The multi-city festival’s two biggest rock acts are no longer performing
Just a few weeks after the lineup dropped, the 2026 Rock The Country Festival has lost its two biggest rock acts. The touring festival that was set to make eight stops across the United States later this year features artists across multiple genres including country, rock, and hip-hop. Rapper Ludacris recently dropped off, and now more acts are following suite.
On Friday, Shinedown announced that they would no longer be performing at the festival. The group shared a statement on social media citing division amongst their fans as the catalyst for their cancelation. While Creed did not make a public statement, they were removed from the bill just hours after Shinedown made their exit.
“Shinedown is everyone’s band,” the group stated. “We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song. We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience. Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock The Country Festival. We know this decision will create differences of opinion. But we do not want to participate in something that will create further division. And to our fans, thank you for supporting and believing in us. We love and appreciate you always.”
Although they are no longer playing Rock The Country, Shinedown are hosting their very own festival this fall – Lunatic Ball. The weekend beach bash is set for October 23-25, 2026, in Miramar Beach, Florida. The jaunt will feature two headlining performances from Shinedown, plus more acts like Bush, Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm, Living Colour, From Ashes to New, and more.
This isn’t Shinedown’s only big festival of the year, thought. They are also headlining Sonic Temple 2026 in Ohio. The group joins Tool, My Chemical Romance, and Bring Me The Horizon at the top of the bill. The festival is set for May 14-17 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Brent Smith of Shinedown said, “Barry, Zach, Eric and I have waited for this opportunity to be a headliner at Sonic Temple for a very long time. We are going to go all out for this performance. We know the fans have very high expectations. So with that being said, we are going to give all of Ohio everything we’ve got!!!! Thank you to Danny Wimmer for this incredible opportunity!!! LET’S GO SHINEDOWN NATION.”
In addition to their festival appearances, Shinedown are expected to announce a full North American headlining tour in the coming weeks. The band has been teasing the trek on social media. Along with the tour announcement, the group is expected to reveal full details of their forthcoming studio album. The group has already shared four singles from the forthcoming eighth record – “Searchlight,“ “Dance, Kid, Dance,” “Three Six Five,” and “Killing Fields.”
Their latest “Searchlight” was first performed live during the band’s Opry debut in October of 2025, where the band’s fans packed the infamous venue and the song became the most talked-about moment of the night. Frontman Brent Smith introduced the song by telling the audience, “Sometimes when you listen close enough to the universe and you’re willing to receive something from it- a song can come out of thin air. We didn’t find this one, it found us.”
On the song’s release, Brent Smith said, “Searchlight is a song about owning your true feelings. It’s an awakening of the soul. Lyrically it is a coming-of-age story that celebrates the moment you decide to go out into the world, and find your purpose. Musically it is an homage to all the music our parents, and grandparents brought us up on. It is a love letter to Americana, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass, Outlaw Country, and of course Rock ‘n’ Roll. The creative process for this song was quite a journey, and we hope all the “Fans/Family” feel that authenticity in every note, and every word.”
Creed recently added a handful of headlining shows to their 2026 itinerary. The North American gigs surround their Summer of ’99 Festival in July. Creed are co-headlining the event with Limp Bizkit. Mammoth and Hinder will serve as special guest, plus one to-be-announced opener for their July 14 show in Winnipeg. Check out the band’s full 2026 tour routing below.
Tickets for the newly announced shows go on sale this Friday, January 23 at 10am local time.
Next year, the Summer of ’99 Festival is coming back to Tinley Park outside Chicago. In 2026, Creed are returning is headliners alongside Limp Bizkit. The two-day jaunt is set for Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre. Other featured acts include Cypress Hill, Sevendust, Kittie, Mammoth, The Pretty Wild, and more. Check out the full lineup below, plus a link to secure passes.
Two-day tickets will be available starting with Artist Presale beginning Tuesday, December 16 at 10am CST. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale on Friday, December 19 at 10 AM CST. VIP upgrades include access to an exclusive lounge featuring private bars with signature cocktails, a dedicated merch stand, a commemorative laminate, charging stations, and a 360° photo booth. Guests will also enjoy Red Carpet Entry with a photo moment, a concierge text service for questions throughout the weekend, and more premium perks designed to elevate the festival experience. More information can be found below.
The fact that Creed and Limp Bizkit are coming together to co-headline a festival marks a full circle moment for both bands.
The feud between Creed and Limp Bizkit in the summer of 2000 became one of the most public and bizarre rock-world clashes of its era, reflecting the ego, competitiveness, and cultural tension that defined the late-’90s/early-2000s post-grunge and nu-metal explosion. At the time, both groups were among the biggest rock acts in America: Creed were riding huge sales of Human Clay, which had turned them into mainstream radio giants, while Limp Bizkit were dominating MTV, TRL, and the nu-metal scene with Significant Other and anticipation for their upcoming album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. The mix of chart rivalry, clashing personalities, and the era’s appetite for public drama helped turn what started as a few stray comments into a full-blown media feud.
Tension ignited when Creed frontman Scott Stapp made remarks during interviews that many interpreted as dismissive of Limp Bizkit’s music and frontman Fred Durst’s often-controversial public persona. Stapp, known for his earnest post-grunge seriousness, contrasted sharply with Durst’s hyperactive, brash showmanship, and the media seized on the juxtaposition. When Stapp alluded to Creed’s spiritual or moral superiority over bands he felt were courting negativity or shock, fans and journalists connected the dots to Limp Bizkit, who were frequently criticized at the time for violent or chaotic crowd behavior at their shows—including fallout from Woodstock ’99. Durst, never one to back away from confrontation, responded during concerts by openly mocking Stapp. At several 2000 summer festival appearances, he called Creed “a bunch of pompous rock stars,” and at one infamous show, he quipped that Stapp “wished he could rap like me” and that Creed were “Walmart Pearl Jam,” throwing gasoline on the tabloid fire.
