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While Garth Brooks Plans a Comeback, Shania Twain Prepares One Last Hurrah

By Amy McCarthy | Dallas Observer | August 10, 2015

2015, it would seem, is the year of the country comeback. After more than a decade of relative silence from both Shania Twain and Garth Brooks, they both came roaring back at the end of last year, announcing what looked like dual blockbuster comebacks. Brooks has already sold out tour dates across the country, including seven nights in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. At the same time, critics are heaping praise on Twain, who plays there tonight and is on her final tour.

It's uncanny that these two artists would plop back into the country listener’s consciousness at the same time, considering that many fans are quick to blame them for the ascension of pop-country in the 1990s. Twain, billed the “queen of pop country,” has had more crossover success than any other female artist in music history, and Brooks has sold more albums than the Beatles. For all their faults, country can thank Twain and Brooks for making it the most popular genre in the United States.

But the two comebacks, both staggering in their success, are not on the same trajectory. Brooks stepped out of the spotlight to raise his teenaged daughter, vowing to get back into the music business after she turned 18. He made good on his promise, launching the independent, artist-friendly streaming service GhostTunes and recording Man Against Machine, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Album Charts. Earlier this month, it was announced that Brooks’ current tour is already 2015’s top-performing country tour, surpassing megastars like Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift.

Critical reception for Man Against Machine was somewhat tepid, and while overall favorable, it doesn’t touch what Brooks was able to do in the '90s. Still, we can expect plenty of new music to come. Plans for a follow-up to Man Against Machine have not yet been announced, but he does plan to release a Christmas album with wife and recording artist Trisha Yearwood, and you can expect that with success like this, he’ll be back for more. It isn’t exactly easy to record an album when you’re keeping up one of the most grueling touring schedules in the entire music business.

Twain's comeback tour, however, is much more of a farewell, at least from the road. Twain has said in multiple interviews that the Rock This Country tour would be her last, even though she plans to release a fifth album by the time she’s 50, aka in the next year or so. Twain does not plan to retire from music, making her announcement much like George Strait’s proclamation that he would continue to record and perform, but would be leaving the touring world after The Cowboy Rides Away tour concluded in Dallas last year.

The coverage of Twain’s Rock This Country tour, which has been traveling around the country with its showy theatrics and pyrotechnics since 2014, has been overwhelmingly positive, if disparate. Critics in some markets, like Kansas City, called the tour a “goodbye,” while others definitively called it a “comeback.” Perhaps the latter is more wishful thinking, especially after more than a decade off the road. Either way, it remains to be seen whether or not Twain will be able to recoup the same comeback success that Brooks has — assuming she even wants to.

The two parallel comebacks, and their different intended outcomes, are notable in the context of the current country climate. Country is desperately trying to find its authentic roots, and when Twain and Brooks look like “old-school” country it’s clear that this genre is need in some serious rehab. But Twain isn’t necessarily interested in being part of country music’s authentic renaissance. Instead, she plans to record an album of “soul music,” whatever that means.

Brooks, savvily, is taking advantage of a climate that is overwhelmingly friendly to his comeback. All but gone are the fans who would claim that Brooks’ music is inauthentic — they’ve all fled to Americana where they can hear steel guitars and good guitar playing — and the same fans that enjoyed his music in the '90s are downloading Luke Bryan and Chris Young albums today. The country fans that became country fans in the Brooks era are still country fans, even if they’re not interested in the authentic stuff.

Whether either tour will amount to much of a "comeback" remains to be seen, but in spite of their totally different approaches, Twain and Brooks are both cashing in on country music’s desperation to distinguish itself from plain old pop music. Whether that's good for the genre or not may be the biggest mystery of all.

http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/while-garth-brooks-plans-a-comeback-shania-twain-prepares-one-last-hurrah-7478525

Shania Twain Was Back and Cheesy as Hell at American Airlines Center

By Paige Skinner | Dallas Observer | August 11, 2015

She’s baaaaaaack. You love her. You karaoke her songs when you’re blackout drunk. She’s the queen of the country-pop crossover and you and Taylor Swift are forever thankful to her for that.

