MAGA Festival Featuring Kid Rock Canceled After Selling Just 6 VIP Tickets

Pool via AP

A Kentucky MAGA festival featuring Kid Rock, Duane Chapman — also known as “Dog the Bounty Hunter” — and Fox News personality Joe Concha was canceled just days before it was set to take place after selling a total of six VIP tickets.

Eric Deters, the organizer of Patriot’s Day Freedom Fest and a 2023 Republican gubernatorial candidate, announced the cancellation Monday in a now-deleted Facebook video, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“When I put together Patriot State Freedom Fest, I put it together with the game plan and the idea that I could pay for it with the VIP sales of $1,000 from these hundred people that I interact with on a regular basis that have money,” Deters explained.

But when he checked on sales Monday morning, the numbers fell dramatically short of that goal.

“I said, ‘How many have bought a ticket?’ And he said, ‘You can’t make this up.’ Are you ready for the drumroll?” Deters recalled. “Only six people had bought a VIP ticket.”

General admission to Saturday’s event was free, and it is unclear how many people had claimed those tickets.

Deters, who, as EW notes, had previously dubbed the festival “the best MAGA event,” lashed out at the well-off acquaintances he expected to help fund it.

“Out of all these people that have money that I interact with, who I do favors for all day long,” he said. “They ask me for something; I never say no. I never said no to these people.”

Deters promised to “never ever, ever, ever, ever [do] this event again” and said in a subsequent Facebook video that other “financial obligations” prevented him from personally footing the bill “like I’ve done in the past.”

He also stressed that the cancellation had “absolutely nothing to do” with Kid Rock.

A representative for the musician told EW, “Kid Rock was added to this event 5 days before it was canceled. He was not performing, only booked to speak at the event. He has no other ties to the event.”

The lineup also included Rep. James Comer (R-KY), Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein, and boxing manager Jackie Kallen.

The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
The single summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting from both sides of the aisle. Subscribe now!