
When you get a superstar entertainer like Kid Rock and a jam-packed, pumped-up crowd like there was at Billy Bob's, you're bound to get a great show. Add to that Kid Rock admitted Friday night's show didn't go well, it was two days until his birthday and he wasn't going to perform again for a few weeks, then he wanted it to be a spectacular show that people would talk about.
The audience was already singing along with the pre-show music, and it turned into a flash mob as everyone erupted to Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," as Kid Rock came on stage to deafening cheers. He was on fire and continued the heat throughout the whole night. Songs that struck the hearts of the diverse crowd such as "Never Met A Motherfucker Quite Like Me" and "Ain't Nobody Gonna Tell Me How To Live" quickly reached a fever-pitch as the eclectic audience members yelled, "That song is about me" in addition to singing every word.
Women who came to the gig in various stages of dress and undress almost popped out of their bra tops and ran out of their fishnet stockings at the opening notes of "First Kiss." Guys threw up both hands and made the Rock and Roll Forever sign for "God Bless Saturday." They all got moving for some of his early rap songs.
Kid Rock showed his songwriting skills with well-received commercial radio songs such as "All Summer Long" and "Picture." He slowed things down to give them the reverence they deserved, yet he still maintained his incredible stage presence. He kept engaging the fans, who sang every word as if they wrote it themselves.
Rock showed why he has sold 35 million albums and sold out concerts all over the world as he had fun playing every instrument in the band to cover songs the crowd knew by heart. He ended with a video salute to our troops, as he always does, and the USA-loving Texans erupted to show their solidarity, and then played piano to "Born Free" before he climbed on top of it to finish the song as the stage went dark.
The stage lights came back on, the audience let out a earsplitting scream and he jumped, gyrated and twisted to "My Name Is Kid." It turned into a jam that lasted several minutes, but it was still too short for the fans who would have stayed all night long to hear the uber-talented singer/songwriter/musician.
It was a cold night with a wind chill of 16 degrees, but that didn't stop people from coming out to have a good time. Men word concert T-shirts under the jackets while women either dressed for the weather or dressed to impress. They all merged into true fans, though, to see and hear Kid Rock and forget all their problems for a few hours. The Kid was blazing, his band was tight and the show was designed to flow seamlessly and end with a bang.
It was a show for the ages, as most everyone who has seen Kid Rock in concert will attest. Catch him if you can in the coming year. You will not be disappointed.
Special thanks to Terran and Billy Bob's Texas for all their help.