If someone said I could be any rock star I wanted, I would probably take Sammy Hagar. After attending Wednesday’s Kid Rock concert at the California Mid-State Fair, I may have to reconsider.
The Kidster, born Robert James Ritchie, put on a powerhouse 110-minute performance in front of over 10,000 hard-partying fans in the Main Grandstand Chumash Arena, his first appearance ever on the Central Coast.
The suburban Detroit native has come a long way since his early 1990s start as scrawny, trailer-trash rapping singer/ DJ. But there is probably no other artist who crosses and melds as many pop music genres as Kid Rock: Hip hop, roots and southern rock, acoustic ballads — he’s got it all covered.
And the show reflected this artistic evolution as Rock went from old “lassics like “Cowboy” to “Lowlife” and his newest good-time anthem, “God Bless Saturday,” both from his latest release “Born Free.”
A new trend with live performers is mixing verses from popular songs into their original numbers. Rock somehow managed to include “Midnight Rider,” “Cat Scratch Fever,” “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” and even Tupac’s “California Love” in various song renditions during the show.
Not only did Rock pay homage to these musical influences but he seamlessly transitioned from country-infused ballads to guitar-driven party rock. How many entertainers can play a reflective piano ballad like “Lonely Road of Faith” then charge into a raunchy, hard-rocking “So Hott” and pull it off?
Read the full review at CalCoastNews.com.
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