Kid Rock Changes ‘Greatest Show On Earth’ Tour Name Following Circus Pressure

The name of Kid Rock’s upcoming tour has changed following pressure from Feld Entertainment, which had announced it was taking legal action against the musician and promoter Live Nation for calling his tour “The Greatest Show On Earth,” the phrase made famous by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  

Scott Legato / Getty Images – Kid Rock
Kid Rock sets an attendance record of 86,893 tickets sold over six shows Sept. 12-20 when he opens Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Kid Rock’s tour has been renamed the “American Rock N’ Roll Tour 2018,” with all signage and advertisements changed. The tour kicks off Jan. 19 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and continues through mostly the Eastern part of the country before ending at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas March 24.

A spokesman for Feld Entertainment confirmed to Pollstar that litigation is still pending in federal court in Tampa with a hearing next week. Feld produced the Ringling Bros. circus and does touring productions including Monster Jam, Marvel Universe Live!, and Disney On Ice,

For Year End 2017, Feld ranked at No. 4 on Pollstar’s Top 100 Promoters Chart, with 3.2 million tickets sold.

While the 150-year-old Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus staged its final circus performance in May, the legend lives on in the form of merchandise, collectibles, clothing and more.

In announcing that it had filed suit, Feld stated: “This historic trademark has been an important part of Ringling Bros. for the past century, and it is recognized as a trusted and iconic brand of family-friendly entertainment,” said Kenneth Feld, Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. “The Greatest Show On Earth continues to live on and will do so well into the future. We have no intention of surrendering the trademark or allowing it to be tarnished.”

While not doing a full tour in 2017, Kid Rock was still pretty busy, with “Kid Rock’s Chillin’ The Most Cruise” in April, which also included Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and he opened the brand-new Little Caesars Arena in his hometown Detroit with six shows Sept. 12-20.

Those shows sold a combined 86,893 tickets and grossed just under $5.5 million as reported to Pollstar. He also made headlines by threatening to run for U.S. senate, which he later said was a joke.

Pollstar reached out to Live Nation for comment, although the company typically does not comment on pending litigation.