Concert Review: Carrie Underwood

Ok. It's my hope and goal that I will stop drooling by the end of this review of last nights Carrie Underwood concert.

First of all, I must thank my sister in law Katie and her boyfriend Shaun for allowing me to go to this show at Konocti Harbor. Unfortunately, they were not able to attend with the tickets that they won from Ken & Corey on 95.7 The Wolf so I made the 2 1/2 hour journey to Clearlake instead.

The night began with up and coming singer Fisher Stevenson of Big Machine Records (Taylor Swift). Although he played a short set, of which most songs were ballads, the man has potential. He has a great voice and an equally great back up band. Loved the songs "On Loan", "Lay Your Love Down" and "Learning To Live Without You". It was also nice that his wife and baby were able to attend the show. He said that he lives in Davis so right on!

Following the opening act, it was time for Ms. Carrie Underwood. Pardon me as I wipe the drool from my chin once again.

It's been a couple years since she came on the scene winning American Idol and she has taken the country music scene by storm! Last night proved that she has the talent and the voice to dominate the country charts for years to come. She has a stage presence which brings the crowd to life and did not let us down.

The set list included a mix of her classic hits as well as a few new tracks. The audience was definitely into the show and was singing along with every word (especially the four pre-teen girls in front of us who were dressed in Carrie Underwood clothes head to toe).

Songs during the set included: Wasted, Twisted, All-American Girl, So Small, Jesus Take the Wheel, Last Name and a great rendition of Don't Forget to Remember Me.

Carrie had some fun with the audience: "If you feel like singing - sing," she told the crowd of over 4,000. "If you feel like dancing - dance. And if you feel like kissing the person beside you just make sure it's OK with them first".

It seemed like everything was going right for the crowd, and for Carrie. And then she swallowed a bug. I'll admit, this is the first time I have seen this happen during a show. She seemed pretty grossed out by the whole thing, but she laughed and had a good time with it. A fan even pointed out to her that it was a firefly, not just a bug. Only in Lake County!

For the encore, Carrie and her band performed a great rendition of Guns N Roses' Paradise City. This may have been the highlight of the night as the music was loud and the crowd was even louder. The night concluded with crowd favorite "Before He Cheats". I would be willing to bet that everyone in attendance was singing every word to this song.

Overall, a great show! I had never seen Carrie in concert before but I would love to go again. The scenery was beautiful with the amphitheater located right on the shores of Clearlake. The only thing more beautiful than the sunset over the lake would probably be Carrie herself. Wow! The word beautiful is hardly an accurate description!