Monday, February 26, 2001
Kid Rock show wrapped around Hank Jr. moments
By Chris Varias
Enquirer contributor
Rappers love multiple aliases, so let's give Kid Rock another one: MC Bocephus.
Kid Rock, a rock 'n' rap ruler who has a soft spot for country music, put on an entertaining two-hour show at the Firstar Center Friday night filled with several Hank Williams Jr.-type moments.
The lively set focused on material from his 1998 breakthrough album Devil Without A Cause, but when he wasn't playing those songs Bocephus often became his muse.
His performance during 3 Sheets to the Wind (What's My Name?) was pure Hank Jr. He shot around the stage, running from musician to musician, borrowing a guitar, then keyboards, then turntables, then drums, for a go on each. Barring the turntables, we've seen Hank do the same thing. On guitar he played the riffs of ZZ Top's ""La Grange and Aerosmith's ""Walk This Way, snippets without which, no Hank show is complete. Later he played a little of Lynyrd Skynyrd's ""Sweet Home Alabama, another Hank favorite.
Kid Rock and his DJ, Uncle Kracker, sang a song called ""Heaven, which borrowed lyrics and melody from Hank's ""If Heaven Ain't A Lot Like Dixie.
The most striking Hank moment was when Kid cleared the stage for a solo acoustic-guitar blues describing life in the U.S.A. with a President Kid Rock. Drugs would be consumed aboard Air Force One. An executive order would turn churches into strip clubs. And, of course, the workin' man would get more pay. He even mixed in a Monday Night Football reference. All he was missing was the beer belly and the goofy beard.
Even with all the Hank-isms, it was a varied set, and it moved along well. From hard-hitting rap-metal numbers like ""American Bad Ass and ""Bawitdaba, to a merging of Fleetwood Mac's ""Second Hand News with his own ""Wasting Time, to the duet with show-opener David Allan Coe on Steve Goodman and John Prine's ""You Never Even Called Me By My Name, to the image of Kid's deceased sidekick Joe C. on the video screen, there was plenty worth remembering.
And just to square the deal there was intellectual property Hank could borrow for his act, beginning with the utilization of four on-stage go-go dancers shaking the night away to the beat of the hillbilly boogie.
Chat about Cincinnati Diet Wednesday
Circus' cat woman
Fitness expert focuses on hands
Fit Bits
Secret sign of love turns women into true sisters
Ask A Stupid Question
Get to It
Camp guide coming online
Kid Rock show wrapped around Hank Jr. moments