She’s Shania Effin’ Twain and she’s rock ‘n' roll, baby.

OK, so Twain is a little cheesy. During Monday night’s concert at the American Airlines Center, Twain appeared for her first song, “Rock This Country,” which is also the name of the big comeback tour, in a getup that resembled an ad for Meryl Streep’s Ricki and the Flash. She wore a red sparkly jumpsuit, a black fringe jacket, knee-high boots and red-tinted sunglasses. She looked like a movie character pretending to be a rock star. Basically, she looked exactly like one of country and pop’s biggest superstars decades after her first hit song.

But who the hell cares? You probably don’t. I don’t. The audience sure as hell didn’t. They waited months and years and decades for this woman to rise from the popstar graveyard and reign supreme again.

And she did that. For the most part.

Throughout the night, there was so much fire coming out of the stage during every song. It actually began to get hot in the arena. Minutes later, the smell of the explosions would continue to linger.

Twain played all of her biggest hits (“Any Man of Mine,” “Come On Over,” “Man! I Feel Like a Woman”), which pleased the crowd. The crowd was surprisingly young; young girls in cowboy boots and sundresses were everywhere. “Some of you have not seen me on tour before, but if you have, you were, like, three,” Twain joked.

She played some lesser-known songs, like “I Ain’t No Quitter." The crowd took their seats for that one, but sat mesmerized by the shirtless dancing cowboys that appeared on the big screen behind Twain.

Gags like that happened all night. But just when you thought you had survived all of them, suddenly Twain was on a mechanical bull flying over the crowd. The bull was attached to part of the stage, and as she began explaining her next song, it began to lift off. The next thing you knew, she was flying over the arena, singing “Up.”

She also made time to play some songs acoustically, like “Today Is Your Day.” “I got myself through a hard time when I wrote this song,” she told the crowd.

Then she brought out her opening act, Gavin DeGraw, to sing “Party for Two.” During both of their sets, they gushed about each other, and after their duet, I was 100 percent sure they were going to bite the bullet and make out on stage. They didn’t.

Yes, the sole opening act was DeGraw, and no, don’t adjust your monitors — you read that correctly. The only thing weirder than pop-rock singer DeGraw opening for country-pop goddess Twain was witnessing a bunch of 60-something-year-old men in cowboy hats sit and stare at an enthusiastic DeGraw singing lyrics like, “Night sky full of drones/This neighborhood of clones.” When DeGraw can carry the House of Blues by himself, watching him perform to deaf ears didn’t feel right.

But Twain captivated the thousands inside AAC. During her encore, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” the crowd treated it as one big karaoke party. Whether she was lip-synching or not (something I went back and forth on all night), people danced and enjoyed the hell out of it. They had waited long enough for it.

http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/shania-twain-was-back-and-cheesy-as-hell-at-american-airlines-center-7481939 

Concert review: Shania Twain rocks Chesapeake Energy Arena

By Brandy McDonnell | The Oklahoman | August 13, 2015 at 9:21 a.m.

Sheer black fabric billowed behind her as Shania Twain strutted back onto the stage for her grand finale.

Since Twain had just spent the better part of two hours feistily reaffirming her status as a country-pop superheroine, the cape was probably not necessary. But then, the Canadian singer-songwriter has always had style to spare.

At once a comeback series and a farewell trek, Twain kept the promise of her “Rock This Country” tour Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena: She rocked the place, thrilling the near-sellout, female-dominated crowd with a string of familiar hits that earned her the “Queen of Country Pop” crown in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Her voice may not be as smooth and supple as it once was, but Twain, who turns 50 on Aug. 28, has not lost one bit of her sassy charisma and self-assured sexiness. Watching her "shimmy, shake, make the earth quake” to the utter delight of the boisterous crowd, was pure fun.

