Kid Rock at Gibson Amphitheatre

With the stripper party image and white-trash, trailer-park, stoned personality, it would seem easy to dismiss Kid Rock. Then you catch him live and think he’s actually clever, funny, self-effacing and, wow, even fun.

His recent show at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City was a slam-bang hoot of the rap rock that launched his career, hard rock influenced by fellow Detroit area hero Bob Seger, as well as KISS, AC/DC and more, plus country, southern rock, and old school rap as well.

While he does have a DJ for scratchin’ sounds at times, it’s not “sampleville” — everything was live, played by his Twisted Brown Trucker Band. That included his opener, the title track from his super-successful album Rock’n'Roll Jesus, which is still not on iTunes or other digital stores (just like the rest of his catalog isn’t either).

You will find cover versions of his inescapable hit “All Summer Long,” a pastiche of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Albama,” set to some Segerish youth reflections (kinda “Night Moves” lite, if you will). Instead of pulling that one out at the end of the show, he played it early on, as he had plenty of sonic ammo left.

He even got serious with the Mellencamp-like “Amen,” a heartland rock anthem about tolerance and rising above hate (he had the full house all say howdy to each other while he slapped and shook hands up front on the short catwalk jutting out of the stage.  Later, the heavy-handed flag-waving attempt, “Only God Knows Why,” was pushed on by images of U.S. servicemen and women in Iraq and elsewhere, showing, it seems, even a pot-and-slut-loving tramp can be a patriot.

There were blasters like “Cowboy” — both country-rock and rap-rock versions, with the Dukes of Hazzard theme in-between, and “You Never Met a Motherf— Quite Like Me,” and later, the steamy I wanna do you and do ya again “So Hott,” and his word collision smash-bash from the late ’90s, “Bawitdaba.”

When it came to his country-crossover hit “Picture,” the Sheryl Crow part of the duet was filled in by 12-year-old Sasha Edwards, a little too self-conscious trying to be older than she is, but still a powerhouse, as Kid beamed on like a proud uncle.

He also did his now-standard bit where he plays guitar, drums, and turntables featuring bits of well-known rock classics, such as Ted Nugent’s (another Detroit rock icon, so there you go) “Cat Scratch Fever.”

Best of all was a segment featuring Rev Run of Run-DMC (remember, they were truly the first rap-rock act) with a medley that included  ”Rock Box,” “It’s Tricky,” “You Be Illin’,” “King of Rock,” and finally “Walk This Way,” transporting the audience (mostly in its 20s-30s) back to their youth, no doubt.

Sure, it was often over-the-top sex, drugs, and rock-rap and roll, but more than anything else, Kid Rock is a sly showman and pulled it off with high (take that anyway you want) style.