Well, that was…interesting.
Robert James Ritchie, better known by his stage name, Kid Rock, performed tonight at day 4 of the Republican National Convention just moments before Donald Trump gave his first speech since getting shot in the ear last week while hosting a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Throughout the event, we’ve seen speeches from Florida governor and former Republican presidential candidate, Ron Desantis, as well as Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Amber Rose, Hulk Hogan, Trump’s granddaughter, Kai, and more. Jason Aldean was also seen in the box sitting next to the former president earlier in the night.
Kid Rock, whose been an outspoken supporter of Trump, took to social media earlier today after he arrived in Milwaukee to reveal he’d be attending the RNC tonight:
“We just arrived in Milwaukee to support our tried and true, red, white and blue, 100% American bad**s President. What’s gonna happen tonight? Tune in to find out.”
RNC 2024!!
— KidRock (@KidRock) July 18, 2024
Tonight!! pic.twitter.com/MWYctVWRhM
Although the 53 year-old rapper/rocker/country singer was not apart of the schedule for tonight’s event, he came out dressed in almost all black and performed “American Bad A**,” which was released in 2000 off his fifth studio album, The History of Rock.
Kid Rock performs at RNC: "I need everybody to put a fist up in the air!"
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 19, 2024
"Fight! Fight!" pic.twitter.com/mDx7KpLSb5
Now, I grew up listening to Kid Rock and will always jam out to the classics such as “Cowboy,” “Bawitdaba,” “Picture,” or one of my personal favorites, “Only God Knows Why (if you know, you know). However, I try to always be honest and call things how I see them. So with that said, it I’d be lying if I said that performance wasn’t just a tad cringey.
And of course, the general public ran to Twitter as they always do to voice their opinion, with some (mostly those over the age of 40) praising Kid Rock for his electric performance, and others, well..not so impressed. Here’s some of the reactions I found after sifting through the social media platform just moments after Kid Rock exited the stage:
The Kid Rock RNC crowd reaction shots are going to live forever as memes. This is incredible TV.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 19, 2024
This Kid Rock performance is cringe as fuck lmao
— litquidity (@litcapital) July 19, 2024
Watching kid rock badly rap to a bunch of boomercons has shades of idiocracy
— Jared Rabel (@JradRabel) July 19, 2024
Kid Rock bringing the house down
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) July 19, 2024
FIGHT FIGHT!
TRUMP TRUMP!
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/aVvVHvBDet
Melania Trump trying not to laugh at Kid Rock is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/DmN2bBaoaI
— Emily (@emilybernay) July 19, 2024
Kid Rock singing American Bad Ass is… BAD ASS.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) July 19, 2024
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
This is the best RNC ever.
Kid Rock, Hulk, Hogan, Elon Musk, Russell Brand… MAGA is the vibe y’all. No more hiding.
— Brian Clowdus (@BrianClowdus) July 19, 2024
Now I love Kid Rock’s song that works in Sweet Home Alabama, but I hope that garbage reached a younger generation because I thought it was awful.
— Sam Givhan (@Sam_Givhan) July 19, 2024
Donald Trump having Kid Rock do his RNC opening theme music, and not 50 Cent performing “Many Men” is a strategic blunder on his part.
— Stef. 👨🏾💻 (@STEFisDOPE) July 19, 2024
That would’ve galvanized and secured the Queens borough voting bloc.
Watching old white men in suits rock out to Kid Rock is highhhhhlarioussssss 😂
— 〽️AGA Barbie 🇺🇸👱🏼♀️ (@MAGABarbie317) July 19, 2024
Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock and Dana White? This is the RNC now?! We are so back.
— Randy the Savage (@reannadilley) July 19, 2024