Kid Rock’s performance at the final night of the Republican National Convention left viewers baffled and amused, prompting a flurry of reactions on social media. Media Matters’ Andrew Lawrence humorously suggested that the performance might indicate an overestimation on the RNC’s part. He tweeted, “Ok, watching kid rock scream sing in prime time at the RNC and I’m beginning to think that republicans may be a bit over confident.”
Writer Brandon Halsey echoed the sentiment, stating, “So… Kid Rock just made a bunch of 75-year-olds pump their fists in the air, yelling ‘fight.’ That just happened in 2024’s America. Embarrassing.”
Therapist Ken Theroux highlighted the surreal nature of the event, writing, “Imagine telling 2004 Republicans that Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock would headline Donald Trump’s third nomination 5 days after he got shot in the ear.”
Comparisons to other notorious performances were also drawn. One person likened Kid Rock’s act to Ingrid Andress, who had recently checked into rehab after a drunken national anthem performance. User @TheUrbanMonk321 on X humorously compared Kid Rock to David Spade’s character Joe Dirt, writing, “Kid Rock looks like the guy that sells Bowie knives at the swap meet. I’mma tell my kids this is Kid Rock.”
Criticism of the performance’s quality was widespread. One user recounted a past experience, “I saw Kid Rock at an all-day festival in 1999 by a local Alt Rock Radio station. It was a stage at the back wall of center field. The rest of the field was concert-goers. He opened up with ‘bawitdabaw’ and then everyone sat down waiting for Incubus. It was bad then. Bad now.”
CNN’s Abby D. Phillips succinctly captured the collective sentiment, tweeting, “This is… something.”
During his performance, Kid Rock sang “American Bad Ass,” with lyrics modified to support Donald Trump. The singer repeatedly chanted, “Fight, fight,” referencing the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump had mouthed the same words to the crowd.
Kid Rock was not listed as a speaker for the night but had teased his appearance earlier in the day. Wearing a National Rifle Association cap, he announced in a video, “We just arrived in Milwaukee to support our tried and true, red, white, and blue, 100 percent American badass president. What’s gonna happen tonight? Tune in to find out. But here’s a hint — are you scared?”
The Hill reported that the singer was seen rehearsing at the Fiserv Forum earlier on Thursday. Despite the mixed reactions, Kid Rock’s performance certainly left an impression, igniting both amusement and bewilderment among viewers.