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Jan 31, 2026

Kid Rock speaks out, criticizing Live Nation’s CEO for deceiving fans: “Lining Their Pockets Off Talent They Never Had”

Kid Rock Calls Out Live Nation Exec To His Face During Senate Testimony: “Lining Their Pockets Off Talent They Never Had”

Kid Rock US Senate testimony

Can always count on Kid Rock to say what he’s thinking.

You might not expect to turn on CSPAN and see Kid Rock in Congress, but today the rocker whose real name is Robert Ritchie is on Capitol Hill testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee in a hearing on concert ticket prices and fees – and it got explosive right off the bat.

It’s an issue that Kid Rock has been especially outspoken about, meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi on the problem earlier last year and even joining President Donald Trump in the Oval Office for a signing of an executive order aimed at taking action against ticket scalping.


And during his opening statement during the hearing today, Kid Rock held nothing back.

Along with Kid Rock, the hearing also featured testimony from Dan Wall, the Executive Vice President of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs for Live Nation. And Kid Rock had harsh words for Mr. Wall’s company as the executive was sitting right beside him:

“In 2009, Congress was told – under oath – that merging Live Nation and Ticketmaster would benefit artists and fans. The CEO of Live Nation called the merger an “experiment” and promised it would increase competition, empower artists, and lower costs. He also said, and I quote, “a system that empowers artists benefits everyone.”

Almost need a rim shot after that.”

Kid Rock would go on to say call the merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation a failed experiment, although he admits it’s not the only problem with the ticketing industry:

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