On Friday night, Kid Rock showed up at the Andiamo Celebrity Showroom just outside Detroit to see legend Travis Tritt. Numerous fans, pleased with his attendance, sent over free drinks, and the musician downed them all, puffing away on his cigar and having a grand old time. Unfortunately, not everyone else in the audience was quite so pleased. At least one contacted the State Health Department and a few others reportedly left, all madder than hell about Kid Rock smoking in what, as of 2010, is now a smoke free state.
In response to the hoopla, Kid Rock released a statement through his publicist today, praising Tritt for putting on a hell of a show, verifying claims that he does receive special treatment and offering a tacit apology to those who were offended by his behavior. Here’s an excerpt from The Detroit News…
“It should be no secret that I do receive special treatment. I worked very hard for it, and without it my life would be a series of nonstop cellphone pictures. My most sincere apologies to the patrons I may have offended, and a big middle finger in advance to all the haters and attorneys who will somehow try to find an easy paycheck in all this."
Some people are already crying foul at Kid Rock’s open admission that he receives special treatment, but from a sheer logistics standpoint, it’s important that some celebrities do receive special treatment. Without VIP rooms and special boxes, celebrities couldn’t go anywhere without being mobbed by fans.
That being said, it’s still important to follow anti-smoking laws, even if you think they’re stupid. I, for one, spent many a late night in high school smoking cigarettes, eating soup and talking to friends at various local restaurants around Chicago, but when the whole world decided smoking was unacceptable, I had to adapt. Celebrities should too.
And for the record, if anyone actually does sue over this, they should be ashamed of themselves. Five years ago, every concert was a smoke-filled haze. No one’s going to die from breathing in bad fumes once.
