Kid Rock Raises $1 Million for Detroit Symphony Orchestra

There’s no doubt that Kid Rock rocks, but how much more interesting would it be if you put a full orchestra behind his Twisted Brown Trucker band? That was the general idea behind Rock’s special performance Saturday night in his hometown to raise funds for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

The hometown hero continued his efforts giving back to the community by recently announcing his plans for the one-off performance with the DSO at the Fox Theatre. Even the tuxedo-wearing Rock himself admitted that the pairing seemed like a crazy idea, telling the audience it was “the best drunk move I ever made.” But the show went off without a hitch and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra received a $1 million boost from the benefit.

Billboard.com reports that Rock, his Twisted Brown Trucker band, and the DSO performed a two-hour, five-minute-long set, working their way through such classics as ‘Devil Without a Cause,’ ‘All Summer Long,’ ‘Cowboy,’ ‘Picture,’ ‘Bawitdaba’ and ‘Born Free’ for those in attendance.

Arranger Rob Mathes stated before the show of the blending of sounds, “I think the good idea is to let the audience hear the band rock and use the orchestra to enhance what the band is doing. I want to use the orchestra as a another member of the band, albeit an extraordinary one, and let them shine in their glory at times, but not just let them be this carpet over everything.” In addition to their performance backing Rock, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra played a five-song opening set.

Rock and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra finished out the show with an encore of ‘Son of Detroit,’ ‘Wasting Time,’ and ‘God Bless Saturday.’ The performance was recorded and filmed, but no release plans have been announced.

Kid Rock, sans orchestra, will be back on tour this summer, beginning with a June 1 performance in Boston.