Sep. 26, 01:03 EDT
Shania's UP! tour rumbles out of city
They Loved Her - About 17,600 fans of Shania Twain
were rocking and cheering at Copps last night.
Graham Rockingham, The Hamilton Spectator
A dazzling Shania Twain
put on a great show for
a sold-out crowd at Copps
Coliseum last night, shaking
hands with fans in between
songs. And so, her worldwide
tour starts.
Kaz Novak, the Hamilton Spectator
Part magician, part quick-change artist, Shania Twain used every trick in her book to capture the hearts of the 17,600 fans who packed Copps Coliseum last night in the first show of the superstar's worldwide UP! tour.
But after all the costume changes, stage tricks and fireworks are forgotten, Twain's fans will remember her for her charm. The country superstar from Timmins is just so darn nice. Twain leapt into the show with all pistons pumping, her torquoise hi-top sneakers prancing across the central stage to the beat of Man!
I Feel Like A Woman, fuzzy crocheted halter over a tourquoise bikini top, glittering gold fatigue pants shifting colours through the overhead lighting. She continued the pace with the title song off her top selling album Up, then Honey I'm Home, her gender-bending song of female empowerment, Honey I'm Home, and then C'est La Vie.
Twain quieted things down by sitting on a stool in the revolving centre of her specially designed stage to sing her latest wedding anthem, Forever and For Always. "This is one of my personal favourites," she confided.
It was about this time, maybe 30 minutes into the show, that Twain decided it was time to get intimate. She strutted around the outer rim of the round stage at the centre of the stage, touching every hand that reached for her, signing every book thrust before her, snatching up every bouquet offered. If you were sitting within 15 feet of the stage, Twain made sure you came in contact with her. At times, she even jumped into the crowd, sharing the microphone with an adoring fan.
It was Twain's way of giving something back to the city.
Over the next few months, the tour will visit dozens of cities around the world. Next stop Ottawa, then Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Toronto. Twenty seven North American dates have been announced so far. Once the convoy grinds to a halt, the tour will have grossed untold tens of millions of dollars in ticket sales, easily outselling the $60 million posted by the Dixie Chicks earlier this year.
The carefully orchestrated tour has been more than a year in the making, starting with the release last November of her CD UP! Within five weeks the album had posted enough sales to make it the top selling album of 2002. With the help of a barrage of high-profile television interviews, promotional appearances and the release of three straight singles, the album stayed near the top of the charts throughout the spring and summer.
Nine million albums had been sold worldwide, and Twain hadn't even started to tour. All told, Twain, 38, has sold some 60 million CDs during her 10 years in the recording business.
Just as sales were beginning to lag, the album was given an additional boost by a two-hour network television special featuring highlights of a free Chicago concert held in July.
The tour was announced the next day.
Up! went back to the top of the charts, where it will likely stay until the tour is completed.
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