The Dallas Morning News Review The Rock N Rebels Tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock live in Dallas, TX 7/1/09
It’s no doubt a sign of our current economic uncertainty that two acts that would have been separate headliners a few years ago are now touring together. Thus, Wednesday night, approximately 14,000 fans gathered to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock at the Superpages.com Center.
It was an appropriate pairing; both Skynyrd and Kid Rock specialize in deep-fried Southern rock.
But there are differences: One of the originators of the genre of hard-driving, guitar-heavy Southern boogie, Lynyrd Skynyrd has become a group of classicists, playing for the most part songs more than 30 years old.
Not that the audience minded. Versions of tunes like “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps” and “Call Me the Breeze” probably sounded better than they did during the band’s hard-partying heyday and had the crowd on their feet, hollering, for the duration of the set. An encore of “Free Bird” was the reward for their enthusiasm.
Kid Rock obviously knows and loves Southern rock, but it’s just one of the strands he wove together Wednesday night, mixing it with hip-hop, country and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll.
Fronting his longtime Twisted Brown Trucker Band, he roamed through his catalog, from his name-making 1998 Devil Without a Cause (”Cowboy,” “Only God Knows Why”) to his recent Rock N Roll Jesus (the title track, “Amen”).
His talent for mashing up his influences also showed in the way he’d drop parts of hits like Sly Stone’s “Everyday People” into the middle of his songs.
The best moment, however, came when he did “All Summer Long,” a nostalgic anthem that combined hooks from Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” It – and the whole evening – was as good a summation of a genre’s alpha and omega as you’re likely to find.
The Billboard 200 music chart now list Kid Rock’s ‘Rock N Roll Jesus’ record as being certified 3 X Platinum. Congrats to Kid Rock and a special thank you to the fans for your support!
TrueCountryTV have uploaded a video on their YouTube account of Kid Rock performing “Son Of Detroit” live at the 2009 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee from June 12. To watch the performance, CLICK HERE.
The CMA Music Festival filmed in downtown Nashville on June 11th through 14 will air on ABC-TV on Monday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m. ET. The special, held at the LP Field, featured Kid Rock and many others performing as part of Country’s Night To Rock. The show will also showcase highlights from the festival.
Hour Detroit magazine have chosen Kid Rock as their ‘Detroiter Of The Year’ for keeping his Detroit roots very public and talking about his city with great pride.
The article lists all the ways Rock has given back to his hometown, including his “Made in Detroit” clothing company, his Michigan-made Bad Ass Beer and promotional appearances, like being grand marshal at the Lifelock 400 at the Michigan International Speedway.
To watch a video of Rock talking about his memories of the Palace of Auburn Hills before playing a sold out show there last year, CLICK HERE.
The Houston Press Review The Rock N Rebels Tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock live in Houston, TX 6/30/09
What is this place? Where it’s OK to wear tank tops that cut off mid-abdomen with a pair of Daisy Dukes and a straw cowboy hat? And is that Bret Michaels eating nachos?
A place like this could make any outsider feel like Alice only instead of a wonderland, they may be at a NASCAR championship. Nope, wrong, there are no cars, glasses of milk, or overabundant smell of gasoline - only Bud Light tallboys, bleach blond hair, and lower-back tattoos, but what brings all of this to a quiet, regal (and slightly stick-up-the-ass) neighborhood like the Woodlands?
Well, Lynyrd Skynyrd, of course.
On a night of scorching heat and humidity, it would be easy to assume that no one would want to waste their hard-earned money sitting outdoors; how wrong one can be with assumptions like these. When surveying just the audience under the pavilion, it was easier to find Waldo than an empty seat. When looking at the lawn, it was even worse.
This needs to be said, though: Skynyrd fans may not be the richest or the classiest, but boy do those people know how to party. From the time Skynyrd began their set these fans stood up, danced and shouted until the last chord of “Free Bird” was done.
Honestly, though, there are no words and no need to say what Lynyrd Skynyrd sounded like - as expected, they were top-notch. When a band can sound exactly the way they do on their recordings, they’re worth every penny, heat and humidity or not.
As if things couldn’t get any stranger, a curtain of secrecy is dropped the minute Skynyrd leaves the stage. Who will show up behind it? (Everyone in the audience knows, but it’s nice to pretend.
Suddenly, lights come on and a shadowy figure appears only to be greeted by the sound of a cheering crowd, how lucky for this private person. The song starts, something about a Jesus of Rock n Roll, and the curtain finally drops, and with a burst of flames the audience is greeted by Kid Rock, the new-school badass from Detroit himself.
