Kid Rock - Finding Faith?

[Mike]

He's sold out back-to-back nights at Comerica Park before. He played the biggest show of his career earlier this year at Ford Field.
At this point Kid Rock doesn't have a whole lot left to prove. So Friday night at Comerica Park - the first of his sold-out two-night-stand at the downtown ballpark - he flipped the script and took the more than 40,000 hometown fans in attendance to church.
During the encore of Rock's 2-hour, 25-minute blowout at the Detroit Tigers' home, Rock was introduced by the Rev. Wendell Anthony of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, who spoke poignantly about the region and about Rock over the intro to Rock's "Times Like These." (Rock was honored by the NAACP in May.) Rock then sang the Detroit anthem which was debuted at Comerica Park two summers ago, and rolled into "Rock N Roll Jesus," on which he was joined by a full choir, who all donned white robes.

Columnists | Kid Rock treats hometown to another summer blast | The Detroit News

I have season tickets for the Lions, so I went down to Ford Field in Detroit with my son and nephew for their pre-season game. Right next door was the Kid Rock concert at Comerica Stadium (home of the Tigers). A great night for Detroit! It was amazing to see the range of people entering Comerica, the range of dress, socio-economic status, age, race, etc. In Detroit, he's become a kind of poster-child for our city, good or bad, right or wrong. We left the game at half-time (because it's only pre-season), and right as we were walking by Comerica, Kid Rock was coming out joined by a pastor and a song about Jesus.

Don't get me wrong, I don't suspect he has surrendered himself to Christ. He still has an edgy image that includes booze & bikini-clad women, but his music has changed. I was repulsed by him and his foul lyrics in the past, but his last CD has a consistent theme throughout it: Jesus, God & the Bible. I'll be interested to hear from people who were there, what his language was like; if he's toned down that aspect of his persona.

Here's a song from his new CD that never would have been on past ones. I'd encourage people to listen to it. No, it's not a Psalm, but it's a big step forward from the garbage (IMO) that he put out before.


[video=youtube;P4Iz74vSixM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Iz74vSixM[/video]

 

[Pizzaguy]

My opinion of him has been about as low as it could be of another human being.

But I must say, I think something is stirring inside of him. Maybe someone has been praying for him. Or maybe he's aging and realizes that he (and mankind in general) has no answers.

Is his life about to be turned around? Possibly. It would warm my heart, that is for sure.

 

[Danus]

I've noticed Kid's music changing as well. I've always kind of liked the guy. I know he's lived a life of debauchery, but I've always felt there was something in his heart and as he's gotten older I see his lyrics changing to reflect what I suspect is a generous nature many say he displays.

One thing for sure, he seems honest and I guess he's right, the lest we can do for good is care. Now, I'd like to hear him talk about the most we can do, and I think that would be to give our lives to Christ fully, or at least make that our goal daily, but also recognize that we all fall short of that. Not just Kid Rock. ;)

 

[Lewis]

Well hey, I lived the life of a wild man for years even after I was saved, until I got fed up with it.

 

[Mike]

To me, he embodied carnal pursuits. I didn't listen to his genre of music; that hard slashing stuff. I only recall seeing him in the celebration of a Pistons championship in the locker room. You know... local figures have to make the scene, get to make the scene, when something big happens. So he was wasted, and someone asked him what he thought, and he said, "I don't know. I all know is I want to get (have relations with a lady)". That's all I needed to know about him. I wouldn't let my son go near his stuff. I started being an occasional reluctant listener when I would hear "Only God Knows" and "Cowboy" on the radio, but I still wouldn't buy any of his stuff. I heard enough positive things about this latest CD, got it from the library, listened to it through, and actually bought it. I told my wife, "Some people buy convertible sports cars when they have their mid-life crisis. (Mark!) I buy a Kid Rock CD."

