Kid Rock Pays Tribute to Charlie Kirk by Adding Verse to Country Song

Kid Rock paid tribute to the late Charlie Kirk during a concert last week.

The musician, 54, honored the right-wing activist, who was killed in September at the age of 31, while performing at the Hondo Rodeo Fest in Arizona on November 8, Taste of Country reported on Wednesday, November 12.

At the time, Rock (whose real name is Robert James Ritchie) was filling in for country singer Cody Johnson while he recovered from surgery on a ruptured eardrum. Rock paused after singing the first verse of Johnson’s acoustic song, “Til You Can’t,” telling the crowd, “Now, a few weeks ago, I woke up alone early on a Sunday morning and had this song stuck in my head.”

He continued: “And in that moment, someone or something spoke to me and told me there was still a verse missing from this song, and to get up and write it down. So I did. And now, I know exactly who was speaking to me that morning.”

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An image of Kirk then flashed on the screens behind Rock, according to the outlet Music Mayhem.

In the new verse, Rock sang: “There’s a book that is sitting in your house somewhere that could use some dusting off / There’s a man that died for all our sins / Hanging from the cross / You can give your life to Jesus / And he’ll give you a second chance / ’Til you can’t, ’til you can’t.”

Kirk was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The Turning Point USA cofounder died after being transported to a local hospital. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children.

Accused gunman Tyler Robinson turned himself into police two days after the shooting. He has yet to enter a plea to charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and violent offense committed in the presence of a child.

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Last month, Rock spoke about Kirk’s death during an appearance on Fox News. 

“It’s terrible that something like this had to happen to really bring everyone back to their faith — and even someone like myself who’s always been very spiritual, but even more so in the last several weeks,” he stated on the October 10 episode of The Ingraham Angle. “I find myself writing those songs, and I’ve been writing a Gospel album for the last year, working on a Gospel album, so it’s not anything new, but yes, I have a lot of faith and hope in the younger generation.”

The “Cowboy” singer is a vocal conservative. Earlier this year, he performed at President Donald Trump’s inauguration alongside fellow country acts Jason Aldean, Billy Ray Cyrus and Carrie Underwood. 

Since stepping into the spotlight with his breakthrough album, Devil Without a Cause, Rock has built a reputation for his unfiltered, rough-around-the-edges persona.

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During a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, the singer allegedly pulled out a handgun and waved it around in front of the writer asking him questions.

“Ritchie has exchanged his white wine for Jim Beam and Diet Coke. He proceeds to drain at least three or four of them in pretty quick succession,” reporter David Peisner claimed in his article published in May of that year. “He’s sitting in a dark leather chair, shouting at me about something or other, when he reaches behind the seat, pulls out a black handgun and waves it around to make some sort of point.”

Peisner added that Rock told him, “I got a f***ing goddamn gun right here if I need it! I got them everywhere!”