REVIEW: Let’s Be Honest About Kid Rock, Turning Point USA Halftime Show

Turning Point USA cracked the code with its All-American Halftime Show. Kid Rock and friend's 30-minute plus performance was focused, professional and memorable.

It was also repeatable. That should get the NFL's attention but not for the reason the conservative action group and its supporters are hoping for.

Was it good? Who's to say?

• Turning Point USA's All-American Halftime Show was streamed lived, but appeared to be pre-taped.
• Kid Rock, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett and Brantley Gilbert performed.
• Criticism of the NFL's decision led a group of largely conservative football fans to call for someone else.

Related: Kid Rock Did Something Nobody Expected During Turning Point USA's Halftime Show

In real time, there seemed to be as many American flag emojis as there were vomit emojis in the YouTube chat but most of those minds were made up before the actual halftime show began. The actual performance was barely controversial, with the headliner doing nothing to provoke a divided response.

I saw viewership peak around six million on TPUSA YouTube, one of nearly a dozen ways to watch. The counter seemed to be struggling to keep up however and the stream itself had issues. This is the first thing we should address.

Was Kid Rock Lip-Syncing?

Kid Rock's performance of "Bawitdaba" was uneven. It didn't have the usual fire and bravado and he wore jorts instead of his usual rock-jock apparel. Vocally, he looked to be about one-half second ahead of the audio, which led to lip-syncing accusations. Skip ahead to 1:05:30 to judge for yourself.

It's possible Kid Rock is the world's worst lip-syncer ever, but anyone who has ever tried to stream a pre-recorded package live on YouTube knows the process is fraught. A third-party program is required to mix the various elements together and sometimes — there's really no way to say this — those programs "skip." Yes, like a record.

The result is the audio separates from the video by a second or more. I had it happen in 2019 during an ill-fated ACM Awards pre-show. We actually went live live on that day, but also included pre-recorded moments. I'm not saying he didn't lip sync — both things can be true. I'm just saying there are other possible explanations.

The person responsible for syncing audio and video in post-production could have just failed at their job as well.

Turning Point USA All-American Halftime Show Review

Variety's Chris Willman nailed it in saying the the TPUSA halftime felt like an old CMT special. That's no dig. Expectations were pretty low in part because previous attempts to compete with the NFL's halftime show ranged from cute to laughable.

The build up to the show featured a fair bit of conservative messaging and it all opened with a brief nod to Charlie Kirk. That all went to the background when the singing began. Erika Kirk never appeared. No one begged for donations. Nothing was said about Bad Bunny, ICE or any political hot topic.

It was kind of just a made-for-TV concert. A live audience filled in along the catwalk. The audio was mixed and very clean. The camera angles were thought out and the direction was professional. No, it didn't compare to what Apple Music was doing on NBC but it beat most non-Super Bowl NFL halftime arrangements.

This is to say Turning Point took care of the little details that, if left unattended, would make this show laughable. Now it's up to the performers.

Brantley Gilbert and Gabby Barrett did fine but neither were memorable. Lee Brice provided the show's most pointy moment. "Country Nowadays" is a new song he's releasing soon and the lyrics lament how difficult it is to have old school values. There was a lyric about gender that stood out. “I just want to ... Be told if I tell my own daughter / That little boys ain’t little girls / I’ll be up a creek in hot water / In this cancel-your-a-- world." he sang.

Left-leaning viewers found an "Ah-Ha!" moment here but that was about it. Next came Kid Rock.

Kid Rock's Cody Johnson Cover

I struggle to separate art from artist when it comes to Kid Rock. As a native Detroiter, I'm inclined to support him and his music. In general I like, or even love, some of his most mainstream hits — go try to find a better workout album than Devil Without a Cause.

As a person, I find him to be problematic. Sure, people grow and change across 30 years but it's hard to reconcile his inconsistent narratives. Last month he spoke passionately to Congress about a need for change in the event ticketing industry, and went right after Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

A few days later he announced a tour produced by Live Nation and, wait a second: didn't Kid Rock once admit he used to scalp his own tickets?

Politically he's supported Democrats and Republicans passionately throughout his lifetime. In 2017 he sure made it seem like he was going to run for Senate but it all culminated with professional news. Shooting Bud Light cans felt like a publicity stunt at best. I've grown wary of his opportunistic ways but still skip around any new album he releases.

Last fall, Kid Rock covered Cody Johnson's "Til You Can't" in Arizona. That was the first time his new third verse gained attention and at the time he said it was a tribute to Kirk.

After a strange string duet that nobody quite knew what to do with, he was re-introduced as Robert Ritchie (is a Bob record coming?) and he performed a surprisingly earnest cover of the song. It was drenched in steel guitar and felt more like a pure country ballad than anything he's ever done.

This was a de facto tribute to Charlie and Erika Kirk (their wedding photos were on display in the background) and it was strong, if not quite the tear-jerker he may have hoped for.

That was it. No flames. Nothing inflammatory. There wasn't a political message. Was it good? Who knows, but that doesn't matter.

Why the NFL Should Be Worried?

Turning Point USA can rinse and repeat this process in 2027 and what's more, so can anyone else with a message and a few million dollars to spend. I'd guess five to 10 million people watched the All-American Halftime show, which is just a nibble of the crowd that saw Bad Bunny.

Two to four shows that each pull millions away from the main thing are a problem however. Turning Point USA just showed the TV and entertainment world what's possible.

Turning Point USA Halftime Show Set List:

Brantley Gilbert
"Real American"
"Dirt Road Anthem"

Gabby Barrett
"I Hope"
"Good Ones"

Lee Brice
"Drinkin' Class"
"Country Nowadays"
"Hard To Love"

Kid Rock
"Bawitadaba"
"Til You Can't" (Cody Johnson Cover)