Kid Rock Throws a Party
Decked out in red, white and blue clothing — with forty-ouncers and barbecue grills in hand — more than 5,000 Kid Rock fans braved thirty-five-degree weather Saturday at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit to serve as extras for the video to “Forever,” the first single from his upcoming album, Cocky.
“They wanted to shoot this thing in California, and I said, ‘Fuck that!'” Kid Rock told the crowd. “I hope everybody brought enough beer to get them through the day. Let’s get this party started!”
And party they did. Cars, RVs and pick-up trucks sporting American flags and Kid Rock banners lined Woodward Avenue, a main thoroughfare between Detroit and the northern suburb Pontiac, as early as 6 a.m. Doors opened shortly after 9 a.m. when cheerleaders from Romeo High School spelled out their most famous alum’s name.
Celebrating Halloween a few days early, fans came dressed as Uncle Sam, pimps and draped in American flags. Several women ignored the chilly weather and donned bikinis with the hopes of appearing in the video, while others dropped their tops while overlooking the crowds from the top of RVs.
Filmed in the Fairgrounds’ dirt parking lot, the “Forever” video features monster trucks, fans holding an American flag, firemen, a pictorial homage to Rock’s deceased co-rapper Joe C. and female dancers. Kid Rock — donning a full-length black fur coat, black fedora and sunglasses — rode in on a red, white and blue monster truck emblazoned with “American Bad Ass” at 1:30 p.m., prompting a joyous middle fingered salute from his fans.
During the video shoot, which ended shortly after midnight, Kid Rock performed “Forever” live as well as a several other songs including “Sweet Home Alabama.” To add authenticity to the concert shots, fans were asked to throw beer cans on stage. While the crowd was playful, the weather created problems for the film crew, which was unable to shoot band close-ups the previous day as planned because of high winds. MTV was also on hand to filmed the shoot for the November 8th episode of Making the Video.
The cold and winds apparently didn’t bother teenagers Doug Frazier of Southfield, Michigan, and Nick Tucker of Berkley, Michigan. They got up at 4 a.m. and walked five miles to the State Fairgrounds. It took three hours.
“My car died and we couldn’t find a ride so we walked here,” said Frazier, who sported chunky spiked hair and a Kid Rock T-shirt.
Friday night, Rick Helter of Garden City created a banner that read “Kid Rock Forever,” which was held by his 1986 gray F-15 pick-up truck.
“It’s not that good,” he said of the banner. “I broke out the airbrush last night (Friday) when I was drunk. I ran out of red paint, too.”
The event capped a weeklong series of appearances by Kid Rock promoting the all-day shoot. He stopped by several Detroit radio stations and nightclubs to encourage fans to attend. “Forever” was sent to Detroit radio a week earlier than the rest of the U.S. to prep fans for the video shoot. Cocky is due to hit stores on November 20th.