And as Shania says, "the best thing about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun."

She seized that prerogative from the start Wednesday night, rising up on a silvery lift from beneath the massive stage to sing, fist-pump and frolic through “Rock This Country.” Dressed in sparkly red short-shorts, fishnet stockings, an elaborately fringed black jacket, black thigh-high boots and crimson-tinted glasses, Twain immediately exuded as much electricity as the red lasers flashing over the audience and the sparkling fireworks fountaining up from the stage.

She may be on her first tour in 11 years, but you wouldn’t know it from her energy level: She stayed in near-constant motion, sashaying up the catwalk, dancing with her guitar players and friskily tossing her long, now-blond locks.

Since Twain is one the best-selling female recording artists in music history, it’s not surprising that her show turned into a raucous sing-along by the second number, the lively “Honey, I’m Home.” The crowd eagerly stayed on its feet to boogie and belt with “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” “You Win My Love” and “Any Man of Mine.” She told me in a pre-tour conference call she had big plans to get close to her audience during her concerts, and on the latter, she took a lap around the arena floor in a little cart so that she could high-five her fans and even snag a selfie stick to better capture her crooning and cruising.

“You know it’s been a long time since I’ve been on tour … and you’ve never seen this next song anyway because this tour is the first time we’re doing it. It says a lot about me,” Twain said, launching into the Western swinging number “I Ain’t No Quitter.”

Like her best known songs, the 1999 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year’s new show walked the line between country and rock, with plenty of fiddles and pedal steel to go with the electric guitars and pyrotechnics. Her stellar back band’s usual double-fiddle lineup expanded to three for my favorite Shania song, the sassy and bluegrassy “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You).” But the accomplished seven-piece outfit went full-on arena rock with the instrumental interlude “Ka-Ching” during the first of Twain’s three costume quick-changes.

Clad in a blinged-out AC/DC T-shirt, a silvery button-down top and a modern-day pair of ruby slippers, she invited opening act Gavin DeGraw back to the stage for the cheesy duet “Party for Two.” Fortunately, it was all going “Up!” from there -- literally -- as Twain clambered aboard a fringed saddle attached to a telescopic lift, which boosted her up among the crowd as she warbled the uplifting song.

Like her best known songs, the 1999 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year’s new show walked the line between country and rock, with plenty of fiddles and pedal steel to go with the electric guitars and pyrotechnics. Her stellar back band’s usual double-fiddle lineup expanded to three for my favorite Shania song, the sassy and bluegrassy “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You).” But the accomplished seven-piece outfit went full-on arena rock with the instrumental interlude “Ka-Ching” during the first of Twain’s three costume quick-changes.

Clad in a blinged-out AC/DC T-shirt, a silvery button-down top and a modern-day pair of ruby slippers, she invited opening act Gavin DeGraw back to the stage for the cheesy duet “Party for Two.” Fortunately, it was all going “Up!” from there -- literally -- as Twain clambered aboard a fringed saddle attached to a telescopic lift, which boosted her up among the crowd as she warbled the uplifting song.

For all the flash and fringe, it was a treat for fans when the singer-songwriter perched on a stool at the front of the stage with her acoustic guitar to prettily strum and sing “Today Is Your Day,” “No One Needs to Know” and “You’re Still the One.” The latter started out as a surprisingly intimate duet between just Twain and a few thousand fans, before the band rejoined her.

After another instrumental interlude, the show got even more magical with her ballad “From This Moment On.” Dressed in a flowing black gown and haloed in a silvery circle of lights, the Canadian superstar belted the love song beautifully. The only way that number could have more thoroughly enchanted the audience was if a unicorn had cantered across the stage.

Instead, the crowd was elated when Twain strutted her stuff through two more of her spirited smashes, eagerly wailing along with her on “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and “(If You’re Not in It for Love) I’m Outta Here.”

