Kid Rock – $20 Best Night Ever Tour: Hard Rock Daddy Concert Review

Kid Rock calling his tour the “$20 Best Night Ever Tour” may seem incredibly “Cocky,” but as the man says…“It ain’t braggin’ motherfucker if you back it up!”  There are very few artists in any genre that can back up a claim like that, but Kid Rock is absolutely one of them.  One of the things that you have to love about Kid Rock is that there is no pretense; what you see is what you get.  Nowadays, there is a lot of lip service paid by politicians who claim to be “a man of the people,” but those words ring hollow because they lack sincerity.  Kid Rock is a man of the people, and if he wasn’t so busy entertaining the masses, he would be ideally suited to hold public office and effect real change.

The “$20 Best Night Ever Tour” shows just how connected Kid Rock truly is to the people, the real people who are still struggling to make ends meet, not the ones who judge America’s fiscal recovery by a stock market rebound.

A $20 bill featuring a skull with Kid Rock’s likeness covered the entire stage as the lights went down and the whole crowd sang along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” as it blared through the speakers into the unseasonably cool night air to begin the show.  As the crowd sang…“just a small town boy, born and raised in south Detroit,” the music stopped.  Kid Rock’s silhouette appeared in the center of the dollar bill as he recited a prayer that was more spiritual than religious, and expressed his sincere gratitude to everyone in the crowd for spending their hard-earned money to attend the concert.

The man who creatively found a way to turn back the clock to 1980’s concert pricing was thanking people for spending their money to see him perform, when the ones who should have been truly grateful were the fans lucky enough to experience the “best night ever” at a tremendous discount.

After Kid Rock got done thanking the crowd and promising them a great show, he and his incredible band launched into the highly energetic “Devil Without A Cause.”  If anyone had any doubt that they would be getting the full Kid Rock experience for a mere $20, they quickly found out that Kid Rock doesn’t do anything half-assed.  He is, quite simply, one of the greatest live performers in music today; although even he acknowledges that his “colorful” lyrics may not be for everyone.

When the band finished playing “Celebrate” (the only track of the evening off of his most recent album – Rebel Soul), he explained to the crowd that those who were fans of some of his radio hits, and decided to attend the concert because it was only $20, might be in for a surprise.  A well-timed disclaimer if ever there was one, as he immediately launched into “You’ve Never Met A Motherfucker Quite Like Me.”  It may sound crazy to anyone who hasn’t seen Kid Rock live, but because he is so likeable, no one ever seems to be offended by anything he says or does on stage, regardless of their personal moral compass.

The majority of the set list (see below) featured songs from Devil Without A Cause, Cocky and Rock N Roll Jesus.

Kid Rock is in a class by himself when it comes to breaking down music genre barriers, which is why it is virtually impossible to categorize the fans in attendance.  There was no demographic; ages ranged from elementary school kids to grandparents.  His music appeals to rock, punk, rap, hip hop and country fans alike, a sentiment that he drove home with authority during his performance of “Forever.”  If you love great songs performed to perfection in an electrified atmosphere, there simply is no better place to spend $20 for entertainment than Kid Rock’s $20 Best Night Ever Tour.

This concert was about more than just great music.  Kid Rock took the time to show his true appreciation for everyone who made the night possible – the fans and the sponsors (Harley Davidson, Jim Beam) who helped subsidize the price of tickets, merchandise and concessions.  In doing so, he showed that change can happen in an industry that has become much too comfortable with the status quo.  And if that means having commercial messages embedded into the concert experience, then so be it.  Not surprisingly, Kid Rock found a way to make these messages inspirational, so they didn’t feel like advertising.  When you leave a Kid Rock concert, you do so with a sense of empowerment that you can do anything in life that you desire if you set your mind to it.

The $20 Best Night Ever Tour may sound like hyperbole to some, but those that experienced it firsthand would agree that the tour is aptly named.

SET LIST

1. Devil Without A Cause
2. Celebrate
3. You Never Met A Motherfucker Quite Like Me
4. American Badass
5. Wasting Time
6. Cowboy
7. So Hott
8. Forever
9. Cocky
10. Rock Bottom Blues
11. Picture
12. Rock N Roll Jesus
13. Only God Knows Why
14. Born Free
15. Blue Jeans And A Rosary (encore)
16. All Summer Long (encore)
17. Bawitdaba (encore)