Feb 09, 2026
3 min read
Kid Rock performed a duet against Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance for a 35-minute protest that drew an audience of millions.
Kid Rock, with new haircut, draws 6M+ for alternate halftime show
As Super Bowl XL ended the second quarter with Bad Bunny in the background, millions of people clicked on a different halftime show.
Kid Rock, who cut his hair for the first time in three decades, ended his 35-minute show on Sunday night (February 8) with a cover of his signature hit and a country tune as part of a demonstration on football's biggest night.
The Michigan rap-rock-country star and loyal MAGA man was joined by country music veterans Brantley Gilbert and Lee Brice, as well as "American Idol" host Gabby Barrett, on the "All-American Halftime Show."
Organized by Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a political action group founded by the late conservative leader Charlie Kirk, the event was presented to a national NBC audience as meat and potatoes rather than official entertainment at Levi's Stadium.
Kid Rock, who turned 55 last month, took the stage in a fur coat and jean shorts to perform his reliable 1999 hit "Bawitdaba" and then returned in a blue Detroit cap to perform Cody Johnson's country hit "'Til I Can't," a song he performed last fall with an added verse in honor of the late Kirk.
Indeed, Sunday's red-white-and-blue performance was as much a tribute to Kirk as a concert: TPUSA's Jack Posobiec opened the event with a shout-out to the organization's founder, who was killed at a public event in September, while Brice performed a new song, "Today's Country," in his tribute to Kirk.
Strong improvisation and quick costume changes inspired The All-American Halftime Show.The artists performed on a soft stage surrounded by several hundred fans.
Total viewership numbers, including the number of people who watched TPUSA on multiple cable networks, were not available Sunday night.Those numbers will likely be available in the coming days.
But "America's Halftime Show" drew at least 6.4 million viewers on YouTube and Rumble just after 8:10 p.m., according to online traffic reports from the Detroit Free Press.Sunday..
Gilbert, wearing a shirt that read "God Family Country," led the music with a series of blue-collar country songs, including "Dirt Road Anthem," his Jason Aldean hit.
Barrett's two-song contribution includes his No. 1 single and biggest hit "I Hope," while Bryce features three songs from 2014's "Drinking Class."
"The All-American Halftime Show" ran concurrently with Bad Bunny's 14-song Super Bowl set, which also featured performances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.
Super Bowl counterprogramming has been around for decades, with networks offering everything from "Beavis and Butt-head" premieres to the Lingerie Bowl as competing halftime fare.
But Sunday's TPUSA show took place amid a richer, more fraught context: an America torn by political divisions and a combustible social media space.
Since the unveiling of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime headliner in September, there have been complaints about the NFL's selection of a Puerto Rican actor who criticized current immigration policies and whose main segment was sung in Spanish.Opponents argued that the Super Bowl was an American cultural fixture and that the bunny was a bad middle finger for football fans.
Among those critics was President Donald Trump himself, who called the selection of the ugly rabbit "absolutely ridiculous."White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt said last week that Trump would perform a Kid Rock set.
Based on Sunday night's Truth Social post in response to Bad Bunny's set, the president could end his multiple-screen surveillance.
"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dance is disgusting, especially for little kids watching from all over the US and the world."
Contact Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press music writer: 313-223-4450 and bmccollum@freepress.com.
