Kid Rock is bringing back the $20 ticket for his Cheap Date tour, which had a show at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre (my favorite southern California concert venue) last Thursday night. I’m also a Foreigner fan and, since they were opening for Kid Rock, I would be crazy to not get tickets. So I bought a pair and it turned out to be a beautiful, balmy summer night to attend a concert under the stars.
Foreigner hit the stage without a single member from the original lineup. But they brought the founder of the group, Mick Jones, out from the third song to the end of the show. At over seventy years of age, he’s lost much of his hair and what is remaining is all white. Mick doesn’t move around on the stage with the same energy he used to but his guitar playing was as strong as ever.
The lead singer Kelly Hansen at age 54 is no spring chicken either. But he commanded the stage like someone half his age and must be in great shape to move with the energy he did. He even ended up in the middle of the audience a couple of times, once on a plinth twenty feet over the audience singing Juke Box Hero.
Kelly can still pull off the rocker look (reminiscent of Steven Tyler’s look on this night). But what most impressed me about him was his vocals. Foreigner songs are very difficult to sing but Kelly did not miss a single note. His voice was powerful, not even needing a falsetto for the high notes, and did not weaken a bit by the encore. In fact, Kelly sang even better than Lou Gramm did back when he fronted the band at live shows.
The rest of the band was as tight as can be. They were obviously well rehearsed because the songs sounded almost like the studio versions. The rhythm section kept a strong, driving beat going throughout the show that defied you to keep still. Although every song was at least thirty years old, they sounded fresh and offered just what the Foreigner fans wanted to hear.
Kid Rock showed his versatility with his hits ranging from hip-hop to rock to country. Although he sang for most of the show, he played guitar on a couple of songs and also the drums and piano for one song each. Kid even stepped up to the platters for one song and showed that he can scratch with the best of DJs. Kid’s set was very diverse and he sprinkled it liberally with storytelling between the songs. He even spoke at length about aging since he’s not truly much of a kid anymore at 44 years old.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kid Rock’s show. He’s an entertaining performer and his band was solid too. But they weren’t quite as tight as Foreigner. Although it’s a close call, I think Foreigner’s show was even better than the Kid’s. They showed me that even old guys can rock!
The Progressive Zone 