ON most days, Kid Rock couldn’t fit his ego into a room as small as the Fill more – but to celebrate the release of his latest album, he managed to squeeze his arena act down to showcase size.
Tuesday’s performance in the club setting was a rap ‘n’ roll bash. It was part concert, part “Man Show,” with the Kid firing up testosterone levels with love ’em ‘n’ leave ’em songs, arena guitar riffs and a couple of smokin’ fantasy girls. Said girls occasionally sang backup – but most of the time, they just swiveled hips under short skirts and pantomimed the sexual action in Rock’s songs.
The Kid wasted no time warming up the burly fans, who were soaked in sweat and swilling beer. He rushed onto the stage and rocked out with the powerful title track of the new disc, “Rock N Roll Jesus.”
Remember the ego thing?
In “Rock N Roll Jesus,” the Kid is singing about himself. But really, who’s going to argue with a guy who’s decked out in a white evangelical suit, arms reaching toward heaven and screaming, “Testify, this is a rock ‘n’ roll revival.”
The new material is strong, but longtime Rock aficionados were no doubt pleased by all the classics played in this two-hour showcase, which featured “Devil Without a Cause” and “Cowboy,” as well as the hard-edge rappers from “Cocky.” In a way, the only tune in the set that seemed out of place was his huge radio hit, “Picture.”
While that song is one of Rock’s best known and best loved, the romance in it no longer fits the singer. Just the night before this show, when Rock was a guest on “Letterman,” he gave his ex-wife Pam Anderson’s new husband, Rick Salomon, a shout-out, asking him, “Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?”
At this show he took another swing at Pam, summing up matrimony by declaring that “it sucks.”
On a roll, Rock then dedicated the I-found-somebody-new song “Half Your Age” to Anderson. Clearly, Rock is still emotionally attached, but Psych 101 says he’s masking his feeling in down-and-dirty XXX-rated metal numbers like “So Hott” that’ll no doubt become a lap-dance standard.
Since females were in very short supply at this gig, the boys in the crowd grunted and scratched their approval of all of Rock’s tunes – especially the ones where women were placed on pedestals so he can look up their skirts.
The Kid is a totally entertaining rock animal who can connect the dots between Johnny Cash and Grandmaster Flash – just don’t let him date your sister.