Las Vegas Weekly

Counting on Kid Rock

A by the numbers look at the Grammy winner’s show at the Pearl

Kid Rock at The Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

He has sold 11 million albums worldwide, been nominated for five Grammy Awards, and married one Playboy Playmate. While sure, his relationship with Pamela Anderson fizzled, 38-year-old Bobby Ritchie still goes by his childlike nickname and, as the audience at the Palms witnessed last night, Kid Rock still knows how to, well, rock.

The following retrospective is a numerical round-up of what you may have missed during last night’s Kid Rock concert at The Pearl.

1: Couple spotted enjoying a pre-show make-out session in the general admission area.

2: American flags used as backdrops for the stage. The first was replaced with the Confederate flag during "All Summer Long," but a larger version of the Stars and Stripes later graced the stage.

2.5 to 1: Approximate ratio of men to women in the crowd.

3: Songs performed before Rock took his sunglasses off. Coincidentally, three was also the number of songs photographers were allowed to shoot, meaning none of the photogs were able to get any sunglasses-free shots of the singer.

4: Hat changes Rock made during the performance. Rock began with one of his signature fedoras, then put on a cowboy hat, then later switched to a Detroit baseball cap – which he wore both backward and frontward. Things came full circle, however, and he reinstated his black fedora before the finale.

5: Instruments Rock played during the show: tambourine, guitar, piano, turntables, and drums.

10: Times Rock flipped, tossed or otherwise juggled the microphone before launching into his 2002 single, "You Never Met a Motherfucker Quite Like Me." He showcased nine more mic maneuvers before the song was done, for a total of 19.

8: Months, plus 16 days, since Rock last played The Pearl. He last performed as part of the New Years Eve lineup at the Palms.

11: Performers onstage, including Rock himself: two back-up singers, a DJ, a tenor sax player, a drummer, a bongo-style percussionist, a keyboardist, and a handful of guys holding guitars.

12: Cowboy hats spotted in the crowd, not counting one Gilligan-style fisherman's hat with the sides rolled up that could probably qualify as a cowboy hat in a pinch. The dozen does, however, include Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, who was spotted watching the show from a balcony skybox, but does not include the hats worn by Rock or his guitarist.

13: Minutes to get from my seat inside the Pearl Concert Theater, through the crowd, and into my car in the east parking garage after the show.

15 to 20: Years Rock claims each and every member of his band has played, toured and otherwise earned their stripes in the music business. (“This ain't no ‘American Idol’ bullshit,” he said.)

18: Well-timed fireworks that constituted the longest pyro sequence of the night.

20: Starting price, in dollars, of a Kid Rock T-shirt at the merchandise booth. Meanwhile, the most expensive T-shirt would set fans back $35.

21: Candles on one female fan’s the birthday cake last night. Standing in the front row, the birthday girl held a double-sided sign proclaiming, “It’s my 21st birthday!” on one side, and asking, “Can I have a kiss?” on the other. Lucky for her, a guitar-related technical problem caused a delay in the show so Rock had the time to deliver her birthday gift during the stop in play. The frontman also told two jokes and signed an autograph during the unanticipated intermission.

22: Number of Kid Rock albums sold, in millions, in the U.S. since he broke onto the scene in 1998.

49: Cheapest ticket, in dollars, to last night’s concert if purchased through the box office. The price went up from there, to $89.

110: Minutes last night’s Kid Rock show lasted from beginning to end. The band took to the stage at 8:35 p.m. and wrapped things up at 10:25 p.m.