OTTAWA - The Kid Rock three-ring circus came to Bluesfest last night. From the moment Kid Rock took the stage, you knew that everything about this gig would be larger-than-life as only the American redneck rapper can. From the giant American eagle and bevy of four on-stage pole dancers, to the ear-popping fireworks and Rock himself, this was one Bluesfest headliner who quite literally, wanted to blow the fans away.

And for the most part, he succeeded with one of the raunchiest, most visually spectacular rock concerts Festival Plaza's seen.

Admittedly, watching Kid Rock is like a Hollywood blockbuster film with car chases and babes galore. With that signature fedora crowning his familiar slick hair, Rock proudly played the raunchy ringleader to the sleaziest sideshow the festival has possibly ever seen, even making Tuesday's ZZ Top gig look positively innocent by comparison.

If there was ever any doubt that Bluesfest Artistic Director Mark Monahan is steering the festival to Ottawa's annual pop-rock carnival, they were smartly dispelled with Kid Rock.

But give the guy a break. Regardless of the level of musicianship, Kid knows how to put on a show.

And frankly, there is no denying that blues and blues-rock has always been linked to an embellished view of teenaged sex.

Which is something Rock's used just as cleverly as his emotionally naked lyric-driven recordings including 1998's breakthrough Devil Without a Cause and 2001's acclaimed Cocky that featured the duet with Sheryl Crow, Picture.

Like Top, this was one gig where there was as much of a show amongst the fannage in Festival Plaza -- women flashing primarily and guys doing what guys do, within limits of course, when beads, breasts and beer are involved -- as onstage.

In a preemptive move to keep the audience's focus on the stage, Rock split the stage visuals with five abundantly talented "exotic dancers". Touche.

Opening his 90-minute set with a mean and fast-paced mission statement Son of Detroit, Motherf---er Like Me (the crew told me to write that) and Devil Without a Cause, Rock proved to be an adrenaline-fuelled musical chameleon, sampling blues, rock and rap and other bands throughout his set. Later, backed by a massive Confederate flag, the 31-year-old frontman showed a surprising musicianship on Jackson, Mississippi but faltered vocally on a cover of Bad Company's classic Feel Like Making Love.

Rock kept a dazzling pyrotechnic show close at hand, one that caused fans to gasp and ask "Does he burn the stage down too?"

Let's be honest. Kid Rock is the Barnum and Bailey of American rock. He doesn't have the voice of a Robert Plant or the guitar licks of Jimmy Page. Perhaps not even the same skill level of The Barenaked Ladies.

That didn't stop him and his super-tight band, which included a turntablist and two backup singers from a killer cover of Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll or samples of AC-DC For Those About to Rock, Dobie Grey's Drift Away and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird.

Last night, none of the 15,000 fans cared. Closing his set with Three Sheets to the Wind, turntables on Pain Train, Only God Knows Why and Bawitdaba turned out to be everything they wanted.

And more.

PS...why would parents bring their young ones to a Kid Rock concert?