Kid Rock Meets with Incoming Attorney General, Plans to ‘Open Can of Whoop A–‘ on Ticket Companies

The United States is politically divided, but there’s one issue that remains bipartisan: ticket prices have gotten out of control.

The outspoken conservative country-rock star Kid Rock spoke out over the weekend, writing on X that he had the chance to “break bread” with the soon-to-be Attorney General Pam Bondi. The post, which included a selfie of them together, noted that Rock “look[s] forward to working with her and the whole administration to help fix the fiasco of buying concert tickets.”

What a treat to break bread with our soon to be Attorney General @PamBondi . I look forward to working with her and the whole administration to help fix the fiasco of buying concert tickets. Gonna open a can of whoop ass on the bots, scalpers, venues, ticketing companies,… pic.twitter.com/zgzGshBL7y

— KidRock (@KidRock) December 13, 2024

“Gonna open a can of whoop a– on the bots, scalpers, venues, ticketing companies, managers and artists alike who rip off and deceive the public with the horse s–t that has gone on for decades and only gotten worse,” Rock said. “Whoever in charge that wants to help fix this, get your a– to the table, otherwise F–k Around and Find Out. Kid Rock #MAGA.”

In the past, Rock has expressed his concern with the rising cost of ticket prices.

“They made over a billion dollars in the secondary market last year,” Rock told Theo Von during the This Past Weekend podcast. “That means if you buy a ticket and go to a concert, you’re their worst customer. They want that ticket to resell, and resell, and keep getting that money on it.”

| READ: Ticketmaster Claims It ‘Never Prioritzes Brokers Over Fans’ In Response to Kendrick Lamar, SZA Ticket Backlash |

This past year, fans across all genres — from Green Day and Sleep Token to Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo — have complained of the inability to obtain concert tickets due to exorbitant ticket prices, lashing out at both artists and promoters. Following Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour presale fiasco, the Department of Justice launched a lawsuit against Live Nation and its ticketing subsidiary Ticketmaster, citing anticompetitive and monopolistic practices. The suit, which has a trial date for 2026, aims to break-up the pair.

Attorneys General from 39 states plus the District of Columbia are signed on as co-plaintiffs in the case — representing a wide spectrum from blue states like California to red states like Alabama.

Executives at Live Nation and Ticketmaster expressed confidence that the incoming Republican administration and its Department of Justice may favor a more “traditional” approach to antitrust affairs. Joe Berchtold noted during an investors earnings report call last month that the request to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster is “an example of that highly interventionist approach.”

“We are hopeful that we’ll see a return to the more traditional antitrust approach where the agencies have generally tried to find ways to solve problems they see with targeted remedies that minimize government intervention in the marketplace,” Berchtold said.  “And without getting into the specifics, at least some parts of the case, we think believe reflect a much more interventionist philosophy today than you’d expect of a Republican administration.”

| READ: Live Nation Execs Hope Trump Win Spells Doom for Antitrust Case | 

Before the case was filed this past May, a poll found that a strong majority supports Live Nation and Ticketmaster breaking up, with support from 50% of republicans and 72% of democrats.

Diana Moss of the Progressive Policy Institute explained in a statement to TicketNews that the DOJ’s case “stands a good chance of surviving a transition in administration intact.”

“This contrasts with the other digital tech monopolization cases on deck at the anti-trust agencies,” Moss said. “Live Nation’s demonstrated anticompetitive practices present more familiar territory for the courts in terms of bringing strong theory and facts, so a win is likely and that looks good politically.”

Live Nation has unequivocally denied any wrongdoing throughout legal proceedings thus far, placing the blame instead on the resale market. It has even pushed for a legislative solution to grant their chosen ticketing platforms a full legal monopoly over both the sale and resale of tickets in the “Fans First” legislation.

In terms of a timeline, Berchtold said that Live Nation is “hopeful that we could start engaging with [the administration]  early in next year.