Male singers have been dominating the entertainer of the year category at the country music awards shows for a long time.
But don't get too comfortable Kenny and Keith, Martina McBride just might be nipping at your heels.
Rolling her "Waking Up Laughing Tour" into Van Andel Arena on Sunday evening, the country star delivered an impressive and stellar performance for 5,000 fans, demonstrating that she deserves to be up for that honor.
With awesome high tech staging and production, McBride opened the show with the pastoral and inspirational hit "Anyway," from her ninth and latest album "Waking Up Laughing." From there it was a generous helping of hit material spanning her 15-year career, which includes 22 Top 10 singles.
Backed by a talented seven piece band, which included Martina's brother Marty Schiff on guitar and backing vocals, the 41-year-old Kansas native tempered weightier material, such as the socially conscious "Concrete Angel" and "A Broken Wing" with lighthearted country rockers, including the Buddy Holly-grooved "My Baby Loves Me," "Happy Girl" and her 1995 breakthrough smash "Wild Angels."
Throughout the evening, McBride gave a powerhouse vocal demonstration, her Titanic-sized voice belying her petite 5-foot-4 frame. She also exhibited a great sense of humor, such as when she introduced her cover of Kris Kristofferson's classic "Help Me Make It Through the Night," which is featured on McBride's 2005 platinum-selling album "Timeless."
"Back in the early '70's, it was considered risque for a woman to be singing the lyrics to this song," McBride told the audience. "But that was before we had badonkadonks in country music."
Four stars (out of four stars) |
Closing with the crowd pleasing rocker "Independence Day," McBride clearly had fun on her encore as she hit the crowd with a solid two-punch of classic rock covers, including Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and Pat Benetar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot."
McBride brought along two excellent opening acts to warm things up. Texas singer-songwriter Jack Ingram has been kicking around the scene for several years, but recently has been scoring some big hits on the country charts. His gritty and muscular performance was a hit with the crowd, especially on numbers such as "Measure of a Man," "Maybe She'll Get Lonely" and his No. 1 single "Wherever You Are."
A big surprise however, was new country trio Lady Antebellum, which took the stage first with a solid 25-minute set. While the group has yet to release its debut album, its uptempo first single "Love Don't Live Here" is currently climbing the charts.
With a refreshing sound, that incorporates stunning three-part harmony and a distinctively Southern feel, Lady Antebellum was a hit with the crowd and is a group to watch.