Copps ‘blown away’ by Carrie Underwood
Graham Rockingham Fri Mar 29 2013 11:17:32
The last time I saw Carrie Underwood, she was hoisted into the air on the flatbed of a vintage blue pickup truck and flown around the rafters of Copps Coliseum while singing John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads.
The stunt was a little cheesy, but impressive nonetheless. I hadn’t seen gimmickry like that since Emerson Lake and Palmer’s Brain Salad Surgery tour in 1974.
So I returned to Copps Coliseum Thursday night, three years later, wondering how Underwood would top that bit of circus gimmickry.
Perhaps, I thought innocently, she would just perform her songs without the help of anything but a crack seven-piece band, an amusing video montage and that magnificent voice of hers.
Underwood had, after all, nothing more to prove. She’s been the reigning queen of country for some time now. If it wasn’t for Taylor Swift, she’d be the biggest thing since Shania Twain.
There was a crowd of 12,000 fans waiting for her. With the help of ticket prices that stayed under the $100 threshold, she had done what The Who and Lady Gaga could not – sell out Copps.
Sure enough, Underwood settled into a fairly modest setting. In a fluffy feathered dress, she played the title part of her opening song The Good Girl. As the show progressed, it became apparent that the only the vehicles on stage would be the ones appearing on the video screens for her rollicking version of Two Black Cadillacs.
We got a revealing costume change and some down-and-dirty vocals for the Last Name, as well as some beautifully tender moments through Temporary Home and Jesus Take the Wheel.
Then, about halfway through the show, Underwood disappeared through a trap door. The lights went down … and the stage started rising.
Yes, the whole front section of the stage was hoisted above the crowd under four giant patio lanterns, with Underwood and her three guitarists performing Get Out Of This Town.
The stage didn’t leave town. It just moved out further over the crowd and started rotating while Underwood sang and the pickers picked. Then the stage began to rotate as they did a couple of more songs, Nobody Ever Told You and American Girl.
Underwood then started throwing Hawaiian leis out to the audience as she sang One Way Ticket, and a dozen giant beach balls started bouncing over peoples’ heads.
Cheesy? You bet. Impressive? Absolutely. It sure beat the heck out of the pick up truck caper from the 2010 show.
I sat there in awe as I watched the stage return to base, with a couple of discreet stage hands guiding it into place for a safe landing.
There was another trap door exit and a quick change into a sleek and glittery black cat suit for Leave Love Alone, as well as a video duet with Brad Paisley on Remind Me and a rocking version of Before He Cheats.
But the highlight of the show, almost sans glitter and glitz, was the vocal display she put on for the show’s finale, Blown Away.
Okay, there was a tornado blowing in the background and a confetti-spewing geyser blasting out of the centre of the stage.
But all that gimmickry suddenly seemed small compared to the power of Carrie Underwood’s voice.
Copps ‘blown away’ by Carrie Underwood
Graham Rockingham Fri Mar 29 2013 11:17:32
The last time I saw Carrie Underwood, she was hoisted into the air on the flatbed of a vintage blue pickup truck and flown around the rafters of Copps Coliseum while singing John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads.
The stunt was a little cheesy, but impressive nonetheless. I hadn’t seen gimmickry like that since Emerson Lake and Palmer’s Brain Salad Surgery tour in 1974.
So I returned to Copps Coliseum Thursday night, three years later, wondering how Underwood would top that bit of circus gimmickry.
Perhaps, I thought innocently, she would just perform her songs without the help of anything but a crack seven-piece band, an amusing video montage and that magnificent voice of hers.
Underwood had, after all, nothing more to prove. She’s been the reigning queen of country for some time now. If it wasn’t for Taylor Swift, she’d be the biggest thing since Shania Twain.
There was a crowd of 12,000 fans waiting for her. With the help of ticket prices that stayed under the $100 threshold, she had done what The Who and Lady Gaga could not – sell out Copps.
Sure enough, Underwood settled into a fairly modest setting. In a fluffy feathered dress, she played the title part of her opening song The Good Girl. As the show progressed, it became apparent that the only the vehicles on stage would be the ones appearing on the video screens for her rollicking version of Two Black Cadillacs.