“I’m having the time of my life up here,” Twain said, and on those danceable hits, you could really see it.

Although she briefly disappeared in a flurry of guitars, lasers and fireworks, everyone in the arena knew there was one hit left to be played, and the crowd heralded the band’s return with roars of approval that hit jet-engine volume levels. Her devotees managed to get even louder when Twain swaggered out to belt “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.”

As the song goes, she was doing her encore in style: Outfitted in a silver-studded black corset, black elbow-length gloves, black thigh-high boots and her filmy cape, the superstar radiated sexy self-confidence as she jumped up and down, blew kisses to the crowd and drank in the audience’s zealous backup vocals.

A shower of shimmering confetti rained onto the fans as she descended below the stage one last time, a flashy and fitting farewell to the performer who is “Still the One.”

http://newsok.com/concert-review-and-photos-shania-twain-rocks-chesapeake-energy-arena/article/5439908

Hot Tickets - Hot summer tours

by Kimberly Wolfe | Venues Today | August 11, 2015

Shania Twain has grossed nearly $3.5 million on our Hot Tickets chart this week with three stops on her Rock This Country Tour. The AEG Live-promoted tour began June 5 at KeyArena at Seattle Center and was originally scheduled to end Aug. 23 at SaveMart Arena, Fresno, Calif. However, due to high demand, the Rock This Country Tour was extended by 19 shows in North America. With ticket prices ranging from $46 to $151, Twain, with supporting act Gavin DeGraw, played back-to-back sold-out stops at Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Ill., and Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn., July 29-31. Fans can catch Twain and DeGraw on the next stop of the tour in Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Aug. 12.

http://www.venuestoday.com/news/detail/hot-tickets-for-august-11-2015

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Click link below for more "Rock This Country" tour sales and attendance from concerts between July 8 - August 1.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150813022836/http://www.billboard.com/biz/current-boxscore

Shania Twain at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, UT on 15-Aug-2015

by Brandon Mizar | National Country Review | August 17, 2015

Shania Twain’s Rock This Country farewell tour rolled into Utah and the triumphant return was nothing but spectacular.

Following her two-year residency in Las Vegas, Shania Twain brought her show onto the road for the first time in 11 years. Unfortunately, for millions of fans this will also her farewell tour. The tour kicked off in Seattle on June 05 and will wrap up October 11 in her home province of Ontario, Canada. Do not miss this tour!

The show started off with Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” blasting over the P.A. with almost everyone in attendance singing along to the rock anthem. When lights began to dim, the crowd lit the place up with their screams of excitement. With lasers and fog aplenty, several large video screens illuminated the stage with images of Shania flashing across them. Shania arose from a platform in the middle of the stage looking as gorgeous as ever and the rock show began. Shania opened up with her hit “Rock this Country!” which was a fitting opener song on her tour for which it was named. Shania and her band followed with classic songs “Honey, I’m Home” and “You Win My Love.”

Shania didn’t miss a beat all night as she rocked Salt Lake City with a 19-song setlist consisting of “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” “You’re Still the One,” and performed a duo with opening act Gavin Degraw, as they sang “Party for Two.” Shania wrapped up the evening with an encore of her hit song, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”

The Rock This Country Tour is not to be missed as it left none disappointed and this will be your last chance to see one of the most successful artists of all time. Visit Shania’s sites below to find a tour date near you.

Shania Twain
Website | Facebook | Twitter

http://www.nationalcountryreview.com/concert-reviews/shaniatwain-saltlakecity-ut-15aug2015/

Shania Twain Rode an Invisible Horse Through the Sky and It Ruled

By Bree Davies | Westword | August 17, 2015

In 1999, I was working at a toy store in the mall called the Learningsmith. As it went in "education"-oriented mall retailers of the time, we sold "For Dummies" books, yo-yos, Hoberman Spheres, telescopes, Thomas the Tank Engine swag and basically anything that could be even mildly classified as a tool for learning. Like many parts of modern life teetering on the edge of the Internet explosion, the Learningsmith was still deeply rooted in the past, selling a sh*t-ton of random VHS tapes. Among the assortment of Baby Einstein videos, Andrea Bocelli concert films and Teletubbies episodes, we sold (for reasons unknown) the Shania Twain Live VHS tape. I watched it every day of my nineteen-year-old life as an apron-wearing (aprons were a very popular store-full-of-crap uniform in the late '90s) yes-woman at the mall.

