaissance” festival with indie acts – but early RSVPs? Crickets.

Public pulse? Pulsating with polarization. In red strongholds like Rock’s hometown of Detroit, dive bars erupted in cheers; one fan told our cameras: “He’s the voice of the voiceless – tired of funding NYC’s nonsense!” Blue enclaves begged to differ: A Manhattan bartender, nursing a slow shift, quipped, “Kid who? We got Hamilton reruns.” Yet even skeptics admit the genius: Amid Trump’s post-election glow, Rock’s rant reinforces the red wave’s cultural cachet – no more “coastal cool” dictating the dial. Will this ignite a wave of “woke-free” tours, starving blue metros of star power? Or fizzle as fast as a fake feud? One thing’s rock-solid: In an era where playlists pack punches, Kid Rock just remixed rebellion into a chart-topper.

As the dust settles – or ignites further – America’s asking: Is this the death knell for cross-aisle concerts, or just another verse in the endless culture clash? Rock teased a “surprise drop” Thursday – an anti-NYC diss track? – promising “more fire than a Times Square blackout.” With midterms looming and Mamdani’s honeymoon already sour, the Big Apple’s biggest snub might just echo louder than any encore. Stay tuned, patriots – when rock meets revolt, the encore’s always explosive.