Kid Rock gives cookie cutter concerts in Las Vegas

Scott Harrison / Retna

Kid Rock performs at The Pearl at the Palms on Sept. 17, 2009.

By Melissa Arseniuk (contact)

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009 | 5:21 p.m.

Talk about déjà-vu.

Kid Rock recently gave two full-length performances in Las Vegas. One was on Thursday at The Pearl and the other was on Saturday at The Joint.

Yet despite being 48 hours apart, the concerts were virtual carbon copies of each other: the inter-song dialogue was almost verbatim; the set lists hardly deviated from each other; the blindfolded guitar solo was replicated note-for-note; and neither performance was followed by an encore.

Heck, even the same well-known heavy metal drummer watched both shows from a VIP skybox (Vinnie Paul of Pantera).

Still, there were a few differences.

First, the most obvious: One was at the Palms and the other was at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Second, fans could purchase tickets to Thursday’s concert, while Saturday night’s show was a private, invite-only event organized by Jim Beam’s Red Stag bourbon.

Third, Rock partied in public, on site at Wasted Space, after Saturday night’s show, but flew under the radar after he left the stage on Thursday. (That Rock look-alike at Playboy Club was an impersonator, apparently. Sorry, ladies.)

In addition to Thursday and Saturday’s shows, the Grammy Award-winner logged an additional 15 minutes on the rock ‘n' roll clock on Friday and performed an early morning mini-set at Rain.

While the top-40-filled Palms’ nightspot was a rather unlikely venue for the country-flavored rocker, DJ Jazzy Jeff and his mash-ups stepped aside when Rock took to the stage.

Rock sang a handful of songs before returning to his 30-person entourage in the VIP.

Unfortunately for the 39-year-old frontman, however, his ex-wife, Pamela Anderson, made no surprise appearances at or after any of his performances.

The former Playboy Playmate made headlines last month when she and one of her other ex-husbands, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, reunited at the Hard Rock for some post-show lip-lock at Body English.

Anderson was also spotted in one of The Joint’s VIP skyboxes during her on-again/off-again flame’s Crüe Fest 2 performance.

Alas, Pammy was a no-show at all three of Rock’s concerts and did not return to the Hard Rock to pay her other ex a visit.

While we love the Son of Detroit, we’re going to have to side with Lee on this one: Point Tommy.

Melissa Arseniuk writes about Las Vegas entertainment and celebrity events. She can be reached at 702-948-7823 or by e-mail at melissa.arseniuk@lasvegassun.com.