He ain't a kid no more.

Yes, Kid Rock, Mr. fun times and wild man, seems more like a grumpy old man nowadays. And I'm not talking about his continued support for Republican candidates who end up losing elections. (I still love the anti-drug candidates standing side by side with Mr. Fire One Up, though.)

No, it's Old Man Rock asking fans not to 'ruin' or 'spoil' the fun by posting their concert experience online via social media, whether it be a set list or a clip shot on a phone. Guess what, such things don't ruin the experience for fans. This isn't the third part of 'The Hobbit' being offered. It's a concert.


Such promotion actually builds excitement for shows. Fans often watch clips, read reviews and look for changes on set lists as the traveling show gets closer to their town. In fact, you can see how online news reports get read even after the show leaves town. Many of Gary Graff's reviews, such as his recent one of The Who, get read long after they've appeared ... by fans looking for info on their band as it gets to their town.

Now, what does ruin a show or spoil a night is the hard-earned money being blown by a high-priced ticket when the show doesn't produce the anticipated fun.

Used to be an artist would like any publicity, any word of mouth news reaching fans. But Mr. Easy Listening is telling fans that they must live like he does, nevermind their own habits. Oh, and he'll be the lone one providing photos and tidbits from the show, on his own web site.

Yeah, right, too bad he's not living in the same world the rest of us inhabit. Now if he had just suggested that fans coming to his sold out tour refrain from watching anything about it to enjoy any surprises he has planned, that might come across a lot less harsh. Instead, this sounds like he wants to control who watches what when.

Wow. That was quick. It only took a few hours for L. Brooks Patterson to back down from his threat to sue the state over its impending ban on public smoking. Early on Thursday, Patterson said Oakland County would not enforce the ban.
By 4 p.m., Patterson had backed down, so quickly that our reporter was editing video from Patterson's Democratic counterpart on the county commission.
That shows just how quickly news and public opinion can be delivered. No more waiting two or three days to see how a proposal sounds. You can find out instantly.
And our readers responded forcefully, commenting furiously and mostly against Patterson.
The longtime county executive and former tough-on-crime prosecutor was stuck in the details and nuances, arguing that this new law was an unfunded mandate and the county's Health Division could never enforce it. In fact, he's a nonsmoker and supports the ban. Oh, but he stepped into it, probably hoping that anti-tax furor could help this effort.
What readers and listeners of radio today heard was a Republican saying he wasn't going to follow a law he didn't like. Ouch. It was like saying, We're not going to enforce drunken driving.
Just two years ago, polls we ran showed about 60 percent of readers were against smoking bans. Then last year, it evened out, and this winter, nearly 60 percent favored the ban.
Today, so far, and it's very early, more than 80 percent said the county should enforce the ban.
People are ready, and they were quick to respond. Luckily, some politicians are still smart enough to listen.