Thunder Valley Casino Resort hosted Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson this Friday night in their outdoor amphitheater. It was a perfect summer night for an outdoor show. Both the performers and the audience fulfilled expectations. The Musik Mafia, as they call themselves, rocked a full house on Friday night.

“Sitting on your ass is extremely prohibited throughout the entire Xtreme Musik Show,” spoke an electronically-enhanced voice that served as a flight attendant style introduction to the concert.

John Rich seemed to lead the performance, the likely choice considering his successful stint on Celebrity Apprentice. Big Kenny sported his usual top hat. His fringed vest and snug pinstriped pants completed his attire and only added to his untamed dance moves onstage.

Gretchen Wilson was a strong and sweet hostess as well, constantly encouraging fan participation and calling out to the other “redneck women” in the crowd. Wilson was loved by the crowd, both women and men. The women were ignited by her enviable confidence and the men loved her as well - probably for the same reason that Shania Twain has always had such a large male following.

Road 88 was the show’s opening act. The local band, recently voted as 2011 Best Local Band on KCRA’s A-List, was well received by the audience. The act stayed around for the rest of the show, enjoying themselves amongst the audience.

Big & Rich, together with Wilson, began the show with “Fake I.D.” They were excited to announce that the recent release will be featured on the soundtrack for the upcoming “Footloose” remake starring Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell and Julianne Hough.

Wilson then kicked it up a notch with “Here for the Party,” the title track from her 2004 debut album. Big & Rich and Wilson hopped on and off the stage throughout the show. They performed a song or two before bowing out for a break. This strategy worked well and allowed them to keep the energy and intensity high.

It was almost impossible to decide whether the show was more rock or more country. With so many references to Tammy Wynette and Charlie Daniels, it would have to be marked down as country. Then again, with Cowboy Troy rapping and a couple of background guitarists riffing their way to Cleveland, the Musik Mafia certainly knows how to rock.

While introducing a cover later in the show, Wilson called out, “I’ve got a feeling…you know how to rock.”

A second later, the band launched into the opening of “I Gotta Feeling,” by the Black Eyed Peas.

“I’m not singing that!” Wilson cut in and the band shifted, starting into Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded.”

Whether country or rock ‘n’ roll, one thing’s for sure; these fans know how to party. The Thunder Valley Outdoor Amphitheatre was host to a rowdy crowd that night. The bar, manned by Zebra Club of Sacramento, was serving up Jack Daniels and Crown Royal like there was no tomorrow.

Even the three headliners took a moment to have a drink on stage. The performers took a few minutes to recognize National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which falls on the third Friday of September each year. MSgt. Surita A. Rorie and TSgt. Eric Grant, both currently stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, were brought up on stage for a toast.

MSgt. Rorie quite eloquently spoke a few words, remarking that they would never stop until every single soldier is home.

The show slowed down just once when Wilson invited the audience to join a bit of afterparty on the main stage. She explained that in the trailers after the show, they bring out the acoustic guitars and fiddles. She performed John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” with just an acoustic guitar alongside.

Audience members seemed to enjoy the departure. While she does perform this number regularly during concerts, you could tell that she enjoyed it and sang from the heart. One particular couple even made their way to the front to slow dance near the stage.

It was probably good the tender-hearted couple didn’t know that in that same spot a rowdier audience member had prepared to rally for the second half just a few minutes earlier, puke and rally, that is.

Rock ‘n’ roll and rhinestones were the theme of the country show. Between John Rich’s bedazzled suit, Wilson’s glittering belt, Cowboy Troy’s enormous belt buckle and the audience’s similarly sequined attire, the truckload of lights that the group brought in their caravan of semis was multiplied times ten.

The energetic women in the crowd were decked out in cowboy hats and glittering tank tops. The men were huge, tall and burly cowboys and ranchers coming from all parts of northern California and throughout the valley, and there were so many Camels and Marlboros - in back pockets, in bra straps - it was a real country show.

The show ended with Big Kenny shredding his t-shirt and throwing it into the crowd, much to the pleasure of one female audience member.

Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich, who together comprise Musik Mafia, sport matching bejeweled rings that mark their participation. The combination becomes more united with each passing year. The group nearly creates a new genre of music, so much rock and so much country. Fans have to wonder if the end result will be a country rock band playing under the name Musik Mafia, and if they would really mind if they did.