When Kid Rock helped kick down the doors of rap-rock in the late 90's, the world was a different place. Clinton was still in office, most people were employed, the internet was still fairly young and the Y2K fear dominated headlines. Back then Kid Rock was an artist with a whole lot to prove. Straddling the line between hip-hop, country and rock n' roll, he threw a lot of people for a loop, including this Examiner. How do you categorize someone who can play side-by-side with Aerosmith, Run DMC, Sheryl Crow, Hank Williams, Jr. and even nail Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" as if it's his own? The answer is, you don't. You just stand up and rock out to the sounds of the different genres colliding while stage pyro goes off. This is exactly what the people of the Hudson Valley did last night at Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center.
Bethel Woods was the site of the original Woodstock concert that took place in 1969. Wednesday night was the anniversary of Day 3 of that festival. Coincidentally, Kid Rock made his mark on Day 3 of the Woodstock '99 fest (in nearby Saugerties). That day went down in history as the spark that ignited the primal behavior that later ensued at the festival's end, but also as a day where Kid Rock showed the masses just how great of a live performer he really is (remember, that was before YouTube existed, so getting your act on television was a major score). Before that show, a lot of people thought: "Who does this guy think he is? He walks around town throwing this pimp image in my face and expects me to take him seriously?! Come on!" But once he walked out on that stage, discarded his pimp gear and was just a dude rocking out full force, minds were changed. Over a decade later, fans are still coming out in droves to see the man play.
Read the full review and see photos and video from the show at Examiner.com.
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