We got a revealing costume change and some down-and-dirty vocals for the Last Name, as well as some beautifully tender moments through Temporary Home and Jesus Take the Wheel.
Then, about halfway through the show, Underwood disappeared through a trap door. The lights went down … and the stage started rising.
Yes, the whole front section of the stage was hoisted above the crowd under four giant patio lanterns, with Underwood and her three guitarists performing Get Out Of This Town.
The stage didn’t leave town. It just moved out further over the crowd and started rotating while Underwood sang and the pickers picked. Then the stage began to rotate as they did a couple of more songs, Nobody Ever Told You and American Girl.
Underwood then started throwing Hawaiian leis out to the audience as she sang One Way Ticket, and a dozen giant beach balls started bouncing over peoples’ heads.
Cheesy? You bet. Impressive? Absolutely. It sure beat the heck out of the pick up truck caper from the 2010 show.
I sat there in awe as I watched the stage return to base, with a couple of discreet stage hands guiding it into place for a safe landing.
There was another trap door exit and a quick change into a sleek and glittery black cat suit for Leave Love Alone, as well as a video duet with Brad Paisley on Remind Me and a rocking version of Before He Cheats.
But the highlight of the show, almost sans glitter and glitz, was the vocal display she put on for the show’s finale, Blown Away.
Okay, there was a tornado blowing in the background and a confetti-spewing geyser blasting out of the centre of the stage.
But all that gimmickry suddenly seemed small compared to the power of Carrie Underwood’s voice.
There was a crowd of 12,000 fans waiting for her. With the help of ticket prices that stayed under the $100 threshold, she had done what The Who and Lady Gaga could not – sell out Copps.
WFCU Centre @wfcucentre 7m
DID YOU KNOW that Carrie Underwood had a photo shoot @wfcucentre today for People magazine? Photos will hit the newsstand this Wednesday
CARRIE UNDERWOOD SETS TWO RECORDS AT THE WFCU CENTRE
Windsor, ON
– Tonight at the WFCU Centre country superstar Carrie Underwood blew away fans and broke two facility records with her jaw dropping concert. With tickets selling out in two minutes, Carrie's show now holds the record as the WFCU Centre’s fastest sell out to date, as well as the record for the highest attendance for an end-stage concert at the WFCU Centre with 7,157 fans to witness Carrie’s amazing performance. The previous record for attendance for an end stage concert was set by Russell Peters with 5,067 in attendance.
Carrie Underwood’s tour stop in Windsor did not only entertain the community but also provided a great contribution to two great community charities. Global Spectrum donated $1 for every ticket sold to the Red Cross, making last night’s charitable contribution to the Red Cross $6,359.00.
In addition to contributing to the Red Cross, Global Spectrum and Carrie Underwood donated an autographed vegan friendly purse to the Celebrities Support Handbags for Healthcare program for the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation.
“Last night was a huge success on all fronts. It was great to be able to provide fans the opportunity to experience such a world renowned star as Carrie Underwood at the WFCU Centre, as well as give back to the community” said General Manager of Events Jason Toner. “Not only will the fans in attendance remember last night for years to come but the event will have an impact on our community as a whole with the charitable causes we were able to support”.
The Celebrities Support Handbags for Healthcare initiative is headed by a local non-profit group called the Do Good Divas. The group holds an annual “Diva Delights: A Girls Night Out in Handbag Heaven”, which supports community charities and foundations by auctioning handbags which have been donated by celebrities, designers, retailers and members of the community. This year’s event will take place October 24 , 2013. For more information visit their website at www.dogooddivas.com.Global Spectrum will donate the rare andlimited vegan Coach purse autographed by Carrie Underwood to this year’s event, which is sure to helpcontribute to this year’s charitable efforts in support of the Windsor Regional Hospital Cancer Centre
CARRIE UNDERWOOD SETS TWO RECORDS AT THE WFCU CENTRE
Windsor, ON
– Tonight at the WFCU Centre country superstar Carrie Underwood blew away fans and broke two facility records with her jaw dropping concert. With tickets selling out in two minutes, Carrie's show now holds the record as the WFCU Centre’s fastest sell out to date, as well as the record for the highest attendance for an end-stage concert at the WFCU Centre with 7,157 fans to
witness Carrie’s amazing performance. The previous record for attendance for an end stage concert was set by Russell Peters with 5,067 in attendance.
