By David Burke
Shania Twain tries her darnedest to be all things to all people.
Her hits of the past nine years have been an almost-50/50 hybrid of country and pop-rock. She sings about female empowerment to please the women, and her looks are eye candy for the men.
That all came to fruition Monday night at The Mark of the Quad-Cities, where a capacity crowd of about 11,000 saw the Canadian chanteuse give a genuinely crowd-pleasing 90-minute show.
Derek Anderson/QUAD-CITY TIMESShania Twain gives high-fives to fans as she plays for a capacity crowd Monday night at The Mark of the Quad-Cities
Playing in the round, Twain logged a mile in laps on the circular stage, not only singing but signing autographs, gathering gift flowers and giving high-fives to fans.
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The singer conducted a raffle to benefit River Bend Food Bank, through Second Harvest, that brought two fans on stage for a Polaroid and autographs. In two separate songs, she brought five girls — two preteens and three teens — on stage to sing along with her on “You’re Still the One” and “I’m Gonna Getcha Good.”
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After one extended absence, a spotlight came up on Twain sitting halfway up the lower bowl of The Mark with her guitar player, stunning fans nearby while singing “The Woman In Me.”
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And she ended her main set with “If You’re Not In It For Love (I’m Outta Here)” accompanied by eight local high school drummers.
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Twain’s entrance at The Mark was also a surprise, as shadows on a screen showed Shania in her full “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” video garb yelling “Let’s go, Moline!” But the real Twain came darting through the audience to make her entrance, following members of her band who made their first appearances a la the 1990s Chicago Bulls. Nearly every song was punctuated by a brief burst of fireworks.
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Twain sold every song of the night, even earlier hits that were combined into medleys. She may not have the best range or the most quality voice of the current crop of country singers, but she knows how to deliver.
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The 38-year-old introduced the first of her eight band members, who in turn introduced each other in the only portion of the show that dragged. It did, however, give the singer time to make the first of two costume changes for the night — from a magenta halter top to a red-and-black sport top to a lemon-yellow shirt.
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Opening the act was Canadian country act Emerson Drive, which has learned a thing or two about playing to the audience from Twain.
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The band — much improved from a 2002 Mark date fronting Toby Keith — played their hits including “I Should Be Sleeping,” “Fall Into Me” and “Last One Standing,” and managed to turn U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” into a C&W song, and mixing Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” with riffs from Bon Jovi and Led Zeppelin.
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David Burke can be contacted at
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(563) 383-2400 or
dburke@qctimes.com.
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