Tom Morello criticizes Kid Rock's sparse crowd at the All-American Halftime Show, an alternative event during Super Bowl LX's halftime.
- February 13, 2026
AceShowbiz - Tom Morello has taken aim at a clip showing Kid Rock performing to a notably small audience during the recent ‘All-American Halftime Show’.
The event, held on Sunday, February 8, served as an alternative halftime program to Super Bowl LX’s main show headlined by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny. The official Super Bowl halftime featured appearances from high-profile artists including Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Karol G, Lady Gaga, and Ricky Martin.
Known as the ‘All-American Halftime Show,’ the event was organized by Turning Point USA, a non-profit founded by the late Charlie Kirk. Alongside Kid Rock, the lineup included country artists such as Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, and Gabby Barrett.
On Wednesday, February 11, Tom Morello shared a clip from Kid Rock’s performance via X, highlighting the notably thin crowd. In the footage, Kid Rock gestures for the audience to wave their arms to the rhythm, but the response is minimal. Morello captioned the post with a sarcastic jab, writing, “America is finally great again. Thank you.”
It remains uncertain whether the clip was recorded during the live show or a rehearsal session.
One day prior to Morello’s comment, Kid Rock defended his live performance after clips circulated showing his lip movements out of sync with the audio. He explained that he was not lip-syncing but rather out of sync with the DJ during the set.
The show received mixed reactions. While some viewers expressed patriotic support with American flag emojis flooding YouTube comment sections, others, including country musicians Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves, criticized the event and praised Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance.
Adding to the controversy, it was reported just before the halftime show that Kid Rock’s ‘Rock The Country’ festival was canceled in South Carolina, following Shinedown’s withdrawal from the lineup.
Bad Bunny’s halftime show earned massive acclaim and was ranked as the fourth most-watched in Super Bowl history, attracting 128.2 million viewers.
The Puerto Rican artist’s performance was celebrated for its powerful message of love overcoming hate, underscored by the NFL’s tweet quoting, “The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate is Love.”
Bad Bunny’s role as Super Bowl headliner was surrounded by controversy from the start, with backlash from the MAGA movement. Former President Donald Trump criticized the decision to feature him, calling it “crazy” and claiming he had “never heard” of the artist.
Despite the mixed reactions, the juxtaposition between the widely viewed Super Bowl halftime show and the less attended ‘All-American Halftime Show’ has sparked considerable discussion across social media and music communities.
