Miranda Lambert in Cherokee, NC 5/24/09

Songs - A-
Entertainment Value - A++
Venue - C

I was super-excited when i saw that Miranda was coming to Cherokee to play. We had been to the Big & Rich concert there about 18 months ago and really enjoyed the small, personal venue. All seats were good seats - there were at least 100 other crazy fans there - just like me - hanging out next to the stage taking pictures and screaming. Unfortunately... the powers that be at Harrah's Cherokee Casino decided that wasn't right for them. For this concert, the hall was changed to a larger room - with no incline - so i feel sorry for those in the back. Luckily, we had aisle seats and i was able to stand up and dance next to the wall - so as not to disturb all the biddies around me telling everyone to sit down the whole time. But the most absurd thing the casino did was to give away all the seats in the first 5 rows to their "high rollers". Which sounds good in a boardroom - but turns the concert into a dull event since no one in the front rows is excited to be there - ie singing and dancing. The seats were not pre-assigned - they were supposed to be first-come-best seats starting at 2pm the day of the show. Which would have been great (since i was there at 1:20) except they left out "except for the first 5 rows"!!) Additionally, the sound in that room was somewhat off and it was hard to hear the words on some songs - i think it had to do with the low ceilings as well. Oh, well... enough about that - on to the SHOW!!


From the opening song - Kerosene - to the Gunpowder & Lead grand finale, Miranda ROCKED THE HOUSE! She really gave it everything she had and it was obvious she - and her band!! -are truly doing what they love to do. She came to play and all the songs were exceptional. Her no-nonsense style portrays her passion for music. There were no costumes - just jeans and a black tank - no props, no signs, no gimmicks. It was just Miranda and her band playing the music they love.

Since she wrote or co-wrote almost all of her own songs, the emotion behind the words really comes out in the heartfelt ballads like Desperation (a song shoe wrote solo and is her self-proclaimed favorite from her 2008 ACM album of the year, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Bring Me Down and her current hit, More Like Her (which she said she wrote on a day she was feeling "not pretty enough, not skinny enough, and not blonde enough").


Her upbeat songs like Kerosene, New Strings, Guilty in Here and Dry Town inspired literal dancing in the aisles - the highlight of the night could have been during Dry Town when two older ladies started dancing at their seats and one of them threw her cane aside because it was apparently interfering with her dancing.



She branched out from her own material on a few songs to play some popular hits like Midnight Hour and entertained with those just as much. She's not a singer at a microphone with a guitar sometimes. She is always dancing and strutting around the stage and interacting with her awesome bandmembers - who are all just having a blast!

Admittedly - with just 2 albums under her belt, it's a challenge to fill the songlist for a concert with all hits. So i do appreciate that the non-Miranda-fans in attendance were hearing a lot of songs for the first time and thus, not as inpsired to be raucous. Miranda knew this as well and even acknowledged those of US in the audience who were singing all the words to all the songs - which was nice. She did, however, leave out two of my favorites - Mama, I'm Alright and What about Georgia - two of the peppier tunes, opting instead for the slower, ballad-type heartbreak songs like Bring Me Down, Love Is Looking For You, and Easy From Now On. It's ironic that Miranda has obtained the reputation for a "kick-ass, tough-as-nails" singer/songwriter because of the popularity of the hits Kerosene and Gunpowder & Lead. But when left up to her, she always prefers the slower, meaningful, "heartrbreak songs" she has written. It's just the public and thus, the record labels, that respond to the kick-ass songs.

After much coaxing and finally a throwdown to North Carolina people to "get up off your ass" - the crowd did succumb and the true fans rushed the stage for the Gunpowder & Lead finale and i think even the "high roller wannabes" enjoyed the excitement. It was electric and exciting and a treat to be THIS close to the stage.



All in all, it was a very enjoyable concert - i always love it when i get to see Miranda live. And i highly recommend the experience to anyone who like to watch musicians just do what they love - even if you're not a Country Music fan (yet!).

2009 Country Megaticket - Charlotte NC - May 15 - George Strait with Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton opening for George Strait - May 15, 2009
Note: this was the first concert on this George Strait tour this year
With lawn seats, the pictures aren't great... but the crowd sure is fun to watch!


Sadly, my friends were running late and i missed Julianne Hough. I hate that i missed her because last year - she was by far the best of the Opening, Opening, Opening acts in the concert series. She had tons of energy and really got the crowd pumped up - a difficult task for an Opening, Opening Opening act. And, imho, she di a better job than her soon-to-be boyfriend, Chuck WIcks, who was the Opening, Opening Act. Perhaps is was the short shorts and the legs that go on forever (which i'm sure is why my husband paid attention) but she was good. I'm sure she was that good or better this year, too.

I did, however, definitely make it on time to see Blake Shelton - since he is my Miranda's beau, i'm certain i'm biased about Blake. First of all - you just gotta love a star that stays true to himself - his signature plaid flannel shirt was the first clue.While i am happy that Blake [finally] got rid of hte mullet, his apparel choices have not drifted far from his pre-country-star days.

As expected, his performance was excellent and he covered all of his hits and played some fun, new songs, too. While Blake has had a resent string of hits, like She Wouldn't Be Gone and Home - which were very powerful as live performances - the oldies Austin and Old Red are still my favorites. He sang these perfectly as well. I just love his new single, Green, too (I think i heard it on the radio the other day - i assume it will be his next release). Blake's quirky take on politically correct nonsense never fails to entertain. In this song, he was "Green before Green was a Thing", but referring to his John Deere tractor and garm and garden, not the "Save the Environment" initiative. All in all - very solid performance - it only could have been enhanced if Miranda showed up to sing the background vocals for Home like she does on the single - but oh well... maybe next time. Here he is singing Home:



Then it was time for The Man... The Legend... Mr George Strait. You know - there are only 2 acts in country music that truly entertain at a concert even though their whole act is standing at the mic in the center of the stage and playing a guitar and singing - George Strait and Alan Jackson. I think it's because all of the songs are so good - and everyone knows ALL of them. And this concert was no exception. Actually this wasn't my first George Strait concert - but it was my first in 16 years - and i think this one was better.

I should point out that it must be very difficult for stars that are successforl for decades to come up with a song list for new concerts. There's not enough time to play ALL their hits, and they'll surely disappoint some fans no matter which ones they leave out. It's a no-win situation and it's unfortunate that it's only the successful singers that experience it. But overall, George did a nice job of navigating this obstacle (defined as: he sang my favorite song, Amarillo By Morning).

George's recent successes are quite impressive - Give It Away, I Saw God Today, Troubadour - all solid award-winning hits that are excellent songs. His success is well-deserved. The songs were entertaining all on their own - even though there wasn't the "energy" you see at a Kenny Chesney or Sugarland performance, the songs all have a life and energy of their own. From the old classics like I Can Still Make Cheyenne, The Fireman and Ocean Front Property - to the new classics like The Seashores of Old Mexico (my favorite video) and Rolling On THe River, he kept the crown excited to be there and you could tell he was excited to be there, too.

It should also be noted that this was the first concert of the summer tour and it had been only a few weeks since the unexpected death of his brother. But George is a true professional and neither of those things seemed to be a factor in his performance.

All in all - it wasn't the best concert i've ever been to but it was definitely worth the trip! Good music - good friends to enjoy it with - and cold beer! All that makes for a great way to spend a Friday night.