The Detroit badass worked the stage like a seasoned pro in his black fedora, making frequent trips to the center of the crowd on the catwalk during his one-hour opening set. Backed by his longtime Twisted Brown Trucker Band, Rock reveled in stadium bliss, mixing his biggest rockers with guilty-pleasure covers, and even taking a shot at LeBron James, saying, "We know what it's like to play for your hometown crowd unlike certain basketball players." His Aerosmith-esque rocker "Lowlife (Living the Highlife)" sounded at right at home alongside a cover the Georgia Satellites' Eighties boogie "Keep Your Hands to Yourself." His backup singers gave extra muscle to a joyous take on Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People."
During "My Name Is Rock," the singer made the rounds onstage, playing almost every instrument. He also took a moment to show off his flashy DJ skills, manipulating the turntables with his elbows and flipping the bird while a stagehand poured him a massive shot of Jim Beam and lit his stogie. He sat down at the piano for a cover of Jamey Johnson's "You Should Have Seen it in Color," and called the country hit "one of the best songs written in the last 10 years." He teased the crowd with a piano ballad version of "Cowboy" but then hopped up, ran onto the catwalk and kicked into the rap-rock staple. After the three-chord Lynyrd Skynyrd/Warren Zevon mashup "All Summer Long," Rock told the crowd, "This ain't no Britney Spears bullshit."
Photo Credit: BonJovi.com
REVIEW SOURCE: RollingStone
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