Taking a page out of the book of showmanship, this guy can dance, sing and even strut like a muthafucka. If the Woodlands didn’t have an 11pm cutoff, there’s no doubt that Rock and his fans could’ve danced, drank, and partied all night together.
KID ROCK AND DRINKS AMERICAS ANNOUNCE “AMERICAN BADASS BEER COMPANY™” TO BE BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY
AMERICAN BADASS BEER™ WILL BE LAUNCHED AT KID ROCK’S JULY 17-18TH WEEKEND SHOWS AT COMERICA PARK
Drinks Americas Holdings, Ltd. (OTC BB: DKAM) (“Drinks Americas” or the “Company”) announced today that on July 4th it will commence brewing and filling kegs for the launch of Kid Rock’s “AMERICAN BADASS BEER COMPANY™”. Kid Rock plans to launch kegs of his new American style lager at Detroit’s Comerica Park in time for concert dates July 17th and 18th. AMERICAN BADASS BEER™ will be available at kiosks within the park during the concerts and rolling out in Michigan in the coming weeks followed by a number of Midwest market openings.
J. Patrick Kenny, CEO of Drinks Americas, said, “We are very excited about the launch date, the beer and all the work that has been put into making Kid Rock’s AMERICAN BADASS BEER™ a success. Based on orders alone we are off to a very good start. We will let the beer speak for itself as people begin to taste this great product.”
Uncle Kracker will be opening for Kid Rock in Syracuse, NY at the NY State Fair on Saturday, September 5th at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now and range between $45 to $50. To purchase them via ticketmaster, CLICK HERE.
Rolling Stone Review The Rock & Rebels tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock live in Tampa, FL 6/27/09
About halfway through his set at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida, Friday night, Kid Rock saluted the Twisted Brown Trucker Band, the 10 excellent musicians backing him. “There’s no Pro Tools, no tapes, no trickery,” the man born Robert James Ritchie to a suburban Detroit auto dealer said. “This ain’t no American Idol bullshit; this is some American badass shit.”
It’s true: Kid’s band, anchored by dynamo orange-’froed drummer Stephanie Eulinberg, kept the opening night of the Rock and Rebels tour on high musical ground, rather than plummeting into parody. Was it nice to see a live concert that really felt live? Yeah, Auto-Tune is destroying music (arguably). Does that make Kid Rock more authentic — let alone badass — than Carrie Underwood? Ladies and gentlemen, Kid Rock is an entertainer. He’s got a lot more PT Barnum than Bob Dylan in him. But he puts on a solid show.
Kid took the stage silhouetted against a white sheet. Stooped over with his long hair hanging out of his trademark bowler, he looked not unlike the old cartoon hillbilly character that had played on the video screen behind Lynyrd Skynyrd about a half-hour earlier. Make no mistake: Ritchie is playing a character. He launched his career by being a white rapper from the Motor City while Marshall Mathers was still in puberty. But a few years ago, he began emphasizing the rock side of his rock-rap hybrid, and by the time he was singing “Sweet Home Alabama” on his ‘08 hit “All Summer Long,” Kid was embracing his backwoods FM radio-rock roots.
Kid played all the hits: “Cat Scratch Fever,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Everyday People.” He played his own songs, too — “Bawitdaba,” “Rock N Roll Jesus,” “Cowboy.” The funniest part of the evening was when he took a turn behind the turntables, scratching nimbly with one hand while pouring himself a shot of Jim Beam with the other. He also played piano, drums and guitar.
Lynyrd Skynyrd have been playing without Auto-Tune for a few decades now — and it showed when singer Jonny Van Zant warbled off pitch and pianist Peter “Keys” Pisarczyk (replacing Billy Powell, who died in January) stumbled over the keys in their final song, which was, of course (shout it!), “Free Bird.” Skynyrd, like Rock, paid tribute to troops overseas and the USA. Like Rock, they also flashed the Confederate Flag — a “rebel” insignia — around. It was not a stylistic statement echoed by the audience in any numbers.
Being a rebel, of course, is an iconic pop music pose. Skynyrd’s songs celebrate being alone and staying the same. That’s the myth of the cowboy/road warrior that they cling to, like change you can’t believe in. Kid Rock’s stance is slightly more evolved. He acts like a womanizing, anti-intellectual drunkard, but in a funny duet with Eulinberg, he also made fun of just what a silly character that is.