Carrie Underwood’s tour stop in Windsor did not only entertain the community but also provided a great contribution to two great community charities. Global Spectrum donated $1 for every ticket sold to the Red Cross, making last night’s charitable contribution to the Red Cross $6,359.00.
In addition to contributing to the Red Cross, Global Spectrum and Carrie Underwood donated an autographed vegan friendly purse to the Celebrities Support Handbags for Healthcare program for the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation.
“Last night was a huge success on all fronts. It was great to be able to provide fans the opportunity to experience such a world renowned star as Carrie Underwood at the WFCU Centre, as well as give back to the community” said General Manager of Events Jason Toner. “Not only will the fans in attendance remember last night for years to come but the event will have an impact on our community as a whole with the charitable causes we were able to support”.
The Celebrities Support Handbags for Healthcare initiative is headed by a local non-profit group called the Do Good Divas. The group holds an annual “Diva Delights: A Girls Night Out in Handbag Heaven”, which supports community charities and foundations by auctioning handbags which have been donated by celebrities, designers, retailers and members of the community. This year’s event will take place October 24 , 2013. For more information visit their website at www.dogooddivas.com.Global Spectrum will donate the rare andlimited vegan Coach purse autographed by Carrie Underwood to this year’s event, which is sure to helpcontribute to this year’s charitable efforts in support of the Windsor Regional Hospital Cancer Centre
The Audience was “Blown Away”
Carrie Underwood and Hunter Hayes perform at First Niagara Center for 20,000 fans
Quote:
There was a dress code in Buffalo on Tuesday night: Cowboy boots, white lace dresses, cowboy hats resting on top of bouncy, curly hair and lots of denim. Carrie Underwood performed with special guest star Hunter Hayes at the First Niagara Center on Tuesday to a crowd of around 20,000 country music fans on her Blown Away Tour.
Hayes started the show on a low note by informing the audience he had a sore throat and would need its help to sing his chart topping hits. That wasn’t a problem for the audience, as he started his set with “Somebody’s Heartbreak” and held the microphone out to the masses.
The audience let out a resounding cheer as Hayes sat down at the piano and played the first few notes of “Wanted,” his current hit single. The voices of thousands of fans came together in unison and sang the chart-topping hit’s chorus as Hayes played along.
Hayes concluded his set with a twang as he sang “Storm Warning,”and despite the issues he had, Hayes gave the song his all and thanked the fans “for being too good to him.”
If anything, at the end of his short set, the fans had more of a sore throat than Hayes.
“I won’t be able to talk for a day,” said Holly Loveless, a junior at Utica College, who attended the concert with her boyfriend.
The country music fan waited anxiously, along with the rest of the stadium, for 45 minutes until Carrie Underwood started her performance.
It has been 10 months since Underwood’s latest album, Blown Away, was released in May 2012 and fans couldn’t wait to hear her sing their favorite songs.
When the lights went out, Underwood enthusiasts screamed as three movable screens appeared on stage. The screens showed the six-time Grammy winner strutting through desolate farmland and then running from a tornado accompanied by her five-person band.
Another screen rose from the floor with the projection of a door, and Underwood boldly entered singing “Good Girl” in a shiny royal purple gown that showed off her long legs.
Underwood and her fans clapped and sang along to her 2010 single from Play On, “Undo It,” her 2007 single “Wasted” and two of her new songs – “I Told You So” and “Two Black Cadillacs” – without a break before a welcoming “How’s it going Buffalo?” from Underwood.
Her rendition of “Two Black Cadillacs” maintained the exuberance as wind blew up from the stage floor, giving the American Idol winner an aura of confidence and control over the audience that would last for the duration of the performance.
Renee Sowden, 52, has been following Underwood since she was on the hit show on Fox, and she loved every bit of the performance.
“To see her now, in person, is so cool. All of her songs are beautiful; I can’t even pick a favorite,” Sowden said.
