Twain delights crowd in fan-friendly show
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By Keith Herrell
News editor
What's more exciting, a Shania Twain concert or a one-run Reds victory?
Down along the riverfront Saturday night, it depended on whether you were wearing a halter top or a red T-shirt. (Of course, if you wore a red halter top you had all the bases covered, so to speak.)
While the T-shirts filled Great American Ball Park for the Reds' 8-7 victory over the Astros, the halter tops packed U.S. Bank Arena to see Twain whip up on anyone who tries to pigeonhole her as pop or country.
After all, how can you not be country if you ask the musical question, "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?'' Then again, how can you not be pop with a slick show featuring fireworks, fog and synthesizers?
Twain, stopping here on her marathon "Up!'' tour with opening act Emerson Drive, set out to do one thing: put on a good show. And that she did, cramming most of her hits into a 17-song set that had her onstage for an hour and 27 minutes, with occasional time-outs for costume changes.
Performing in the round, Twain opened with "Man! I Feel Like a Woman.'' Clad in a sleeveless, zippered hoody with sequined jeans and white lace-up boots, she occupied the stage's apex while her eight-piece band patrolled the lower perimeter.
Twain was in constant motion, frequently descending to the lower level to slap hands with the fans or scrawl what couldn't have been more than an "S'' on anything that was handed up to her.
In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more fan-friendly concert despite the arena's cavernous environs. In addition to the front-row interaction, Twain on three occasions brought a fan up to the stage: one for a birthday surprise, another in honor of his 26th Shania Twain concert and a third to sing along with her on "You're Still the One.''
For "The Woman In Me,'' after a short break for a costume change while members of the band introduced each other, she reappeared seated among fans in the lower level, a single spotlight pointing the way to her as she sang to acoustic guitar accompaniment.
Then there was the frequent between-songs patter, which had the added benefit of giving her singing voice a rest. At one point, she said, "It's always my greatest pleasure to hear the audience sing one of my songs.''
If that's the case, she was a happy woman Saturday night, particularly with "That Don't Impress Me Much'' and "Honey, I'm Home.''
As a concert venue, by the way, U.S. Bank Arena is a great place for a hockey game. Twain's lyrics were often lost in the loud, muddy sound system, but no one seemed terribly troubled.
It's undeniable that Twain is more popular with women than men, but sometimes it was hard to tell who was dragging whom to the concert. A few rows down from me, a man sang along and danced with great gusto to just about every song, while his female companion sat primly next to him.
Twain saved one fan-friendly flourish for last: She appeared for a two-song encore clad in a Reds jersey, finishing with "Rock This Country!,'' slapping a few more hands and running right out of the arena to a waiting tour bus.
http://www.cincypost.com/2004/05/24/keith052404.html
Publication Date: 05-24-2004