Kid played almost an hour and 45 minutes, with no encore. He and Skynyrd never shared the stage, not even during “All Summer Long.” Having already toured together last year, maybe the two generation of long-haired rockers no longer need to high-five.
Kid Rock’s Set List
“Rock N Roll Jesus”
“Son of Detroit”
“Tumbling Dice”
“You Never Met a Motherfucker Quite Like Me”
“Devil Without a Cause”
“Lowlife (Livin’ the Highlife)”
“Keep Your Hands to Yourself”
“Cocky”
“All Summer Long”
“Amen”
“Rock N Roll Pain Train”
“Everyday People”
“Cowboy”
“Blue Jeans and a Rosary”
“One More Time”
“Half Your Age”
“I Am the Bullgod”
“Picture”
“My Name Is Rock”
“So Hott”
“Bawitdaba”
Orlando Sentinel’s Review Of Lynyrd Skynyrd & Kid Rock Live At The Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL 6/27/09:
Kid Rock could be the biggest star in country music.
He could be a rapper. Or a rock ‘n’ roller.
Or, as the guy proved in a flashy, free-wheeling 100-minute set on Saturday at the Ford Amphitheatre, he could just do it all. One of the songs on his latest album, “Lowlife,” also would describe Bob Ritchie’s musical approach. The guy shamelessly borrows from everyone, which doesn’t make his music revolutionary. It just makes it fun.
On Saturday, Kid Rock’s hybrid of rock, rap and twang was bolstered by plenty of special effects. The opening “Rock N Roll Jesus” opened with the singer as a giant silhouette behind a mammoth white curtain. When it was removed, the chunky, chugging rhythms were accented by pyro, fireworks and enough spots and strobes to illuminate a small airfield.
Oh, and don’t forget the giant American flag in the background. A lot of acts would use such diversions to compensate for minimal musicianship, but Rock and his 9-piece band were tight and proud of it.
“There’s no tape recorders on stage,” Rock bragged at one point, tapping on his mic with his hand. “This microphone is actually on.”
The man’s mission statement was presented early on. “Son of Detroit” was a laundry list of his influences, from ZZ Top to Run-D.M.C. and Merle Haggard. Lots of old rock and R&B chestnuts were scattered throughout the show.
He tucked a blast of the Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” into “Lowlife,” delivered a dead-on “Tumblin’ Dice” and a bit of Sly & the Family Stone’s “Everyday People.” The Dukes of Hazzard theme found its way into “Cowboy.”
Of course, “All Summer Long” was the mother of all classic-rock combos, mashing together a whiff of “Werewolves of London” and “Sweet Home Alabama” together into a shameless dose of nostalgia.
That “Sweet Home Alabama” guitar riff has plenty of exposure with Lynyrd Skynyrd in the opening slot. The band’s 75 minutes was a revelation that exceeded expectations. With only three key members with deep connections to the band’s roots, the current incarnation of Skynyrd could be dismissed by cynics as perilously close to a tribute band.
Not so. Singer Johnny Van Zant and guitarists Gary Rossington and Rickey Medlocke still deliver with passion and energy. The band showcased a song from the upcoming God n Guns album, but the focus was wisely on old favorites: “Gimme Three Steps,” What’s Your Name?” “That Smell,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and, of course, “Free Bird.”
The latter became a memorial, with names and images of dead and departed band members on the video screen. It’s a big list, made longer by the recent deaths of keyboardist Billy Powell and bassist Ean Evans.
If these guys are tired of playing the oldies, they don’t show it. Like Kid Rock, they looked like they were having fun.
Obviously it has been more than a minute since you dropped Seventy Two and Sunny back in ‘04. There were rumblings of this new record, Happy Hour, being done a year ago. Why wait to release it until ‘09?
I wrote a record and completed it three years ago … completely done and turned in. I had long enough to sit on it that I reneged. I got to the point where I was feeling like music had, in general, changed so much. It got to the point where I felt like it wasn’t my right record. So I basically trashed the album and started over last year. I sat on it for six, seven months and started writing in January, so it took about a year to write and record.
Did anything come from that first record and make it to Happy Hour?
There is one song I kept [on] the album and it’s a ballad, and it’s only ’cause I think it’s so pretty. It’s called “I’m Not Leaving.” That was the one song that we kept. I actually kept the title as well, Happy Hour.
Is there a specific moment you can point to where you transitioned out of writing raps and started to focus more on stuff like “I’m Not Leaving?”
