9/14/16
Pam and I went to see the Carrie Underwood show at Staples Center. We were not alone. Our good friends, John and Kris, were going with us, well sort of. We drove together and texted throughout the latter two thirds of the show, as they ate dinner instead of seeing the opening act plus half of the second act.
Thankfully, the show started right at seven. Pam and I found it somewhat interestingly disconcerting that the sounds playing in the arena before the concert started were from a live DJ instead of the usual canned background music. We might have liked it better if he spun country songs inste
ad of rap and hip hop. So we were really ready for the opening act, the Swon Brothers, an act we had seen on The Voice and liked. Overall, the Swon Brothers did an okay job. It is obvious that they are not experienced performers, but that was not really an issue for us. The real issue was the sound. It was not mixed properly and the vocals were drowned out by the remainder of the instruments. If I wanted to hear an instrumental, I would listen to jazz or classical music, but this is country, and the lyrics are what it’s about. The other issue, which had less of an impact, was the staging for Carrie Underwood. Instead of the traditional stage running across one of the small ends of an arena, the staging for Carrie Underwood ran the length of the arena floor, meaning the stage was about as long as a basketball court. To make it more interesting for the fans, the band plays within a circle that revolves giving a front on view to all seats for some period of time. This staging does provide for more fans to get a better view of the performers, but you need to have a big enough band and be on stage long enough to take advantage of it. The Swon Brothers looked like they were victims of a shipwreck huddling on a lifeboat floundering in a big sea. They were just lost. Mercifully, they played a short set. Pam and I would most likely see them again, but not anytime soon.
The second act was Easton Corbin. Pam and I really enjoy listening to him, having seen him open for Phil Vassar at the Disney Concert Hall a couple of years ago. That was the first time, I truly appreciated the vaunted acoustics in the Disney venue. He put on a great show then, and he put on a great show the other night, singing Roll With It, A Little More Country Than That, Lovin’ You is Fun, and several others. John and Kris arrived at the arena at the exact time he was covering Love Yourself, a Justin Bieber song. I had never heard the song and had no idea it was a Bieber song, but, as usual when it comes to pop music, Pam enlightened me. I told her I hoped I never hear the original version. Easton Corbin made a big deal about saying he lost a bet with one of his band mates and allowed the band mate to choose the song, but I think he just wanted to cover it. While he was singing, Pam received a text from John and Kris wanting to know if this guy just sang covers. They couldn’t believe their ears. We assured them that this was not the case. Anyway, Easton Corbin, did a great job, and we would happily see him again.
Between each act the DJ returned to spin more music. At least between the Easton Corbin and Carrie Underwood sets, he did some break dancing and shot some tee shirts into the crowd. Finally, it was time for the main event. We have never seen Carrie Underwood perform live. We were not disappointed. She put on a great show.
I am not one of her biggest fans, as she tends to oversing lots of her songs and instead of sounding good, she sounds screechy to me. As I have said before, when it comes to music, less is usually more, and this really becomes apparent when she sings softer songs and her magnificent voice really shines. That is why All-American Girl was the song of hers I liked the best, and that was why my other two favorite songs in the show were I Will Always Love You, a Dolly Parton cover, and Mountain Music, an Alabama cover.
As I watched the show, I realized that Carrie Underwood is really a professional performer. She is not a natural entertainer, as she appears choreographed and not at all spontaneous. I am not sure when I realized this, but it may have been after the second or third costume change, most likely dead giveaways that this was a completely rehearsed act. I tend to find it amusing when artists continually change guitars during a show, though I understand the musical need for it. I really do not see any value in a singer changing his or her clothes during a concert. But apparently she does.
Carrie Underwood and her band made use of the entire acre of stage that night. I admit that it added a dimension to the show, and by the end of it I found I really liked it. Speaking of her band, they did an outstanding job, from the drums to the guitars to the fiddles, and Pam really loves the fiddle, though she refers to it as a violin. Speaking of instruments, I was pleasantly surprised when Carrie played the harmonica during Choctaw County Affair.
When the summer started, if I would have been asked to decide whether I would rather see Miranda Lambert or Carrie Underwood, I would have chosen Carrie Underwood. After having seen them both over the past month or so, I would choose to see Miranda every time, mainly because she puts on what appears to be a real, spontaneous show, even if it is just as produced as Carrie’s. That is not to say that I would not see Carrie Underwood again. I would go happily, without the need for the tequila and doughnuts that I would need to see Adele.