If you've read the cartoon, you've already seen enough of my words. So I only have three quick observations to add here:
- I don't particularly enjoy Kid Rock's music, but I decided against making that any sort of issue. (My own tastes in music are hardly defensible.) Plus, the fastest way to turn people against you is to insult music they like. For example, if I were to hypothetically present the notion that perhaps Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock & Roll" is not the top-tier piece of musical perfection most of Michigan thinks it is, would you immediately want to punch me in the throat? (I said "hypothetically" -- please don't punch me in the throat!)
- I do believe that Kid Rock should play those shows. He's an entertainer -- let him entertain. If he chooses to be divisive, well, it's his future sales and legacy that he will have to deal with. Then in 10 years, when this arena is obsolete (and a new one is built on the river to revitalize the downtown), he'll have nobody to blame but himself if he's not invited to play that opening.
- "Who performs first at a venue" is not really a thing. Almost nobody is going to remember the initial performer of Little Caesar's. As long as nobody puts a Kid Rock statue out front in his honor. (Can we at least all agree on that? No Kid Rock statue, okay? Good.)
John Auchter is a freelance editorial cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
