KID ROCK AT THE VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHITHEATER 7/30/11

Kid Rock came back to southern California on Saturday night with one intention. To blow everyone away with his spectacular stage show performance and fist pumping ferocity that we all love to indulge in. This is the 4th time I have seen him. And, I do have to say that this was the finest show I have seen.

Arriving at the venue was a breeze. The parking was free, and the line to get in was not excruciatingly long. By no time we (my better half & I, Carol) were inside munching on a chicken terriaki/bar-be-que bowl (no vegetables, please!) and washing it down with plenty of Shock Top draft. Yum!

It had been awhile since I have been to the old "Irvine Meadows", so I was pleasantly surprised that there was a good variety of eats and a good variety of drink choices. Although no Patron tequila. That really was a good thing! The place seemed to fill up rather steadily while the 1st band came on. They were a 3 piece rocking southern style band by the name of so and so and The Messengers. The drummer was kick ass on the double bass and very lively!

It hadn't been too long into the intermission when a gal with her boyfriend started to puke into the adjacent seat. Man, talk about blowing your wad! They split and the ushers were left with the clean-up.

Sheryl Crow came on and gave a fantastic set. She looked as polished and tight as ever. Her tune, "all I wanna do, is have some fun" was perfect for this crowd to start getting warmed up with. The lawn was rocking and where we sat, in lower lodge, it was just grooving! I knew that when her set ended, we would not be seeing the last of her tonight.

The sun had completely gone down by the time our main attraction turned down the house lights at 10 mins to 9 pm. The 6-5 minute or so video montage of the life of Kid was pretty entertaining and allowed for people to make the final push to the restrooms and beer line.

The Kid tore through "American Bad Ass" and perfectly joined together a new tune, "God Bless Saturday". I was super bummed that I missed to capture this song on video. Damn toggle button! "Slow my Roll" was another great song off the current release followed by an awesome rendition of Allman Bros. "Midnight Rider" segueing into "Cowboy". This one of the many highlights!

The stage show was so over the top! Big ass Steer head and giant horns stretching along the drum riser and a killer looking Jim Beam bar right behind center stage. The lighting, pyrotechnics and lasers were just outta this world. The sound where we were positioned was rather good. Outdoor venues can be tricky but, V.W.A seemed to iron out those old creaks from long ago.

About half way through the show, the place got that smell of beer-sweat, puke & weed. The ladies were beginning to look scarier than the guys! Yup, this is what a full tilt boogie rock show brings out. Yes, good times!

I was surprised to enjoy the song, "Sugar" even more than I already had. The hilarious "Forty" just got the crowd feeling fine! This was a perfect example of an artist that can turn the already great songs into something more than a live treat and performing new ones with unique style and approach, while keeping you guessing and wanting more.

Sheryl Crow returned for 2 awesome performances, one being Crosby Stills & Nash's "Love the one your with" and of course "Picture". The super sing-a-long, "All summer long" was the beginning of the end of this incredible evening. "Born Free" (Title track off the current disk) capped the night off with an enthusiastic and patriotic exuberance.

All in all, Kid Rock clocked in at about 2 hours and 10 minutes. People all around were wanting more, including me. Every time I see this guy, I am already thinking how, where and when I am going to go check him out again.

I have to give a big thanks to my lovely wife for venturing out on this killer night! She loves him, I am okay with that! I definitely recommend the VIP parking for $20. Free parking just causes you to wait about an hour to squeeze out of the lot. Also, I should recommend staying close the amphitheater if you plan having adult beverages and/or driving over an hour to see a show here. The Candlewood Suites was a quiet, clean and affordable place to stay.

Thank you Lorn for giving me the chance to do this!

Set List:

American Bad Ass

God Bless Saturday

You Never Met A Motherfucker Quite Like Me

Lowlife / Keep Your Hands to Yourself

Cocky

Slow My Roll

Midnight Rider / Cowboy

Care

Somebody's Gotta Feel This / Fist Of Rage / I Am The Bullgod / Forever

Sugar

Flyin' High

Forty

Love The One You're With

(with Sheryl Crow)

Picture

(with Sheryl Crow)

Instrument Jam / La Grange / Cat Scratch Fever

So Hott

Bawitdaba

Encore:

All Summer Long

Born Free

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiiLr0_MBuQ