Ted Nugent says he never expected to hear from Jelly Roll again, especially not with a request to headline a country festival after previously being told he wasn’t a big enough draw.
But according to Nugent, that’s exactly what happened. The rocker says Jelly Roll called him personally and asked if he would step in and headline the Northwest California Country Festival this weekend.
Nugent said the call caught him completely off guard. “I actually thought he was calling to apologize,” Nugent said. “Then he asked me to headline his festival. I couldn’t believe it.”
Nugent claims the request was particularly ironic because Jelly Roll had turned him down the previous year.
“Last year I offered to do a short set for him,” Nugent said. “He passed. Told me I didn’t pull enough of a crowd and I was too political. Now he’s calling me because he needs somebody to headline? No way, bub.”
Nugent said he didn’t hesitate before giving Jelly Roll his answer. “No,” he said. “That’s the answer. Short, simple and easy.”
According to Nugent, the sudden request came after several performers allegedly pulled out of the festival. Nugent claims the situation began deteriorating after Jelly Roll encouraged unhappy fans to stop listening to his music.
“You can’t tell people to quit listening to your music and then be shocked when people actually quit listening,” Nugent said. “That’s not exactly a winning business strategy.”
He said the festival lineup began shrinking soon afterward. “Then one act leaves, another one leaves, and suddenly everybody’s looking around wondering who’s going to show up,” Nugent said. “That’s when somebody apparently decided, ‘Hey, let’s call Ted.’”
Nugent said he found the whole situation amusing, particularly because he had been dismissed as too political just months earlier.
“Apparently I’m only too political when they don’t need me,” he said. “When they’re desperate, suddenly politics isn’t such a big problem.” The rocker also questioned how the festival ended up needing an 84-year-old performer to rescue its lineup.
“You’re asking an 84-year-old guy to headline,” Nugent said. “That tells you something.” Nugent suggested the situation wasn’t simply about one missing performer. He believes it showed how quickly the entertainment business can turn when an artist loses the confidence of the audience.
“Fans have choices,” he said. “You can’t order them to love you. You can’t tell them to stop listening and then expect them to come running back when you need ticket sales.”
Despite turning down the invitation, Nugent said he wasn’t angry. “I’m not mad,” he said. “I’m just not interested. There’s a difference.”
He added that Jelly Roll should have thought about the future before dismissing him last year. “You don’t burn a bridge and then call me when you’re standing on the other side yelling for a boat,” Nugent said.
For now, Nugent says he will be spending the weekend doing something else. “I’m going to play music,” he said. “Just not there.”
