The singer-rapper and the current administration, never ones to stop short, extended the life of Rock’s recent helicopter controversy with a photo op on Monday
Just a month after receiving a fly-by of his Nashville-area home by a pair of U.S. Army attack helicopters, Kid Rock took to the skies for a joyride of his own in an Apache gunship on Monday.
Rock got to the choppa during a visit to Virginia’s Fort Belvoir, where he was joined by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The former Fox News host called Rock “a patriot and huge supporter of our troops” in a social media post that showed him and the rapper-singer posing in front of a helicopter. Rock’s flight on the AH-64, which according to the Military Air Tracking Alliance, lasted about 10 minutes, was filmed for use on Rock’s upcoming “Freedom 250” concert tour. During past Kid Rock tours, he used a pre-taped message from President Trump to open his shows.
“Robert ‘Kid Rock’ Ritchie participated in multiple troop touches with service members and filmed videos for Memorial Day, America’s 250th birthday, and for his Freedom 250 tour,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to NPR.
Rock’s Freedom 250 Tour kicks off Friday in Dallas, Texas. On Saturday, he’ll perform on the coinciding Rock the Country festival tour, which features Jason Aldean and other artists and begins in Bellville, Texas. The tour has been hit with its share of bad press, from artists like Shinedown and Carter Faith dropping off, to canceled dates.
Rock’s first encounter with the helicopters — a viral video of him saluting the aircraft as they hovered over his house — sparked controversy online and led to the suspension of the pilots. Almost immediately after, however, Hegseth rescinded the suspensions. “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots,” he posted on social media.
Along with the helicopter photo opp, Hegseth posted another image showing Rock addressing troops at the Pentagon, about 20 miles from Fort Belvoir. The subject of Rock’s address at the headquarters of the Department of Defense was not revealed.
