It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if you’re not at a Kid Rock concert to get insanely drunk and party your ass off, then you obviously wasted your money. The first time I saw Kid Rock was nearly a decade ago on a 20/20 segment about the excesses of Rock & Roll front-men. The funny thing was that, at the time, no one really knew who Kid Rock was outside of the college circuit and his home state of Michigan. It was about a year before he blew up with “Bawitdaba” and his unforgettable performance at the 1999 MTV Video Awards. Almost ten years later, there’s no doubt that Kid Rock has become one of the most talented artists of his generation. Judging by the throngs of tattooed Kid Rock disciples at Saturday night’s show at the legendary Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, it’s clear that Rock has one of the most loyal blue-collar fan bases in music.

Playing a small club gig to a sold-out crowd in Vancouver (tickets went in 5 minutes) with his Twisted Brown Trucker band, Kid Rock took to the stage around 10pm wearing a loose white suit and customary black fedora, delivering an explosive show that ran the gambit from rap, hip-hop, country, blues, and southern fried Rock & Roll. Although the show expectedly saw Kid Rock whip the crowd into a frenzy with such hits as “American Bad Ass,” Welcome 2 the Party,” and his new #1 chart topper “Rock ‘n Roll Jesus,” the nearly 2-hour show exposed Rock’s diversity as an artist and musician, and most notably his love for traditional country classics.

After lambasting the fist-pumping mob with the high-octane numbers, Rock slowed things down halfway through the set with the reflective and spiritual “Amen” from his new album. Although Kid Rock spent a short lifetime creating the image of a true “American bad ass,” it’s crystal clear through his slow tunes and songwriting that Rock is hell-bent on becoming a serious artist instead of simply being known as a binge-drinking, womanizing, pop-culture icon. After watching his recent appearance on Larry King, it seems like Kid Rock is at a major crossroads with his persona, as if he’s searching for more substance to move away from the “rock-rapper” image as he embarks on the next phase of his career.

After giving the masses a break, even the slew of aging rocker chicks that were way too big for their skin tight outfits but wore them anyway, Rock amped up the tempo with the Warren Zevon/Lynard Skynard inspired “All Summer Long,” also from “Rock & Roll Jesus,” which will undoubtedly become a fan favorite at future live gigs. It only seems right that Rock found a way to incorporate “Sweet Home Alabama” into his bag of tricks without having to cover the entire song. With the country vibe in full-effect, Rock donned a white cowboy hat to kick out “Cowboy,” also giving fans a taste of a couple of well known country classics as he found his groove.

As the rap-rock country-fest continued, Rock took to the turntables to scratch a few memorable hip-hop lines, including his own “My Name is Kid,” before jumping behind the drum kit to perform an impromptu solo. Surprisingly, I had no idea the guy could do that much on stage by himself, but it was a cool sight to see. Throughout the show, Rock also found time to make fun of himself via a brief country ditty about Pamela Anderson and an early comment about fighting at Waffle Houses. At least Kid Rock knows how to have fun with himself to work the crowd to his own advantage.

As I checked out the crowd, who were holding up more than a few surfers, my attention soon turned to the guy standing behind me, Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, who Kid Rock later announced as his special guest in the house. Although Kroeger and his bandmates grew up playing shows in Vancouver before hitting it big, it was cool to see him back in town. Wasting no time, I left my seat and wandered over. After complimenting Kroeger on his performance of ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” at the VH-1 Rock Honors earlier in the year, I asked him when he and Nickelback would be back to play at The Commodore. Jokingly appropriate, Kroeger laughed, “Hopefully, never. We’ve played here way too many times.” Obviously, he was referring to the band’s struggling early days when Nickelback played an endless amount of local gigs to get noticed. Really, given Nickelback’s massive worldwide success, I don’t blame the guy.

After my surprise encounter, Kid Rock slowed things down again to perform “Picture,” the country duet originally done with Sheryl Crow in 2001. Rock kicked back on a stool with guitar in hand, singing the duet with longtime Twisted Brown Trucker bandmember Stefanie Eulinberg before leaving the stage, and the crowd in a drunken, countrified fury. As expected, Kid Rock returned to bring the house down with “Bawitdaba” for the encore, which gave fans exactly what they wanted… an insanely drunken good time with their favorite American bad ass.