Through repeated exposure to Shania, I became a lover and appreciative fan. Last Friday night at the Pepsi Center, I reveled in still being a Shania fan — an admirer whose brain had stored away all of the lyrics to "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" and "Come On Over," only to unfurl them with fury as I sang along to every word. Rock This Country — Twain's first tour in eleven years and one that is being touted as a "farewell" — pulled out every single stop imaginable for a pop show in 2015. There was fire. There was confetti. There were smoke and lasers and fiddle players. At one point, Twain jumped into her own convertible version of the Pope Mobile and cruised around the floor of the Pepsi Center in order to high-five dozens of fans, all while belting out "Any Man of Mine" in perfect time. 

From the moment she rose from beneath the stage on an industrial metal frame pillar singing "Rock This Country," Twain was 100 percent on; her song choices, outfits and over-the-top stage antics were flawless. The costuming was a show in itself: There was casual Shania, in a bejeweled Rolling Stones tunic, red aviators and a jacket with two-foot long fringe, barreling gracefully through "Honey I'm Home" and "Love Gets Me Every Time" as she skipped along the stage. There was the superhero Shania, in a leotard and never-ending over-the-knee boots who appeared for the literally explosive encore of "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" There was dramatic Shania, who shed the glitz for a few moments to grab her acoustic guitar and serenade the crowd with "Today Is Your Day," "No One Needs to Know" and tear-jerker "You're Still the One." Sassy Shania romped through "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "If You're Not in It for Love." Each version of Shania was made to make you look just as much as it was made to make you listen. 

Every turn in the ninety-minute show felt designed to out-do the moment occurring just before. Even the mid-set staging changes involving rotating lighting rigs and floor-to-ceiling video screens aglow with slow-motion images of Shania in gorgeously gaudy attire were created for the sole purpose of keeping every pair of eyes engaged. Though the lasers and fog and pyrotechnics put Twain's show on par with her much younger arena-tour-level contemporaries, it was the transformer-like lift that unfolded from the stage that pushed her into a category all her own. Jumping on a saddle mounted to the end of the stage extension, Twain rode through the enclosed sky on an invisible horse while singing "Up!" and waving to hundreds of fans seated in the rafters. The confetti cannons came at the very end of the show, but even those seemed contrived compared to Shania's 360-degree ride to reach the farthest of her devotees. 

There have been many country-to-pop crossovers in the history of modern music, but when it comes to the current version of a pop-country mega-star, Twain looks and sounds like the originator of the genre. Seeing Twain in 2015 had me curious: How would her contribution to the canon of Spice Girls-level mainstream feminism lite of the late '90s translate to the current world? Judging by the amount of women (and men) in "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" T-shirts in the sold-out crowd, Twain is doing just fine. Though her use of sexy shirtless hunks as a backdrop during "I Ain't No Quitter" felt a little dated, from a pop perspective, it was clear that this kind of eye candy fit well with the song as the country hit that it was. 

Considering how incredible Twain's Pepsi Center show was, it's hard to believe Rock This Country could really be her farewell tour. After spending so much time away, Twain is more on top of her game than ever, bringing to the table everything pop stars half her age do. Shania Twain, I hope you tour forever. But if you don't, I'll find a copy of that Shania Twain Live VHS and then try to track down a VCR to play it on.

http://www.westword.com/music/shania-twain-rode-an-invisible-horse-through-the-sky-and-it-ruled-7036026

Review: Shania Twain says hello, goodbye in San Jose

By Jim Harrington | San Jose Mercury News | August 18, 2015 1:20 a.m. PDT

Shania Twain had been away from the road for more than a decade, dealing with vocal problems, a divorce from superstar producer Mutt Lange and, eventually, a lengthy residency in Las Vegas.

