Inaugural Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo entertains rowdy crowd with dramatic finish, tons of tunes
Decided by the seventh and final showdown of the night, Team Free Riders shocked the world!
05/18/2024
FORT WORTH, Texas – With more than 23,000 fans gathering inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys Friday night during the inaugural Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, it’s safe to say the world’s top-ranked rodeo athletes warmed the place up for PBR’s 2024 World Finals finale.
Seeing the very team that was assembled just last week, consisting of the top-finishing contestants from Rodeo Corpus Christi, come together out of left field to steal the deal was quite the thrill in itself.
But to see the marathon of a competition come down to the very last of seven possible championship round discipline shootouts, there couldn’t have been a more fiery way to end the star-studded event!
Of course, during a Year One event of such grand fortitude, a few kinks in the hose can be expected.
All things considered, though, saying this event was a success would be a huge understatement.
It wasn’t just a heart-pounding reimagination of traditional rodeo.
And while only one of the six competitive squads exited Jerry World with $500,000, each of them have to view Friday night’s success as a win for the sport.
“Obviously there were some hiccups getting this thing going, but you don’t launch a gigantic, industry-changing event like this without taking some risks, so hats off to Kid Rock and Sean Gleason for putting this together. It took some guts,” Free Riders’ coach Bobby Mote shared in a post-event conference.
“People came to watch these guys and Kid Rock was a bonus. The fact that all of these people got together to create this opportunity and the fact that the least likely team on paper was able to come and capitalize and do so well … I think it’s like a fairytale story to me and it was as fun as could be. It was a nail-biter that came down to the very last minute but everybody did great and we couldn’t be happier.”
Oddly reminiscent of the 2022 PBR Teams Championship, where the league’s eighth-ranked Nashville Stampede squad stormed into T-Mobile Arena and captured the inaugural gold buckle in Cinderella fashion, PBR shocked the world once again.
So if you came for drama, this was the showcase for you!
Seeing the top-performing barrel-racing talents on the planet start the show off with an impressive, awe-capturing spectacle, it was only right that the ladies finished things off with some dramatic flare.
Tapping a Winnsboro, Texas, native in Makenzie Mayes to get things started for the Free Riders during the opening round showdown, Mote later turned to the talent during the nerve-wrecking finale.
And she delivered.
Finishing her run and galloping through the gates, she was instantly followed by a herd of her teammates who knew that she had come through clutch.
The celebrations began, as the blue and white contingent credited heart and hard work in being able to beat out five pairs of coaches who hand-picked their squads.
So, if this thing happens to get legs and make another appearance or two in the future, know that there’s plenty of top-tier rodeo talent to go around.
Charmayne James’ Misty Mountain Hop found themselves in a 3-3 championship round tie late into the night. And despite using both the 10th and 20th overall selections on athletes to give them an advantage in the barrel racing discipline, her squad wasn’t able to overcome the momentum of the “Chip on the shoulder” group of Free Riders.
Of course the experience wouldn’t have been quite the same without the verbal talents of both Kid Rock and Jelly Roll, who opened the hybrid phenomenon only the way a new-country, old-school duo could.
Beginning his set in the pickup bed of a custom Tesla Cybertruck (driven by none other than BO Duke, himself), painted to the nines in orange paint and with the famous “01” on the car doors, imitating the famous General Lee look from the Dukes of Hazards days, there wasn’t a better way to unite his fans and the industry’s rodeo supporters.
Okay, sure, a few God Bless Americas, some red, white and blue streamers launched up into rowdy crowd and one HELL of an opening set did his gig similar justice. But he truly did set the tone for the night the only way Kid Rock knows how.
In the spotlight.
Welcoming Jelly Roll to the stage a few moments later, the breakout star performed his hit “Need A Favor” as tens of thousands of fans sang along in establishing the good vibes.
Leaning into some southern-forward songs and teasing the crowd with a brief opening set, he eventually returned for much more than an encore when the dirtside competition concluded.
And the fans?
They sure seemed to enjoy each and every song he had for them.
With the tour set to switch the focus back to the world's most talented bull riders in the world May 18-19 as the premier series circuit invades AT&T Stadium for two days of season-ending action, be sure to get your tickets and get ready to run it back!
Photos courtesy of Bull Stock Media
