Concert Review: Kid Rock
"Kid Rock kicked a**..."
"Saturday morning's headline could have read, "Robert Ritchie plays to a rain soaked capacity crowd at TI". It would have been an accurate statement from beginning to end but it would have left many a little puzzled. So, let's try this on for size…. "Kid Rock kicked ass in front of a rain soaked TI crowd". That's a little clearer for those who don't refer to him by his given name.
The evening started out with the up and coming opening band, A Thousand Horses. ATH is more of a country/southern rock sounding band that would be geared toward a Lynyrd Skynyrd crowd but then again, what doesn't go with Kid Rock? He's played with the likes of Hank Williams Jr., Sheryl Crow, Uncle Kracker and of course Skynyrd. He's as comfortable playing at WE Fest as he is headlining Northern Invasion. There's something for everyone and that is why Treasure Island's casino and their outdoor amphitheater were flooded with people sporting "American Badass" hats, "00 F*cks Given" jerseys and even a few "Kid Rock For Senate" t-shirts but that's another article entirely.
A Thousand Horses played a solid set that featured two of their hits, "Drunk Dial" and "Smoke" just before the rain started. If people were bothered by the rain nobody seemed to show it. After all, it was Friday night and the Minnesota crowd was ready to partake in some "Made in Detroit" fun by their choir director, Robert Ritchie.
Kid Rock started out the night with his Top 40 hit, "All Summer Long" and the crowd instantly joined in as his choir to sing every line with the 48 year old artist. This continued throughout the night. As soon as the crowd heard the first note or the first words of the song they locked in.
Somewhere during Kid Rock's 17 song set the rain let up but I can't tell you when. Even if you are an average fan you find yourself involved in all the aspects of the show. That's what a true showman/entertainer does and he is every bit the showman. He is every bit the entertainer. During a show Kid Rock is known to change outfits which normally involve stripping down to a white, sleeveless tank top or a change from his signature bowler hat to a cowboy hat for his song, "Cowboy". However, sometime during his set he oddly decided to sport a KFC bucket as a hat for a couple of songs. I'm not sure if this proved to be a better form of head gear for the rain, if he did it on a dare, KFC is now one of his sponsors or if he was channeling the artist known as "Buckethead". Regardless of the reason the crowd ate it up.
During the night Kid Rock paid homage to his Michigan roots by performing Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People" and he honored the late Tom Petty by playing one of his lesser known hits, "I Need To Know".
All in all, Friday night was everything it was billed out to be. A great time with great music lead by an "American Badass" entertainer as the choir director for a capacity rain soaked TI crowd."