Considering all of that, the country-pop star was in surprisingly good form as she finally brought her Rock This Country Tour to the SAP Center in San Jose on Monday night. Sure, her vocals weren't as strong as they once were, but the 49-year-old Canadian still managed to put on a fairly enjoyable show for the 10,000 fans in attendance.

Indeed, Tuesday's show might even have been better than her previous local outing, which took place at the same venue in 2003. Of course, that's not really saying much.

Twain wasn't a great live act even before the touring hiatus. Her strength was the recording studio, where she crafted three consecutive albums -- 1995's "The Woman in Me," 1997's "Come On Over" and 2002's "Up!" -- which would each sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone. "Come On Over" was her crowning achievement, with estimated worldwide sales of some 40 million -- enough to make it the top-selling country album of all time as well as the biggest album by any female artist in history.

There was an unusual dynamic to this show. It was her big comeback tour, yet it was also touted as her farewell trek. Talk about not knowing if an artist is coming or going — or whether fans should be happy or sad. Twain certainly focused more on the comeback aspect, to the point where it will be a bit shocking if she really puts the tour bus up on blocks after this tour ends. She looked ready to rock -- not ready for the rocking chair.

That's exactly what she did, opening the 100-minute set with a rambunctious run through with the tour's namesake, "Rock This Country!" That song was the 10th of an astonishing 11 singles released from "Come On Over." That she'd name her current tour after a nearly 20-year-old song underscores just how long she's been away from the recording business. "Up!" is still her last studio effort to date, though she's reportedly working on a new record and even eyeing a release date.

Twain wore her classic rock influences for all to see, first appearing in a Rolling Stones shirt and later changing into an AC/DC one. And those influences could certainly be heard in many of the tunes, which marry pop-rock and mainstream country in often blissful fashion.

In all, the concert served to highlight Twain's lasting significance to the country genre. She was a crossover pioneer in the '90s, doing as much as anyone not named Garth Brooks to entice people who don't usually listen to country and push the genre toward its current stadium-level heights.

Backed by a superb seven-piece band, Twain delighted with the traditional country of "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" -- a cheating song that could've been plucked straight from a Merle Haggard or George Jones album -- and then twisted right into "I Ain't No Quitter," "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" and other fun numbers.

Twain worked hard for our money, going out into the crowd to touch hands, boogying about the stage and embracing a number of special effects, including crooning "Up" while sitting in a saddle lifted high above fans' heads.

Her voice grew rougher as the night progressed, but the backing vocalists seemed to be paying attention and would leap into song whenever dubbed necessary.

She did some good work on the romantic "From This Moment On," which is arguably the most Celine Dion-like of all of Twain's tracks. She'd also lead 10,000 in a dramatic singalong of "Still the One," which is still Twain's best song.

Twain closed the show amid pyrotechnics and confetti, bringing the crowd to its feet for the star's ultimate anthem, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"

Here's what Shania Twain performed on Aug. 17 at the SAP Center in San Jose.

1. "Rock This Country!"

2. "Honey, I'm Home"

3. "You Win My Love"

4. "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?"

5. "I Ain't No Quitter"

6. "Love Gets Me Every Time"

7. "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)"

8. "Any Man of Mine"

9. "Ka-Ching!"

10. "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!"

11. "Come On Over"

12. "Party for Two"

13. "Up!"

14. "Today Is Your Day"

15. "No One Needs to Know"

16. "You're Still the One"

17. "From This Moment On"

18. "That Don't Impress Me Much"

19. "(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!"

