Kid Rock says he won't show up at any of his tour stops with a vaccine mandate

Kid Rock says he'll refuse to play at any venue that requires proof of a COVID-19 vaccine on his forthcoming concert tour.

"There's been a lot of talk about vaccine mandates and venues - people saying, 'I'm not going to that venue because there's a vaccine mandate,'" the "All Summer Long" singer said in a Thursday video posted on his Facebook page.

"If you think I'm going to sit out there and sing 'Don't Tell Me How to Live' and 'We the People' while people are holding up their f---ing vaccine cards and wearing masks - that shit ain't happening," the 51-year-old performer, who was born Robert Ritchie, told fans a day before tickets went on sale for his nationwide "Bad Reputation" tour.

Claiming his team conducted research to ensure that all the stops on the 26-city summer tour won't be requiring COVID-19 vaccine proof, Kid Rock said if some slipped through or mandates are imposed, "Trust me, you don't have to worry about getting your money back because I won't be showing up either."

The musician and vocal supporter of former President Trump has criticized pandemic-related mitigation efforts before. Earlier this week, he released an anti-President Biden song titled "We the People," which scorched Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert, and included lines such as: "Wear your mask. Take your pills. Now a whole generation is mentally ill."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised Americans to wear well-fitting face masks "to protect themselves and prevent the spread of COVID-19."

Kid Rock said mandates were "actually kind of unfortunate" because they caused him to scrap plans for tour stops in Buffalo, N.Y., and Toronto. "I don't want to deal with that shit either," he said.

"Liberal media: There's your clickbait for tomorrow," he said, mocking potential headlines, "Kid Rock said this about mandates and he's not showing up!"

Earlier this week, the average number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States surpassed its level at the height of the delta surge last fall. It also marked its highest point since last winter. More than 850,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.