Kid Rock to play Pine Knob in September as 'Bad Reputation' album, tour announced

Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press
Kid Rock performs during the last of his ten sold-out shows at DTE Energy Music Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Clarkston, Mich.

With a batch of new music on the way, Kid Rock has announced his first big tour in three years — including a pair of metro Detroit dates at a very familiar venue.

The homegrown rap-rocker will play Pine Knob Sept. 16 and 17 with opener Foreigner, wrapping up a Bad Reputation Tour set to kick off in April in Evansville, Indiana. The shows, announced Monday, come as part of the 50th anniversary season at the Clarkston amphitheater, which recently revived the Pine Knob name after two decades as DTE Energy Music Theatre.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday via Ticketmaster.

Kid Rock has a long history at Pine Knob: Since his inaugural three-night stand there in 2000, he has played the amphitheater nearly 40 times, typically to sellout crowds.

He holds the venue record for the most shows in a single season — 10 in 2015 — and his 107,000 tickets sold during that run bested a Michigan record previously held by Garth Brooks.

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The Bad Reputation Tour will also include an April 16 stop at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena (with Grand Funk Railroad in support), along with a May 21 show in his adopted home of Nashville (with Jason Bonham).

Country singer Trey Lewis will appear on all dates.

Rock also announced the coming release of the album “Bad Reputation,” his first full-length collection since 2017’s “Sweet Southern Sugar.”

Could the upcoming dates be part of Kid Rock’s last big round of touring? He has certainly indicated it might be: In September 2020, amid the pandemic venue shutdown, he declared his intention to stage “one last monster tour,” at the time aiming for 2021. He revealed he had been suffering neck issues for many years and posted a photo of himself getting a steroid shot.

Kid Rock performs at the DTE Energy Music Theater during the first of his eight shows in Clarkston, Mich, on Friday, Aug. 9, 2013.

During a streaming event last year, Rock reiterated that his next tour “could be” his farewell fun, saying “I don’t want to be Mick Jagger up there” someday.

“I will say that it’ll be the last time you can see me at my peak,” he said.

During his shows in recent years, Rock told fans it was getting tougher for his “grandpa” self to pull off the high-energy stage moves long part of his performance of youthful hits such as “Bawitdaba” and “Cowboy.”

Monday’s announcement came one week after Rock’s 51st birthday.

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.

Kid Rock, Bad Reputation Tour, 2022 concert schedule

April 6: Evansville, Ind. — Ford Center

April 8: Omaha, Neb. — CHI Health Center

April 9: Saint Paul, Minn. — Xcel Energy Center

April 15: Columbus — Nationwide Arena

April 16: Grand Rapids — Van Andel Arena

May 20: Louisville, Ky. — KFC Yum! Center

May 21: Nashville — Bridgestone Arena

June 10: West Palm Beach, Fla. — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre

June 11: Tampa, Fla. — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

June 15: Atlanta — Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood

June 17: Charlotte — PNC Music Pavilion

June 18: Raleigh, N.C. — Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

June 24: Houston — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

June 25: Dallas — Dos Equis Pavilion

Aug. 5: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio — Blossom Music Center

Aug. 6: Burgettstown, Pa. — Pavilion at Star Lake

Aug. 12: Noblesville, Ind. — Ruoff Music Center

Aug. 17: Cincinnati — Riverbend Music Center

Aug. 19: Tinley Park, Ill. — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Aug. 20: St. Louis — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Aug. 24: Mansfield, Mass. — Xfinity Center

Aug. 26: Bristow, Va. — Jiffy Lube Live

Aug. 27: Holmdel, N.J. — PNC Bank Arts Center

Sept. 16: Clarkston — Pine Knob Music Theatre

Sept. 17: Clarkston — Pine Knob Music Theatre