TOO OLD TO KID, TOO SOFT TO ROCK? NEVER!

I thought I might be able to resist posting a concert review... I thought wrong. Suffice it to say, I'm still thinking about this rock-bender nine days later, so I gotta give Kid Rock two high-flying thumbs up. I mean, my thumbs aren't even big enough to express what a showman this guy is. It was an amazing ride... An an amazing three-hour ride. Who gives their fans 100% for three full hours anymore? That's a rock-bargain, my friends.

Kid took the stage of the Scottrade Center in a white polyester suit (à la Elvis), belting out the words to "Rock and Roll Jesus". About midway through the song, these long white shrouds hanging vertically on the back of the stage unfurled in unison, revealing the words "Rock and Roll Jesus". The stage had been set to resemble a church, white candles placed throughout, so the banners completed the look. Sacrilegious though it may sound, it somehow managed not to offend. Honestly, this concert felt like an old-fashioned tent revival, anyway; it's even called the "Rock and Roll Revival Tour". I didn't make the connection at first, but it's aptly named.

The show was billed "Kid Rock with Rev Run and Surprise Guests". I honestly thought Run had no-showed since there was no opener. Later on, we would all realize that this was Kid Rock's way of giving props to those joining him on stage-- not as openers, but as respected peers. In fact, I'd say that "respect" was a central (though understated) theme of the show... more on that later.

Not only did Rev Run eventually join Kid on stage, but Dickie Betts of Allman Brothers fame also stepped up for some southern rock funk. Needless to say, this three-hour jamfest had a lot of twists and turns, covering a multitude of diverse musical genres on the way: everything from the Allmans' "Ramblin' Man" to David Allan Coe's "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" to Run DMC's "Walk This Way" and Sunday School favorite "This Little Light of Mine". There was even a subtle homage to Frampton when Kid used a voice box. And interspersed with all the old-school banging Kid Rock faves like "Cowboy", "Bawitdaba", "Welcome To the Party" and "Devil Without a Cause" were new songs like "Amen", "So Hott" and "All Summer Long". The crowd remained on their feet the entire three hours.

Except for a brief intermission, Kid Rock was performing the whole time. He played a host of different instruments and even attempted a scratch solo that sounded great until the turntables malfunctioned. Not to be deterred, he climbed down into the drum set and rocked the house, throwing his sticks into the crowd with true rockstar flair. Some rock cliches still deliver.

Overall, there was a lot more soul and a lot less skank than I expected. No bikini-clad dancers in cages. No American flags. Not a lot of blatant sexual reference, save lyrically. It was a more subdued, more respectful Kid Rock that came to town. Don't get me wrong, there was still some of the "in your face" attitude that you expect (I mean, you want some of that from Kid Rock!) but The Man was downright humble-- even telling the audience that he knows times are tough and how much he appreciated everyone spending their hard-earned dollars on tickets to the show.

So if I had to recreate the formula? I'd say you take one part Ronnie Van Zant. Add equal parts of Hank Jr., Steven Tyler and BB King. Throw in a dash of Bob Seger, sprinkle liberally with AC/DC and end with a little ZZ (on) Top. Blend until smooth and serve cool. Very cool. The Kid Rock cocktail satisfies a lot of different tastes. But you may not be able to walk the next day.