After a quick wardrobe change, Underwood brought the energy in the room down to a low buzz as she mentioned the $1 donation to Red Cross that came with every ticket purchase. Underwood expressed that, as a star, she “might as well help others, because that’s what we were put on this planet to do: to help each other out.”
Underwood continued the heartwarming spirit by introducing her next couple of songs as tracks that have meant the most to her throughout her musical career: CMT award-winning song “Temporary Home” and 2005 hit single “Jesus Take the Wheel.”
The spell Underwood put over the audience was chilling as she sang “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Although many spectators took a seat, they participated by swaying their arms in the air in support of the emotional star.
For Loveless, the song held almost as meaning as it did to Underwood.
“[Jesus Take the Wheel] was my favorite song she performed,” Loveless said. “It’s a family and religious thing, but it really meant a lot to me that she sang that one.”
Underwood underwent another quick outfit change after performing another song, reemerging with jean shorts, a t-shirt and a long frayed vest, singing “Get Out of This Town.” She and three band members then walked to a wooden fenced-off area in the front of the stage, where it slowly rose off the stage and floated into the audience.
The songstress ran through a few other songs – including the Grammy award-winning “Before He Cheats” – before closing out the show with her emotional hit single, “Blown Away.” It was a dramatic conclusion, complete with a video of a tornado ripping through a home behind her, real paper flying around the stage, a funnel of smoke bellowing behind her and artificial wind blowing her hair. The set up made Underwood look invincible.
Fans screamed the emotional lyrics along with her, creating a reverberating effect throughout the stadium. Before she left the stage, she signed a 7-year-old girl’s cowboy hat and blew a kiss to her audience.
The performance left the members of the audience smiling and even converted an old-time country music fan to “Team Underwood.”
Renee’s husband, Torrey Sowden, 52, is an old-school country music fan. But after sitting through the concert with his wife, he has a new found appreciation for the entertainment value of new-school country music.
“Normally, [country music singers] just get on stage, sit and then play songs, but with Carrie Underwood, it’s a whole theatrical thing,” he said. “It was beautiful and awesome.”
Underwood will also be performing at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Canada on March 29.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD SETS TWO RECORDS AT THE WFCU CENTRE
Windsor, ON
– Tonight at the WFCU Centre country superstar Carrie Underwood blew away fans and broke two facility records with her jaw dropping concert. With tickets selling out in two minutes, Carrie's show now holds the record as the WFCU Centre’s fastest sell out to date, as well as the record for the highest attendance for an end-stage concert at the WFCU Centre with 7,157 fans to witness Carrie’s amazing performance. The previous record for attendance for an end stage concert was set by Russell Peters with 5,067 in attendance.
Carrie Underwood’s tour stop in Windsor did not only entertain the community but also provided a great contribution to two great community charities. Global Spectrum donated $1 for every ticket sold to the Red Cross, making last night’s charitable contribution to the Red Cross $6,359.00.
In addition to contributing to the Red Cross, Global Spectrum and Carrie Underwood donated an autographed vegan friendly purse to the Celebrities Support Handbags for Healthcare program for the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation.
“Last night was a huge success on all fronts. It was great to be able to provide fans the opportunity to experience such a world renowned star as Carrie Underwood at the WFCU Centre, as well as give back to the community” said General Manager of Events Jason Toner. “Not only will the fans in attendance remember last night for years to come but the event will have an impact on our community as a whole with the charitable causes we were able to support”.
The Celebrities Support Handbags for Healthcare initiative is headed by a local non-profit group called the Do Good Divas. The group holds an annual “Diva Delights: A Girls Night Out in Handbag Heaven”, which supports community charities and foundations by auctioning handbags which have been donated by celebrities, designers, retailers and members of the community. This year’s event will take place October 24 , 2013. For more information visit their website at www.dogooddivas.com.Global Spectrum will donate the rare andlimited vegan Coach purse autographed by Carrie Underwood to this year’s event, which is sure to helpcontribute to this year’s charitable efforts in support of the Windsor Regional Hospital Cancer Centre
I think it has like 40 plays on my itunes right now! It's my favorite of the four Play On Demos.