The feud escalated dramatically in July 2000 when Stapp challenged Durst to a boxing match—yes, an actual physical fight—for charity. Stapp issued the challenge from the stage during a Creed concert in Indianapolis, suggesting a pay-per-view bout with proceeds going to children’s charities. The crowd roared; MTV covered it within hours. Durst, in peak 2000 form, laughed it off publicly but didn’t decline outright, fueling even more speculation. For weeks, rock radio, MTV News, and message boards (in the early days of widespread fan forums) were consumed by the prospect of the two frontmen squaring off. Managers intervened and sponsors reportedly balked, but the publicity boost was enormous for both bands, whether intended or not.
Behind the scenes, label executives were said to be frustrated by the feud, which threatened to overshadow major album cycles. Creed were gearing up for continued Human Clay touring success, while Limp Bizkit were preparing to release Chocolate Starfish…, one of the most heavily anticipated albums of the year. Still, neither band backed down publicly. Durst continued to mock Stapp’s poetic, brooding demeanor, while Stapp insisted that Creed were “about the music, not the circus,” a barb that landed squarely on Limp Bizkit’s reputation for theatrics. Rumors also circulated that other artists—most notably Kid Rock and Korn’s Jonathan Davis—were privately egging the feud on, adding to its absurd, WWE-like aura.
By late summer, the feud lost steam as both bands became consumed with touring schedules and major industry commitments. The boxing match never materialized, but the publicity lingered, becoming part of early-2000s rock mythology. In later years, both Stapp and Durst expressed mild regret about the spat, chalking it up to immaturity, media distortion, and the hyper-competitive environment of the era. Still, for a brief few months in 2000, their feud symbolized the culture clash between two dominant strains of mainstream rock: the earnest, soaring post-grunge of Creed and the aggressive, swaggering nu-metal of Limp Bizkit. It remains a memorable snapshot of a moment when rock stars were still larger-than-life personalities, MTV News fueled rivalries like sports dramas, and even the suggestion of a charity boxing match could captivate millions of fans.
Over the holidays, Creed mounted a five-show run of exclusive shows. Dubbed Creedmas, the trek started with back-to-back performances at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida along with very special guests Sevendust. Hinder joined Creed in place of Sevendust at the December 27 show in Oklahoma.
Last summer, Sevendust joined Creed on their 2025 tour. 3 Doors Down were forced to cancel all of their live performances for the foreseeable future. It was revealed that frontman Brad Arnold had been diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer. The band was slated to open for Creed on their upcoming North American tour. Now, Creed have tapped Sevendust to join their Christmas trek trek.
The trek launched on July 9 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky and wrapped up on August 20 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Canada.
Back in April, Sevendust set sail with Creed on their second sold-out Summer of ’99 Cruise alongside Dorothy, Hoobastank, Lit, Hinder, Alien Ant Farm, Marcy Playground, and more. They also supported Creed on their New Years Eve run at the end of 2024. Most recently, Sevendust served as special guests for Disturbed on their 25th anniversary tour celebrating their debut album The Sickness.
Before that, Sevendust embarked on a tour celebrating the 21st anniversary of their iconic album, Seasons. Seasons is the fourth album from the band’s catalog, released back in October of 2003. The album spawned a Top 10 Rock single with “Enemy” and the album closer “Face To Face” is a show staple and fan favorite of Sevendust to this day.
Sevendust released their fourteenth studio album Truth Killer on July 28, 2023 via Napalm Records. The album was produced by long-time collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Falling In Reverse, Alter Bridge, Limp Bizkit). The GRAMMY® Award-nominated Sevendust – Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose – continue to expand their audience three decades into their career.
The band’s song “Everything’ bought them their highest charting single of their career peaking at No. 6 as well as the highest charting rock single from any artist in Napalm Records history. The video for “Everything” crossed the 1.5 million views threshold. From the introspective opening of “I Might Let The Devil Win” to the classic Sevendust sound of “Fence,” the twelve songs on Truth Killer demonstrate that the band sounds as relevant today as they did on their 1997 self-titled debut.
Last November, Creed wrapped up their massive reunion tour at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. The run has seen the band sell out venues around the country – including Madison Square Garden in New York City. The tour sold out, so they added a second leg. They even embarked on their own music cruise, adding a second one due to unbelievable demand. Now, the demand for the band is higher than ever, so they’re running it back in 2025.
In addition to there headlining tour dates, Creed also played their second Summer of ‘99 and Beyond Festival — a high-energy rock festival celebrating the anthems of a generation. This year’s installment follows the success of last year’s sold-out inaugural event in San Bernardino, California proving that demand for live rock music is stronger than ever. This year, the festival was expanded to two days, with Creed being joined by Nickelback as co-headliners.
The gig took place at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI on Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19 – a location that is important in the history of both bands. This year is the 25th Anniversary since Creed first performed there in 2000 and Nickelback made their debut there in 2007 – making it the perfect place for the two juggernauts to come together. The Summer of ‘99 and Beyond Festival is the first time both bands will share the stage since 1999.
Last April, Creed set sail on another Summer of ’99 Cruise. The jaunt saw a sold-out ship depart for the Bahamas on April 9 and return on April 13. The lineup featured Sevendust, Dorothy, Hoobastank, Lit, Hinder, Alien Ant Farm, Marcy Playground, and more. After that, Creed have a featured slot at Stagecoach in Indio, California. The country music festival has branched out to include some other genres. In addition to hard rockers Creed, this year’s installment includes alternative sensation Lana Del Rey, pop icon Backstreet Boys, alternative rock chart-toppers Goo Goo Dolls, and rock icon Sammy Hagar, among others.