Encore

20. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"

http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_28658313/review-shania-twain-says-hello-goodbye-san-jose

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

Let's do this @STAPLESCenter #rockthiscountry

10:58 PM ET - 20 Aug 15

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

We had so much fun in LA that we blew the power out! We came back up within minutes and kept rocking @STAPLESCenter! #RockThisCountry

1:58 AM ET - 21 Aug 15

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Shania Twain at Staples Center: 5 quick thoughts on the show

By Mikael Wood | Los Angeles Times | August 21, 2015

You can take the country star out of Las Vegas, but you can’t take Las Vegas out of the country star. That was the impression I got, anyway, from Shania Twain’s concert Thursday night at Staples Center, part of a tour that follows the singer’s lengthy residency at Caesars Palace. Packed with costumes, lasers and pyrotechnics, the two-hour production was a splashy Sin City spectacle packed up for the road -- at least until the venue’s power went out near the end. I’ll have a full review of the show soon, but until then, here are five quick thoughts on the evening.

1. Twain is calling this outing the Rock This Country Tour after a tune from her smash 1997 album “Come on Over.” And she’s not kidding about the rock: Opening the show in a bedazzled Rolling Stones shirt (and later changing into a ripped-up AC/DC tee), Twain led a seven-piece band that happily cranked the guitars at every opportunity.

2. This is clearly a woman who loves red. From her microphone to her sunglasses to the lips-and-tongue logo on that sparkly Stones shirt, Twain used the color as a kind of visual embodiment of her trusty exclamation point. Other items in the favored hue: her eye shadow, some of her musicians’ gear and one of the several pairs of thigh-high boots she wore.

3. Twain has her own Popemobile, which she rode around the arena’s floor while singing “Any Man of Mine” and shooting video with a smartphone on the end of a selfie stick.

4. Just as the show entered the home stretch with a pumped-up run through “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” the sound onstage suddenly died -- the result, it turned out, of a subterranean explosion in a high-rise building on nearby Wilshire Boulevard. At first Twain seemed uncertain what to do, walking offstage and leaving her band to vamp in the half-amplified darkness. After a few minutes, she returned and did a funny bit with an audience member who’d identified himself as a rocket scientist (à la the guy in “That Don’t Impress Me Much”). Then, once the power was restored, she restarted the song.

5. Twain has said this tour will be her last, after which she’ll concentrate on recording. (Her most recent album, “Up!,” came out in 2002.) But unless I missed it amid all the visual stimuli, she made no mention of that idea Thursday, leaving the door open for the inevitable comeback trip.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-shania-twain-at-staples-center-5-quick-thoughts-on-the-show-20150821-story.html

Review: Shania Twain goes off-script in an arena spectacle at Staples Center

By Mikael Wood | Los Angeles Times | August 21, 2015

There’s something really cool in the air tonight,” Shania Twain said near the end of her concert Thursday night at Staples Center, and that was certainly one way to put it.

Another might have been, “What the heck is going on here?”

Things began to go sideways right from the start of this glittery two-hour show, part of Twain’s first tour in over a decade. In the 1990s, the singer was one of country’s biggest acts; hits like “You’re Still the One” and the title track from her most recent studio album, 2002’s “Up!,” made her a pop star across all genres: an approachable glamazon dispensing cheerful pragmatism in tunes that weren’t afraid of club beats or hard-rock guitars.

Despite her success, Twain retreated from the road in 2004, a withdrawal she attributed Thursday to somehow losing her “courage.” (She’s also described experiencing troubles with her voice.) In 2010 she divorced Robert "Mutt" Lange, the songwriter and producer who’d helped create most of her music, after he allegedly had an affair with her best friend. Two years later she reemerged in Las Vegas, where she recently completed a lengthy run at Caesars Palace.

The show-biz retraining she received there was readily apparent at Staples Center, as when she moved breezily past an enormous lighting rig that failed to move during her entrance to the stage. But you also felt the glazing effect that Sin City can have on a performer, thanks to its numbing routine and its easily amused audiences.

