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Kid Rock plays Spring Back to Vail 2007

Ted AlvarezVail CO, Colorado
Special to the Daily
ALL |

Kid Rock is a busy man. In the days leading up to his performance in Vail, he’s hard at work in the studio, laying down tracks for his next album with Rob Cavallo, a mega-producer who’s worked with the likes of Green Day and My Chemical Romance. It will be his first studio record since 2003’s “Kid Rock,” and expectations will be high.So I suppose it’s ok if he doesn’t have time for an interview.No matter: Kid Rock (nee Robert Ritchie) is known for explosive live performances rooted in old-fashioned showmanship, with a little skin and pyrotechnics thrown in for fun.”His rock is loud and fun but he has ballads that’ll blow your mind,” says James Deighan, who as vice president of Highline Sports & Entertainment helped bring Kid Rock to Vail. “He puts on one of the best rock shows you will ever see; he prides himself in being a showman and will not leave anyone disappointed.”Kid Rock often polarizes music fans; his brash amalgam of hip-hop, rock and country is a strong taste, but it’s rooted in a midwestern work ethic that ensures Rock is a master of his instruments. Often, Rock will end his shows with a medley in which he switches between turntables, piano, guitar and even banjo as a showcase of versatility.

“Kid Rock is my man,” says Dave LaGrange of Vail. “I like his rap and country stuff, but his rock stuff is the s—t. Hell yeah, man, I love Kid Rock.”Deighan says that anticipation for Kid Rock is among the highest he’s seen.”To tell you the ruth, we have never had a more positive response,” Deighan says. “(This has) bigger and stronger buzz than any concert we’ve ever had. We’ve had people locally and nationally calling even before tickets went on sale.”Even non-fans are prepared to hit the concert, simply because they know Kid Rock means a loud spectacle, and above all, a big-time party.”I like some of his stuff, but I’m not the biggest fan,” says Kate Chadwell of Vail. “But it should be a party, so I’m going to see if I can get some tickets.”A contest was held in Denver to choose Kid Rock’s infamous stage dancers – and the promise of gyrating females might be enough to bring out the male contingent.

“I hear he has strippers,” said Bill Larson of Boulder. “That’s enough for me.”Despite Kid’s quasi-controversial nature, Deighan isn’t worried about any shenanigans. Though he has an outsize stage personality, he’s also known for having a down-home, regular-guy disposition offstage – in his own words, a “white-trash son of Detroit.””What’s so surprising is how down to earth he is,” Deighan says. “He truly is such a people person. He loves hanigng out and being in a normal crowd doing what an everyday Joe does. I asked if he’d like to judge pondskimming – he said, ‘Judge it? Why wouldn’t I ski in it?”‘Deighan, who is also originally from the Detroit area, flew out to seal the deal with Kid Rock over a shared musical love: Bob Seger.”The final night of Bob Seger tour, which was in Detroit, I flew out because I knew Kid Rock would be doing a cameo,” Deighan said. “I think he was excited that one of the people from Highline was originally from Detroit. The Bob Seger show was the 30-year anniversary of when he recorded “Live Bullet,” right there. Kid Rock was there as a fan, and so was I, so we talked about that more than anything else.”



After bonding over Bob Seger, Kid Rock signed on to rock our happy little valley.”Truth be told, he used some expletives I can’t use, but he was very excited,” Deighan says. Arts &Entertainment writer Ted Alvarez can be reached at 748-2939 or talvarez@vaildaily.com.Vail Daily, Vail, Colorado


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