Kid Rock Refuses to Stop Displaying Confederate Flag at Concerts

In news that should surprise absolutely no one, Kid Rock has defiantly dismissed protesters offended by his use of the Confederate flag at concerts.

The Michigan-born singer and rapper was the focus of a recent Fox News segment (which you can watch above) discussing the protest of a museum exhibit in Detroit devoted to his career. One might think that Rock, as one of the city's best-known performers, might get a free pass from the residents of Detroit, but in this case, he's being held to a higher standard by those who wish he'd set a better example and question the meaning of the Confederate flag to a guy who was neither born nor raised anywhere near the South.

As National Action Network director Sam Riddle puts it in the segment: "How in the hell can Kid Rock represent Detroit and wave that flag just generating millions and millions in ticket sales — a flag that represents genocide to most of Detroit?"

The flag has obviously been at the center of a huge national debate lately, but Rock — who's currently on tour with Foreigner — doesn't seem terribly interested in trading points of view. In response, he offered a written statement to Fox host Megyn Kelly, who read it on air: "Please tell the people protesting to kiss my ... ask me some questions."

The iconography of the flag is an issue that a number of Southern artists have wrestled with in recent years — Lynyrd Skynyrd caught flak from fans when they expressed their discomfort with it — but anyone expecting a nuanced response from Kid Rock on this or any issue was bound to be disappointed. Those seeking a genuine Southern musician's thoughts on the matter are encouraged to seek out "The South’s Heritage Is So Much More Than a Flag," the recent New York Times editorial penned by Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood.

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