There was a point when Kid Rock and I would go into the studio, just me and him, and he’d make a beat and I’d say, “Oh, I want that,” and he’d let me have it. I would go in and record a song and I’d only have my raps written. I wouldn’t have a chorus and he’d be like, “You have no chorus.” It spooked me. He was like a bigger brother to me and his words spoke to me to the point that I wouldn’t start a song unless I had a chorus. That really clinched it for me … it was a lot easier and more fun to write songs like the ones I do now.
Your style of mid-tempo/multi-genre music has been with you since your debut. Did you want to change that at all on the new record? Did that play into the delay of Happy Hour?
It really was the state of my music. A lot of my songs have been ballads and mid-tempo, throwbacky-type stuff, easy going, which is me and that’s in my DNA. But I wanted some up-tempo stuff because my live shows were suffering … there were just no up-tempo songs.
You really have dominated in that vein of music in the past couple of years, so it’s interesting to hear that you wanted to change it up.
Right. Everything around me changed … my kids are older and even my mom said, “I can’t dance to your records.” Not that my goal is to make my mom dance to my records, but I guess in a weird sort of way I want my mom to dance to my records … I want my kids to dance to my records. I really just wanted it to be something you could pop on in your car and smile about [laughs].
With the release of Happy Hour on the way, Uncle Kracker gave Real Detroit Weekly an early preview of the album by breaking it down track by track. Read what he had to say below about the nine songs that currently make up the tracklisting of his fourth solo effort.
“Smile”
It’s just the feel-good song of the year. It’s so positive, and I hate that word, but I’ve probably used it eight times today talking about that song.
“I’m Not Leaving”
It’s just about being so far in the dumps, but you’re not prepared to leave things the way they are, whether it be a relationship or something like that.
“My Girlfriend”
“My Girlfriend” should have been called “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend.” It’s about my girlfriend having a girlfriend and how it used to be cool and now it’s not so much anymore.
“Corner Bar”
I wrote that with Tino from Howling Diablos in his basement right before I went to California, and I played it for Rob Cavallo and he was like, “Oh, let’s record that song.” That is my only crack at really talking about the state of the world. We put a fun twist on it like, “You can take my house / You can take my car / But I’m keeping my seat / At the corner bar.”
“Another Love Song”
I really just ask, “Does the world need another love song?” It started out as, “Does the world need another pop song?” and I was just kind of poking fun … I think it made it a better song because it took it from a fun little business thing to the point of being an actual song.
“Me Again”
It’s a duet with this girl Jessie Lee. It’s fucking badass.
“Easy Come Easy Go”
Features Ty Stone.
“Main Street”
It’s actually a Bob Seger song. I redid it and I think Seger is going to sing on it. Hopefully … you never know. He’s my fucking favorite of all time, so if he does it would just rule and I could die at that point.
“I Hate California”
I love the word “California” in any song I hear it in. I think it’s because of the syllables, but I think it’s just awesome anytime I hear it. But everyone always puts California up like it’s the final destination. “I Hate California” is about a chick that loves California and ever since she went to California, I hate it.
“Good To Be Me”
Probably one of the most laidback songs on the record. “Good to be Me,” in a nutshell, is my DNA.
Newly signed Atlantic Records recording artist, Jonathan Tyler and his band The Northern Lights will be making their big shed debut this Friday opening for Kid Rock in West Palm Beach, FL. For more on Jonathan Tyler and his music, CLICK HERE.
Everyone’s favorite Uncle will be among the many headlining artists performing at this years Stars & Stripes music festival held at the downtown area of Mt. Clemens, MI this weekend. The festival is free to attend and features something for everyone including a Family Fun Zone which a petting zoo, bungee trampolines, a rock wall, carnival rides, motorcycle and bicycle stunt performances and much more.
For directions and info, click on the Stars & Stripes poster below:
Kid Rock will be returning to Boyne Mountain, MI on Saturday, August 15. Tickets to the show are $45 each and go on sale this Saturday, June 27 at 10 am. You can purchase tickets from Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
‘ClickOnDetroit’ are giving you and a guest the chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to see Kid Rock live at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI. The package includes: special reserved seating, a limited edition engraved baseball bat, a Kid Rock bobblehead, VIP Laminate, plus a BBQ including food and drinks.
To enter the contest and be part of the hottest concert of the summer, CLICK HERE.
Zimbio, the online interactive magazine have added new pics of Kid Rock’s recent appearances including the CMT Music Awards and the CMA Music Festival shows. To check them out, CLICK HERE.
