Skip to content

Cameron Whitcomb: An Unfiltered Voice for a New Generation

Search

Kid Rock Takes Joy Ride in Army Helicopter, Addresses the Pentagon

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

Kid Rock Takes Joy Ride in Army Helicopter, Addresses the Pentagon

Kid Rock, seen here not in a helicopter, will kick off his summer tour on Friday with video of him in a helicopter.

Gary Miller/Getty Images
Joseph Hudak
By Joseph HudakApr 28, 2026
Joseph Hudak
See Full Bio

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.

Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!)

Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the… pic.twitter.com/7EyhlaCeUj
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) April 28, 2026

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.

Most Popular

Alexisonfire Celebrate 20 Years of 'Crisis' With Pop-Up Shop in Toronto
Music

Alexisonfire Celebrate 20 Years of 'Crisis' With Pop-Up Shop in Toronto

Perez Hilton in ‘Stable But Serious’ Condition, Requires Surgery, Family Says
(Sub) Culture

Perez Hilton in ‘Stable But Serious’ Condition, Requires Surgery, Family Says

Everything We Know About 'Heated Rivalry' Season 2 So Far
TV & Movies

Everything We Know About 'Heated Rivalry' Season 2 So Far

Brad Pitt Says ‘Family Stuff’ Drove Him to Suicidal Thoughts
TV & Movies

Brad Pitt Says ‘Family Stuff’ Drove Him to Suicidal Thoughts

The Weeknd Apparently Reconsidering Name Change
Music

The Weeknd Apparently Reconsidering Name Change

More Stories

Jay-Z’s New Verse on a Beyoncé Outtake, Plus Karol G and More Songs You Need to Know This Week

JAŸ-Z30 JAY-Z at Yankee Stadium

SACHA LECCA

Jay-Z’s New Verse on a Beyoncé Outtake, Plus Karol G and More Songs You Need to Know This Week

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, Jay-Z drops a verse on a sampledelic reworking of Beyoncé’s “Morning Dew (Donk),” Karol G taps Oklou for a swirling highlight from her new album, and a chance encounter has Ravyn Lenae spiraling on a grooving song. Plus, new tunes from Role Model, Ashe, This is Lorelei, Flo, and Nino Paid.

Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z, “Morning Dew (Donk) Remix” (YouTube)

Keep ReadingShow less
Rush Celebrate 50 Years of '2112' With Reissue Ahead of Toronto Homecoming
Andy Keilen for Rolling Stone

Rush Celebrate 50 Years of '2112' With Reissue Ahead of Toronto Homecoming

Rush week is in full action right now in Toronto. More than five decades after forming in the city, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are returning home tonight as part of the band’s Fifty Something Tour, a comeback that once seemed impossible after their final performances in 2015 and the death of drummer Neil Peart in 2020.

Now, as the band reconnects with fans across North America, Rush are also celebrating the album that changed the course of their career. On October 2, the band will release a special 50th-anniversary edition of 2112, alongside the first-ever vinyl release of The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kurupt Reveals Eminem Helped Cover His Rehab Costs

Eminem performs during halftime of a Thanksgiving NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field on November 27, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Kurupt Reveals Eminem Helped Cover His Rehab Costs

Good people do exist in the music industry.

Kurupt recently shared on SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning that Eminem quietly helped pay for his rehab treatment during one of the darkest periods of his life. Over the years, the rapper has been open about his battle with alcoholism over the years, which at one point left him in a coma for three weeks. During that difficult time, both Eminem and Dr. Dre stepped in to support him.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fenix Flexin Finally Admits He Used AI on 'Rubberz'

Fenix Flexin Finally Admits He Used AI on 'Rubberz'

The cat's out of the bag and the mystery surrounding Fenix Flexin’s viral hit “Rubberz” has taken a new turn. After weeks of denying accusations that artificial intelligence had played a role in the song’s creation, the Los Angeles rapper has now acknowledged that AI was used as part of the process.

Responding to a comment on Instagram encouraging him to admit the use of AI, Fenix clarified that he never intended to hide the technology’s involvement, arguing that it was simply a creative tool. “Never said I didn’t use AI,” he wrote, adding that it “had nun to do w recording process” and that he only became aware of the app involved after the song was mixed and listeners began questioning its origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Announce New Album 'Second Song'

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Announce New Album 'Second Song'

Neil Young is returning with a new studio album that finds him looking inward after a turbulent period of political frustration. The Canadian rock icon has announced Second Song, his second album with backing band the Chrome Hearts, set for release Sept. 18 via Reprise Records.

The record arrives after a period in which Young has been increasingly vocal about the state of the world around him. Following the 2024 U.S. election, Young spoke openly about his disappointment with the political climate, describing the experience of living through what he called the “worst president in the history of our country” as a distressing experience. While he has continued to use his voice to criticize political decisions, he said he wanted to move beyond anger and reconnect with themes of love, humanity and everyday life.

Keep ReadingShow less