Robert James Ritchie, aka Kid Rock, was all about showing the 17,000 plus people in attendance, not how wild and crazy he could be (even though he displayed those attributes often during the night) but just how much talent he has – and in my judgment that’s a whole bunch.  He successfully showed off his broad and deep musical skill set even in the soaring heat of the night.

Although far from his Detroit homeland he performed like he was in his backyard and was playing to a group of close friends. Actually maybe he was?  Looking around, everyone I observed seemed to be enjoying every minute of his performance.

Before I go on about Kid, let me tell you about the artists who proceeded him on stage this night.

First up was the Parkway Handle Band out of Georgia. Given how much terrific music comes out of the Peach State I wasn’t surprised to hear how good they were doing their ‘bluegrass’ thing. These five guys had a good look, nice groove, and seemed to really enjoy what they were doing.  After the show they shared with me that they were opening for the entire KR tour.  That means they will have lots of exposure this summer and well deserved.  Houston venues will have to figure out a way to get them back to this area before they take off and get big.   And I’m betting they will.

Speaking of big, next up was Foreigner.  And they play it BIG.  It was a ‘greatest hits’ set from beginning to end and so much fun to listen to and watch. These guys were spot on and ripped through ten great songs one after another starting with Double Trouble, to Head Games, Cold As Ice, Dirty White Boys, Feels Like the First Time and Urgent, then encored with I Want To Know What Love Is and ended with Hot Blooded.  Granted there is only one original member, Mick Jones, who named the band, however he trained the not so newbies well, and they were all great.

That brings us back to Kid Rock.  There are a lot of different things I could say about the show.  I could tell you about him dropping the F-bomb 47 times…and that was just in the opening song!  And that he sang 21 songs over a couple hours, or that he sweated his ass off in this inferno like weather with a heat index near 100 degrees.  I could tell you about the name PAUL tattooed on his arm in memory of a cousin that passed away.  However, I’d rather talk about the fact that this guy is extremely talented.  Kid Rock can sing, play the guitar, wale on the bass, pound the keys on the piano, bang on the drums, and spin that turntable!  So I’d say yes, he’s a wild and crazy performer with a big personality who is incredibly talented.  He works hard at entertaining his fans and he works hard at partying.  And what’s wrong with a little partying from time to time?

Remember, there’s no time to kill.

dwc