A Thousand Horses opening for Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Swee Tea Trio opening for Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Kid Rock
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Trucker hats, cowboy boots, and camouflage Waffle House T-shirts took over Bridgestone Arena for Friday night’s show. Kid Rock was in town and kicking off his latest tour in Music City, so you couldn’t expect anything less.
Female country up-and-comers Sweet Tea Trio opened the night with a great set of up-beat tunes. The three young ladies – Victoria Camp, Savannah Coker, and Kate Falcon – owned the stage and have been making waves in the country music scene. Nashville-based A Thousand Horses played the second opening spot with a wilder and more rocking set to lead up to the night’s main attraction.
The Detroit-native, who made a household name for himself in the rap and hip hop genres during the 90s, has developed a strong country and rock flare over the years, garnering him fans and success across all genres. Kid Rock’s country fan base has certainly continued to grow as he has become more politically outspoken in regards to many conservative sentiments. That coupled with the fact that Kid Rock is a part-time resident of Tennessee made Nashville the perfect place to start his “Greatest Show on Earth” tour. It’s also were he recorded his latest album.
Kid Rock’s following is strong and dedicated, and that was evident Friday night with the large number of fans in attendance. His eleventh studio album, Sweet Southern Sugar, was released in November and has been responsible for several popular singles already, one of which is the title track of the tour. Fans were able to purchase the latest album throughout the arena as part of a charity drive partnership with the Shriners Hospitals. For only $10, you could get the album and be entered for a chance to win an autographed Kid Rock guitar that was given away at the end of the show.
So how might one put on the “Greatest Show on Earth?” Well, if you’re Kid Rock you want to start with pyrotechnics, scantily-clad dancers, and of course a strong and unapologetic pride in “‘Merica.”
While Kid Rock isn’t actually running for political office, at least not yet, he addressed the packed arena from behind a podium with a “United States of ‘Merica” seal after his intro song. The political speech was issued before a massive Kid Rock 2018 U.S. Senate campaign poster and accompanied with high-energy rock’n roll delivery that set the course for the rest of the night.
Kid Rock gave it all on the opening night of the tour as he sampled his genre-hoping catalog for the screaming fans. It was a little country, rock, hip hop, and a ton of energy.
The 21-stop tour will march strongly across the U.S. and conclude with a Las Vegas show on March 24. The full tour schedule is below:
Jan. 19 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Jan. 20 Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
Jan. 25 Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theatre
Jan. 26 Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theatre
Jan. 27 Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theatre
Feb. 2 Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
Feb. 3 Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Feb. 9 Atlanta, GA – Infinite Energy Arena
Feb. 10 Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Feb. 16 Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
Feb. 17 Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
Feb. 23 Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Feb. 24 Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
Mar. 2 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Mar. 3 Baltimore, MD – Royal Farms Arena
Mar. 9 Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Mar. 10 Nassau, NY – NYCB Live
Mar. 16 Chicago, IL – United Center
Mar. 17 Omaha, NE – CenturyLink Center
Mar. 20 Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
Mar. 23 Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Arena
Mar. 24 Las Vegas, NV – Mandalay Bay Events Center