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Kid Rock revs up for a blockbuster two-night stand at Comerica Park
BY BRIAN McCOLLUM • FREE PRESS POP MUSIC WRITER • July 16, 2009

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For Detroit's rock audience, they don't come much bigger than this.

When Kid Rock walks onto the Comerica Park stage at about 9:15 p.m. Friday night, greeted by the roar of 38,000 hometown fans, he'll also be stepping into the annals of hometown music lore. Rock's two-night stand at the downtown stadium isn't just the latest high point in his storied career. It's a signature moment for Detroit rock.

In the region that still knows him as Bobby Ritchie, it's a feather in the cap for both Rock and the fans who have faithfully followed his evolution into one of the most heralded showmen in popular music -- the Detroit ambassador with the electrifying show. These dates, his first headlining stadium gigs in Detroit, culminate a tight, enduring relationship.
"It just made sense," says Rock, who's found himself in a reflective mood with the weekend approaching. "With all the steps we've taken, from the small clubs, to the Palace, the shows at Pine Knob, all the things we've done, it felt like it was finally the right time."

This weekend's stand is the most notable hometown concert event since Eminem's Ford Field shows in 2003. That two-night run caught the rapper at the crest of his explosive career, a shining moment amid his meteoric rise.
Kid Rock's Comerica Park triumph comes with a different sort of context. It's part of a lengthy, steady climb for the Romeo-born musician, who has tapped a seemingly endless well of hometown interest since his first local headlining gig 20 years ago at the Majestic Theatre.

Rock has played to plenty of big crowds during his career, including festival gigs like last summer's Rock im Park event in Germany, with its audience of 65,000. And with a new Rick Rubin-produced album coming down the pike, he's already talking about a national stadium run for summer 2010. But when it comes to meaningful dates, nothing quite measures up to this Comerica Park two-fer, says Rock.

With bombers flying overhead and street parties leading up to both shows -- which include openers Lynyrd Skynyrd (Friday) and Cypress Hill (Saturday) -- a blockbuster aura will accompany the proceedings. Onstage, with a crew filming for a possible DVD, Rock's sets with his Twisted Brown Trucker band won't stray far from the tried and true.

"The body of it is going to be pretty similar. You never want to go too far left and (screw) things up," he says. "This is special, so the sound and lights have been beefed up, there are new effects, a new song I'm writing for the encore. But mostly it's the spirit and the vibe that will make it incredible."

Patrick Papalas of Brownstown Township didn't need any convincing. When Friday's show was announced in April, the 45-year-old industrial painter and his wife immediately kicked into action, spending hundreds of dollars for high-end seats.
It will be his 10th Kid Rock concert.

"He always comes back to where he's from and does an unbelievable show," says Papalas. "The people here just love him, and they love him because he is who he is. He doesn't have a façade going on. He's Bobby from Detroit and he loves it. That's his connection with people -- that he's so real."

Papalas opted to go big, but not every Comerica Park concertgoer had to. Rock reprised a concept he rolled out last year -- one that's been nicked by other touring artists -- to offer a budget package deal: six upper-deck seats for $99. That's precisely the sort of move that helps endear Rock to his hometown, says Papalas. "It's a big deal, especially for this city right now," says Papalas. "There are a lot of people out of work, and seeing his show just kind of gives you that hope."

Dave Clark of promoter Live Nation has watched from the front lines as Rock's hometown legend has grown. Talk of a Detroit stadium gig had bubbled behind the scenes for several years, spurred by Rock's knack for selling out multiple nights at area arenas and amphitheaters.

"It seems like no matter how many times he plays, the fans not only come back, the base continues to grow," says Clark. "It's almost like a badge of honor to say how many Kid Rock shows you've been to."

"I've heard that for 20 years now," Rock says with pride. "It's really been word of mouth. To build something like this, to give people a great show -- I've worked hard at that. I've gotten consistently better. I can feel it when I'm onstage, whether it's my singing, the band, the production, the song selection.

"But as much as I'd like to think it's about the music, I know it's about everything. We've always treated our people right, always been fair with ticket prices."

On a Saturday morning in April, Clark watched with little surprise as tickets for Rock's first Comerica Park show sold out in about 27 minutes. Three weeks later, amid online fan petitions to add a second night, Rock and Live Nation did just that.

It's all enough to prompt a moment of modesty from the artist best known as a hotshot, who describes the weekend as a way to celebrate "with the people I love most, who I know care about me."

"The whole thing really feels bigger than me," he says. "And you know me -- when I step onstage as Kid Rock, there's nothing bigger than me.

"But with the times right now, it feels like it's about something more than just myself. It's about this city, this area. We need an escape, and this is a way to celebrate something good, something fun. I'm being very vocal about that."

Contact BRIAN McCOLLUM: 313-223-4450 or [e-mail]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090716/ENT04/907160306/1035/ENT