Just a reminder that Uncle Kracker’s new single “Smile” off his ‘Happy Hour’ studio album is available for download at a low cost of just $0.99. The album is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, September 15th under the Top Dog/Atlantic Records music label. To buy the song, CLICK HERE.
Kid Rock has shifted gears on his next album, hooking up with producer Rick Rubin and telling Billboard.com that “we won’t release anything until we both agree that every song on it is great.”
Rock had previously fast-tracked the record and predicted having it out in the fourth quarter of this year, with a single possibly dropping this summer. But after the double-platinum showing of 2007’s “Rock N Roll Jesus” and the chart-topping success of the single “All Summer Long,” Rock says he’s anxious to maintain that momentum with what he does next.
“It’s hard to follow big records with another big record,” he notes. “I had most of (the next album) in the stages where I could go in and finish it up. Then Rick said, ‘I look at these like demos, and we should go back in with the right players and re-cut everything…To really solidify into the big leagues, I think we have to do it this way.’ And I was like, ‘I’m open to anything.’”
Rock says he has 18-20 songs ready for the album that he and Rubin will discuss and “prioritize” during the coming week, while Rock and his Twisted Brown Trucker Band are in Florida preparing for their summer tour. “Right now we’re just looking at where the record is and what’s gonna round out the record,” he explains. “Do we need a big record? Do we need this or that?’ I think we’ve got everything; it’s just a matter of zeroing in on it now.”
Rock says he will have a small recording rig on the road with him in order to fine-tune any of the existing songs or write new material. He and Rubin will also be eyeballing potential studio time and might even “go rent a cool place somewhere and set up there for two or three weeks.”
“It’s kind of weird,” Rock notes, “’cause I’ve never written a record and then gone into the studio. I’ve always written the record as I’ve been in the studio.”
Fans might get a chance to hear some of the new material at shows this summer, too. Rock says he plans to have Twisted Brown Trucker rehearse the songs at sound checks and have them ready to insert into the shows.
“There’s so many things you can learn from going out and playing your record live, things you might’ve done differently,” explains Rock, who starts the tour Friday in West Palm Beach, Fla., and will play a two-night stand July 17-18 at Detroit’s Comerica Park baseball stadium. “So we’re going to at least start playing them all in sound check and screwing around with them every day. If nothing else, at least when we go into the studio we’ll have a feel for playing these songs live.”
Detroit News reports that additional tickets for Kid Rock’s pair of Comerica Park concerts go on sale at 5 p.m. today.
The new tickets include sections that were previously blocked off due to stage design, and include $46.50 lower deck seats and $30 upper deck seats. A limited number of $99 six-packs will also be available.
Tickets will be available at tickets.com, OlympiaEntertainment.com, the Comerica Park Box Office or select Meijer stores or by phone at (866) 66-TIGER (84437).
Rock’s July 17 and July 18 Comerica Park concerts mark the biggest local concerts of the Detroit rocker’s career.
Nashville, TN (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) - Top Dog/Atlantic recording artist Uncle Kracker has announced the forthcoming release of his eagerly anticipated new album, “HAPPY HOUR.” The Detroit-based singer/songwriter’s 12-song collection arrives in stores and at all digital retailers on September 15th.
“HAPPY HOUR” is being preceded by the first single, “Smile.” The track landed at Hot AC radio outlets nationwide on June 16th, while a companion music video is currently in pre-production, with plans to shoot in the Motor City later this month.
“Smile” made its premiere last week with an exclusive stream on Entertainment Weekly’s music website, The Music Mix (http://music-mix.ew.com), and can now be heard on his official website, www.UncleKracker.com.
Produced by multiple Grammy Award-winner Rob Cavallo (Kid Rock, Green Day, Paramore), “HAPPY HOUR” sees Uncle Kracker continuing to craft his idiosyncratic blend of country-flavored pop and rock ‘n’ roll. Although initially known for his role as DJ in Kid Rock’s legendary Twisted Brown Trucker band, Uncle Kracker has also played a significant role as Kid Rock’s songwriting collaborator, with co-writing credits on such blockbuster hits as “Bawitdaba,” “Cowboy,” “Forever,” “Only God Knows Why,” and 2008’s No 1 classic, “All Summer Long.”
‘HAPPY HOUR’ is undoubtedly sonically his best record, and I also think it’s his best written record,” said Kid Rock about his best friend’s new album and latest release on his Top Dog imprint. “And it should be, ‘cuz he’s had like 4 or 5 f*cking years to write it.”