He's 40+ now, and this seems to be more than him settling down. Many hard rockers still kick it into their latter years and stay relevant. He didn't need to conform to his age. Anyone who listens to his latest CD would have to see that it is sprinkled with religious themes; almost every song mentions God, blessings, the Bible, etc. To be honest, I see him as having one toe in the Water and still clinging to "the world" that made him famous. Hopefully he takes a serious inventory of his values and comes to know Christ. That would be an AMAZING testimony for all his devoted fans.

 

[Danus]

Kid is also friends with Scott Stapp. Stapp is the front man for the late 90's band Creed. Stapp is a Christian and was a professed Christian back in the 90's, but his own behavior was contrary to the Christian image. However, old habits die hard I guess and in time Stapp seems to have developed.

Who knows, maybe Stapp has been a positive influence on Kid. Funny how that might be. If my kids friend was Stapp I would not want him hanging around him, but if my Kid where Kid....well maybe OK.

 

[Vic C.]

Dude, you should have posted the Martina McBride version! :D

[video=youtube;MGe7nAwrCcs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGe7nAwrCcs[/video]

 

[Mike]

Funny how that might be. If my kids friend was Stapp I would not want him hanging around him, but if my Kid where Kid....well maybe OK.

I meant to respond to this when you posted it, Danus. I've actually quoted you a few times, cause I thought this was a very good point! (You don't have any legal arrangement with that thought, do you? I mean, I don't owe you any money, right? )

It's all relative, isn't it. You hear about some people under certain circumstances, and the bar is so low, you think "Isn't that great!". But if that same guy moved in next door, I'd want to hide my family. You'd probably get into an epic lawn-mowing war, but I'd just want to stop the influence from bleeding into my house.

When an actor, celebrity or anyone notable even suggests something about "God" in all its generic-ness, my inclination is to think, "Oh, it's so nice to hear someone in that scene taking up for God!" They can have a positive impact on a lot of people who don't give the Lord any thought, but they're generally not very fruitful for others; like they can just "dumb down" some peoples walks.

 

[Mike]

This is a bit timely to our conversation. Just about an hour ago, my son said he emailed me this link to an interview with the singer from Korn. While my son isn't "friends" with this guy, he does like Korn. Maybe the correct smiley to use here is and certainly . (I'm just talking about his choice of music. )

He never mentions "Jesus", but I'm always aware that secular editors have a "selective pair of scissors". Maybe he does talk about Him, but it doesn't make the final cut. This is one freaky looking dude, but praise God if he's giving his demographic a reason to open the Bible and find out what caused this change. One thing seems sure. It's a big sacrifice to leave a successful band like Korn to go where he feels called.

[video=youtube;29HFEfvVYJQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29HFEfvVYJQ&feature=email[/video]

 

[Danus]

I meant to respond to this when you posted it, Danus. I've actually quoted you a few times, cause I thought this was a very good point! (You don't have any legal arrangement with that thought, do you? I mean, I don't owe you any money, right? )

It's all relative, isn't it. You hear about some people under certain circumstances, and the bar is so low, you think "Isn't that great!". But if that same guy moved in next door, I'd want to hide my family. You'd probably get into an epic lawn-mowing war, but I'd just want to stop the influence from bleeding into my house.

When an actor, celebrity or anyone notable even suggests something about "God" in all its generic-ness, my inclination is to think, "Oh, it's so nice to hear someone in that scene taking up for God!" They can have a positive impact on a lot of people who don't give the Lord any thought, but they're generally not very fruitful for others; like they can just "dumb down" some peoples walks.

All quotes of Danus are the sole property of Danus. It is hereby unlawful to reproduce, copy, borrow or quote Danus without the express written consent of Danus, or affiliated partners.

However, I'll let it slide.......

I know what what you mean, and I guess we are reminded that we are all on different levels of understanding. We tend to paint our own pictures of what is right and how we are to be, and when we are not careful we can fail to realize when we fall short of our own expectations while we point at others falling short.

Maybe it's good to be reminded of this. I often laugh when I hear actors thank God for their awards. ..hum...Could there be anything more important on God's mind than the academy awards? Maybe in the grand scheme of things it is all relevant in this respect of what God means to each of us.