Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow Concert Review

I am now and always have been a fanatic about going to rock concerts. I especially love the outdoor concerts in the summer at The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The venue is only about 15 minutes from my home and it has convenient access to and from the theater.

Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow were hot like fire and burned it down at Verizon last Saturday night. The concert started at 7p.m. It was ninety degrees and the humidity was tangent and heavy in the air. I had the pleasure of seeing Kid Rock in concert at the same venue last year but I had never seen Sheryl Crow perform so I was elated to get good tickets.

Entering the parking lot were thick, double lanes of Harley Motorcycles, pick ‘em up trucks, pimp mobiles, party busses, taxis and foot traffic. People were patient – laughing, base heavy music was thumping, shouting and hooting St. Louis style. The crowd was energized in anticipation of a good show.

People from all walks of life gathered in clusters across the lawn and several lines to enter the grounds spilled out onto the parking lot. The "in" fashion for the young ladies was short cowgirl style boots and even shorter shorts with an occasional cowboy hat added to the ensemble. A few of the ladies chucked it all and wore bikinis. I couldn’t help noticing that these are gentlewomen that usually should not be wearing a bikini in public. I will give extra points to the elderly female who wore the star spangled bikini – she did have the decency to wear matching terry cloth shorts.

I was frisked and molested and allowed to enter the park. I have seriously had dates with less contact and this guy didn’t even ask for my number. This show better be good, I thought. Two paved roads leading off to each side encompass the outdoor theater. It is set up very similar to a baseball diamond with the Stage at home plate. The floor area is covered with awnings and a small paved walkway divides the lawn section which spreads out – painted green grass from 2^nd and 3^rd bases back to the wall of chain link fence. There are several large screens that display the live show for a better view to the lawn sections.

I prefer to sit as close to the stage as possible. I know people that say they wouldn’t go to a concert unless they can sit in the front section. I am not that picky, I guess I’d rather have a ticket than no ticket. I have seen many concerts from the lawn but if it rains it’s a mess so I try to at least sit under the awnings.

Mandy and I headed to a beer stand for a ten-dollar beer and hurried to our seats. Since we were on the floor level we had to go through two more checkpoints. Our seats were 17 rows from center stage. It sounds like it is far from the stage but in this particular design it is very close and I had an awesome view of the entire stage.

Sheryl Crow was spectacular, glittering in a silver and gold spaghetti strapped shirt and belled blue jeans. She looked gorgeous and she delivered. Crow sang several of her greats such as, A Change Will Do You Good; There goes the neighborhood and Favorite Mistake in stereo quality. Everyone in the audience was a singer! It is one of the best things ever – to be in the center of a crowd – my favorite celebrity musicians singing my favorite songs while everyone loses their inhibitions for a little while.

Crow, a native of Missouri joked about having been a teacher here. She was born in Kennett, Missouri on February 11, 1962. Crow, singer and songwriter, has won 9 Grammy awards and her music style is a mix of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop. She dazzled the crowd with her charisma, talent and beauty. Despite the heat she didn’t disappoint and she definitely set the mood and boosted the crowds excitement for Kid Rock’s opener.

Crow ended her set and there was a short intermission while the stage was set up for Kid Rock. The sun was setting; the crowd was intoxicated and gearing up for the rest of the show. Mandy and I got another beer and met up with a group of friends who were enjoying the concert on a blanket on the lawn. They had the Presidential Suite at Ameristar Casino for the weekend and had decided to jump in a taxi and come to see the show. "The Plan" was to meet up with them at the casino after the show.

We hung out there for a while, laughing and trading stories about the sights we had seen thus far. One of the cool things about Verizon is that there are always plenty of interesting things going on with such eclectic groups of people. There was the gent who was leading his girlfriend around by her long and apparently strong ponytail, people in all styles and stages of dress and alcohol. Now if that doesn’t spell good times, I don’t know what does!

Suddenly, the crowd hissed so we knew that Kid Rock was about to make good on our tickets. Mandy and I headed to our chairs and decided we’d like to be a little closer. We starting moving up a couple of rows at a time - we probably couldn’t have been more inconspicuous if we had used fallen brush for cover. I admit it, we looked for cute guys with empty chairs knowing in advance they would let us sit next to them if we asked real nice. Shameless? Yes, indeed, but we ended up in the 3^rd row, cameras in hand.

Kid Rock was born Robert James Ritchie on January 17, 1971 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He started his career break dancing and spinning records. Rock is multi-talented. He is a singer, songwriter, dancer and actor with music from several genres. He has done hip-hop, rap, country rock, southern rock and rap metal. He was well known for his marriage to Pamela Anderson and bad boy reputation but his talent keeps him in the public eye.

The curtain was raised as the cloak of darkness fell and Kid Rock was center stage. He dressed in his usual good ‘ole boy blue jeans and T-shirt. The crowd grew and it was static! The scent of peace and love rose in plume clouds. The theater was packed with standing room only on the lawn. Lighters and cell phones flickered and blinked like the Milky Way – evidence of the massive gathering.

Kid Rock has had 5 Grammy Award nominations and "Picture" a duet with Sheryl Crow went Gold as a single. Kid Rock was a powerhouse and used the stage as his playground while he impressed the masses with his combination of dance and great songs. His energy was unbelievable considering the heat. He sang favorites like Cowboy, Sweet Home Alabama and Bawitadaba.

The light show was spectacular and it was no surprise that Rock used some pyrotechnics to send flame torches shooting from the floor of the stage intermittently. The flames also sent shock waves of intense heat that felt like flash burn. It felt like my eyebrows and lashes had been singed so another ten dollar beer was a must!

Sheryl Crow returned to the stage to much applause and they sang "Picture," while images flashed on the big screen behind them. The chemistry between them incited the fans and the atmosphere sparked as they performed a perfect duet. Rock also performed Born Free as an encore.

Mandy and I left as the stage went dark, empty beers and shoes in hand. The masses, encouraged by security, disbursed onto the parking lots. Groups climbed into their cars or back onto their bikes – everyone making their plans on where to meet next while we sat on a concrete block. Too drunk to gamble we called Dave to ask him to pick us up. We both agreed that it was an awesome concert and well worth the price of the ticket. If you get a chance to see the show - don't miss it! It was unforgettable.

It was an excellent night and we laughed and joked with people as they walked past while we planned the next great concert.

"If it looks good, you'll see it. If it sounds good, you'll hear it. If it's marketed right, you'll buy it. But....if it's real, you'll feel it." Kid Rock