Last week I was supposed to interview Kid Rock. He was to call me during a break in taping the upcoming "Willie Nelson & Friends" concert that will air sometime next month.

But Rock never called. Instead, his publicist called and said that Rock — known to his mother as Robert James Ritchie — was just about to call when rock 'n' roll's living legend Jerry Lee Lewis paid an unannounced visit to his dressing room.

"Kid got a little sidetracked," said the publicist.

A little? I mean if Jerry Lee Lewis paid me a visit, I would have canceled dinner with my mom.

And I would certainly cancel an interview . . . unless, of course, it was with Chuck Berry.

Anyway, it didn't bother me to know Kid Rock has his priorities straight. He's a music man. And though there are some people out there who don't like Rock's kind of songs, Rock knows music. He's the music business' new renaissance man.

He listens to everyone from Metallica to ZZ Top to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Waylon Jennings.

He's performed duets with Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Robert Bradley and Hank "Bocephus" Williams Jr.

He's toured with Metallica, Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

And he shows up in cameos in music videos, the most recent being Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman."

I have to admit, when Rock first hit the scene in 1998 with his major-label, multiplatinum debut, "Devil Without a Cause" I thought he was just another Caucasian rapper from Detroit, a la Eminem. And when he made a guest appearance on Em's "The Slim Shady LP," I didn't think Rock had any substance. (His independent-recording debut, "Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast," released back in 1990, went largely unnoticed outside of Detroit.)

But as time went on, I started hearing his stuff everywhere — "I Am the Bullgod," "Cowboy," "God Only Knows" and "Bawitdaba." I couldn't turn on the TV or the radio without hearing a Kid Rock tune. He kind of grew on me.

Images of Rock and his sidekick Joe C. became a huge part of pop culture. And when Joe C. died in 2000, Rock mourned his loss and hosted the 2001 Grammy Award tribute to the music-industry types who passed away the year before.

When the albums "History of Kid Rock" and "Cocky" were released in 2000 and 2001, I watched them climb the charts. And I laughed when he and Bocephus performed a song called "The F-Word" on the 37th Annual Country Music Awards in 2002.

Later last year, Rock released his eighth CD, "Kid Rock." It peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Top 200 and has sold more than 1 million copies.

In addition to recording, he's appeared in movies and made numerous live appearances on the Grammy Award shows, the American Music Awards and the Super Bowl.

And that doesn't even touch on the subject of girlfriends or the USO show that took Rock to the Middle East to perform for American troops.

With the taping of "Willie Nelson & Friends" under his belt and his current tour, it doesn't look like Kid Rock is going to slow down anytime soon.

With all of this, it's easy to develop high expectations for his live show. Tonight, we'll see if he delivers.


If you go. . .

What: Kid Rock and Puddle of Mudd

Where: E Center

When: tonight, 7:30 p.m.

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How much: $32

Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499

Web:www.smithstix.com


E-mail: scott@desnews.com

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