Kid Rock Rules

Kid Rock rules at raucous Rodeo concert with badass rock 'n' roll, turntable and flames

Kid Rock, you crazy rock 'n' roll animal. You won me over with a turntable and flames. I knew this was going to happen the second you blindfolded your lead guitar player while he was tearing into the solo of “All Summer Long,” and that was only a song and a half in. You were grinning in that fedora that you like to flip the brim up like you belonged in Run-D.M.C.

I was afraid that you were going to play a lot of those newer songs you’ve taken to writing lately. You know, the ones that sound a little too country for an American Badass like yourself? You opened up with “First Kiss,” and to be perfectly honest, the years of Jim Beam and cigars have not been kind to your vocal chords.

After that first song, I thought for sure the night was going in the wrong direction and that the closest we would get to seeing the Kid Rock of old would maybe be the obligatory run through “Cowboy” sprinkled in with a string of new songs that lacked the requisite bravado that we all came for.

Boy howdy was I wrong.

You and your crowded band full of backup singers, saxophonists, interpretive dancers, and other musicians took the audience — and by proxy America — to heights previously only navigated by bald eagles.

I wanted to leave my seat and grab a beer, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage for fear of missing some of the fun. I thought I saw an opening in the set list after you performed “Picture,” a riveting duet you recorded with Sheryl Crow and Allison Moorer. I could not have been more wrong. A song I didn’t recognize on the set list called “Three Sheets To The Wind” ended up being the high point of the entire night!

“Three Sheets” introduced his alter ego Bobby Shazam to the NRG stadium crowd of 66,540, a DJ who specializes in expertly chopping up what else but Kid Rock records on the turntable. I didn’t realize that Bobby Shazam was you until he took a giant slug from a glass of Jim Beam, but when that happened and the crowd lost it, I really wish I’d had a beer in my hand to toast your showmanship.

Of course, you had much more in store during that song. You play drums too? You own one of those talk boxes for your guitar? I hoped the song would go on for the rest of the night. Kid Rock, you really know how to own the moment.

I’m glad the show moved on, though. Less time showcasing your multi-instrumentalist chops means more time getting to the real meat of your career. “Cowboy,” “Only God Knows Why,” “Rock and Roll Jesus,” “Born Free.” These are the stuff fireworks are made of, and you brought plenty of that too.

The amped up way you tore into “Only God Knows Why” was much different than the steely ballad on 1998's Devil Without a Cause, but Tuesday night’s performance absolutely called for it.

Even after glittery bursts of pyrotechnics punctuated most of your set, I was still taken by absolute surprise when the perimeter of the stage went to full on flame throwing mode for your set list closer, “Bawitdaba.” Those fireballs were so big, so powerful, that I could feel the heat on my face from my seat in section 549. I couldn’t look away. As you brought the house down with that deliciously ridiculous blend of rap and metal that made you famous, it looked like a nuclear war zone on the field.

Why oh why did you get a Tuesday night billing at RodeoHouston this year? You sent too many rowdy fans out of the stadium and back into the middle of their work week instead of the great American wild of a Spring Break weekend. Was it because this was the second time you lit a cigar on stage? I promise I won’t tell anyone about that if it means you get to play on a Friday the next time you visit NRG Stadium.

Set List:

First Kiss

All Summer Long

Wasting Time

Johnny Cash

Cowboy

Picture

Three Sheets To The Wind

Rock and Roll Jesus

Only God Knows Why

Born Free

Bawitdaba

Kid Rock and his crowded band full of backup singers, saxophonists, interpretive dancers, and other musicians took the audience to heights previously only navigated by bald eagles.

Kid Rock and his crowded band full of backup singers, saxophonists, interpretive dancers, and other musicians took the audience to heights previously only navigated by bald eagles.

music rodeo houston-rodeo concerts

Movie Review

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg deliver comedy with depth in A Real Pain

Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain.

Comedy film duos have a long history, from Laurel and Hardy in the 1920s and ‘30s to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in movies like Baby Mama. But the majority of duos have either been friends or work partners, relationships that can be close, but not as close as family. The new film A Real Pain aims for the comedy that a great duo can bring, but hits deeper because the two lead characters are related to each other.

Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) are first cousins who decide to take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother, who has recently passed. Their personalities could not be more different, with David buttoned-down and reserved and Benji extremely social, if a little wild. This contrast is on display from the moment they leave on their trip, affecting almost every aspect of their journey.

The two meet up with a diverse tour group in Poland, including guide James (Will Sharpe), recently divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey), married couple Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), an African man who has converted to Judaism. As the group visits various historical sites, David confronts contrasting feelings about Benji, who goes from charming to abrasive seemingly at the drop of a hat.

Written and directed by Eisenberg, the film is about both the family we have and the history of those who came before us. With Benji and David being Jewish and their grandmother having escaped from the Nazis in World War II, the themes hit harder than they might in other situations. Eisenberg takes care to honor his Jewish ancestors both in the way he has Benji and David talk about their grandmother and the places they visit.

But even though emotions are heightened due to the significance of the trip, the film is far from a dour affair. Benji keeps things interesting at almost all times with a series of impulsive decisions, many that are entertaining for both the tour group and the audience watching the film. He is one of those film characters that is great to watch on screen, but would likely be too much to handle if you were confronted with him in real life.

The relationship between Benji and David is a complicated one; the two obviously have love for each other, but they rarely see eye-to-eye on the best way to approach certain situations. This tension keeps the film grounded, and Eisenberg does a great job at showing the push-and-pull the two cousins have with each other. The little moments, especially when Benji and David go their separate ways, say a lot as the characters try to reconcile where each is at in their respective lives.

Eisenberg has always been an understated performer, so this role is almost perfect for him. Culkin, fresh off his Emmy-winning role in HBO’s Succession, is an ideal foil for Eisenberg, as he has a manic energy that he can control or not control at will. It’s also nice to see Grey in action again, as she brings just the right touch to her supporting role.

The drama in A Real Pain comes from the life experiences of its two main characters, which are on full display despite the story only doling out details in small doses. The film is subtle yet powerful, a testament to Eisenberg’s filmmaking ability and the actors never trying to make too much of their scenes.

---

A Real Pain opens in theaters on November 15.

movies film