News Letter - Belfast
Feb 21st 2004
Up! The Country legend pleases her audience
Shania Twain apprciates her Ulster Fans. How do we know this?
Not through the tens of millions of albums she has sold, or the fact that 19,000 Ulster people splashed out £42 each to see her live at the Odyssey (that's £798,000 worth of tickets), but because she dedicated the first night of her two concerts here to them.
And for her legion of hardcore fans there - and judging by the behaviour of the crowd at the first night of her two shows - this was probably a dream come true.
For the other thousands of more fairweather fans she was in danger of not impressing us much at all.
For Shania's gig, a specially-constructed stage was erected in the centre of the arena, with no barriers and few security guards.
This invited thousands of her fans (including me) to run to the stage to get up close and personal to the star, getting their programmes and tickets signed while she was singing, or just getting touched by the delicate hands of a country superstar.
As well as this, Shania chatted to the crowd, read out requests and brought no less than five audience members up to the stage throughout the show.
And while it is commendable that the star makes so much time for her fans, she did it partly at the expense of the show.
For the thousands who attended the concert, it was inevitable that they would leave a little disappointed.
A huge part of the show consisted of Shania bending down scribling autographs, meaning that it became more like a huge meet and greet session.
But the problem for the singer was that once she gave a little, the fans wanted a whole lot more.
But when she did perform, she did well.
Singing most of her greatest hits - From This Moment On only warranted a few acapella lines - Shania skipped around the stage, followed by her lively band, and was vocally immaculate.
There were three costume changes with shania opting for the casual look, and her final costume change saw her don a baggy Belfast Giants top.
Highlights included the opening track Man! I Fell Like A Woman, and beautiful versions of You're Still The One and Forever and For Always.
And a mini fireworks display at the end of the show put an exciting end to an evetful night.
For her die-hard fans, this would have been the best night of their lives, but everyone else there, however, a little more performing and and a little les pandering for fans, would have made a good show brilliant.
Oh well, Shania, you cant please everyone.
Jeff Magill