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Kid Rock Snaps at Trump Over Live Nation Capitulation

Kid Rock Snaps at Trump Over Live Nation Capitulation

Photo Credit: Kid Rock at The White House (Public Domain)

Kid Rock blasts the Trump DOJ for surrendering in its antitrust case against Ticketmaster and Live Nation for a mere $280.4 million settlement.

Longtime Trump ally Kid Rock is furious that the president’s Department of Justice essentially surrendered in its antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, settling for a pittance of $280.4 million. The move comes after the performer helped pioneer government action to combat unfair practices in the live entertainment industry.

“I don’t understand why they would negotiate a settlement,” Kid Rock said in a statement to The New York Times. “Why not just let it see its course? Let’s see what 12 people decide.”

He didn’t mince words during his appearance on Fox & Friends: “They can come after me all they want. I could care less. […] You come after my fans, who are arguably, outside of our military, the best this country has to offer. Hardworking people who just want to have fun—I mean, this is a joke.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James similarly called the deal a travesty. “The settlement recently announced with the U.S. Department of Justice fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case, and would benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers,” said James. “My attorney general colleagues and I have a strong case against Live Nation, and we will continue our lawsuit to protect consumers and restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry.”

The understandable furor from figures like Kid Rock and the coalition of state attorneys general who are still pursuing their litigation against Live Nation has only intensified. That’s in no small part due to the recently released internal Slack messages in which two Live Nation employees bragged about ripping off customers and calling them stupid.

However, we’d be remiss to mention that Kid Rock is currently charging up to $5,000 for front-row seats to shows on his Freedom 250 Tour, which kicks off on May 1 in Dallas. Tickets are being sold exclusively through Ticketmaster, with Premium “First-Class Seats” dropping $1,000 off the price per row. These prices were set with the artist’s full approval, a curious move given his outspoken criticism of the ticketing platform.