For much of Thursday’s gig – which combined pumped-up versions of old favorites such as “Come on Over” and “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” with sparkly costumes and dramatic pyrotechnics -- Twain failed to muster an intensity to equal the flashy arena-concert spectacle. (One mildly amusing bit I’ve never seen from another artist: a ride around the venue floor in a motorized vehicle that resembled her own Popemobile.)

Lucky for us, though, there were more technical difficulties in store, beginning with Twain’s decision to bring a young girl in the crowd onstage to sing with her. The problem? “I don’t know any of your songs,” the girl told Twain, news she took with remarkable grace. Then the girl’s mother, apparently determined to get her moment of vicarious glory, hoisted her older daughter onstage even though that daughter was protesting insistently.

This could’ve been – no, this was – a deeply uncomfortable development, one you can imagine many entertainers firing some team member over. Yet as Twain dealt with the pushy mom and finally coaxed the older girl to sing, she also seemed to come alive for the first time in the show: a real person who’s been through much tougher stuff before.

The same thing happened later, when what turned out to be a subterranean explosion in a high-rise building several blocks from Staples Center caused a brief power outage just as Twain was launching into her song “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” Her initial reaction was to dash offstage, leaving her band to vamp while the venue’s power came back up.

But then she returned and had an endearing chat with a man in the front row who said he was a rocket scientist – just like the guy in Twain’s song. He and his companion then posed for a photo with Twain, who seemed perfectly willing to extend the oddly appealing interlude.

“All bad things happen for a good reason,” she said as the band revved up the music again. On Thursday, at least, she was right.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-shania-twain-staples-center-review-20150821-story.html

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

Good afternoon, @VVCasinoHotel! #RockThisCountry

5:14 PM ET - 22 Aug 15

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

"Rock This Country" Tour - Break Update

After tonight's concert in Fresno, CA, Shania's trek across North America will take a 3-week break as she takes some personal time and gets Eja ready to go back to school. Shania's "Rock This Country" tour will resume on September 12 in Spokane, WA and wraps up October 27 in Kelowna, BC, Canada. Click HERE for the remaining tour dates.

Shania Twain barely says farewell in concert

The country-pop superstar's first San Diego concert in 11 years (and, ostensibly) her last was a mixed affair.

By George Varga | San Diego Union-Tribune August 23, 2015 3:29 p.m.

Shaina Twain’s Saturday night performance at Valley View Casino Center boasted an eye-popping stage production worthy of both a Broadway show and a Las Vegas spectacle. The hits-packed concert had enough pyrotechnics to make a Kiss gig seem almost understated by comparison.

Yet, despite this – and despite the muscular playing of her one-woman, six-man band – less was often more for this veteran country-pop superstar, whose crowd-pleasing, 100-minute San Diego show was the penultimate stop on the first leg of her Rock This Country farewell tour. Just how much this less-is-more dictum applies was demonstrated in two key ways Saturday – one audible, the other visual.

Even at the height of her stardom in the 1990s, when she ruled country radio and was the top-selling female artist in any genre, the Canadian-born Twain has never been a powerhouse singer. This holds true even when she is delivering powerhouse hits produced and co-written by her now-former husband, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, whose high-octane work with such bands as Def Leppard and AC/DC had a palpable impact on the sound and style of some of Twain’s biggest hits. Now, with her 50th birthday just five days away, her voice is thinner, lower and has less range and color than it did during her often engaging 2003 concert here at SDSU’s Cox (now Viejas) Arena.

Of course, few Twain fans go to hear her expecting a night of emotionally charged feats of vocal daring. But notes that once were within her wheelhouse now seem distant. Moreover, several of the numbers she performed at Valley View Casino Center appeared to feature pre-recorded backing vocal tracks that were mixed at least as high as Twain’s singing. Wisely, then, she let the strength of her material and the prowess of her well-drilled band provide much of the heavy lifting, while relying on her infectious verve and well-honed charm and personality to seal the deal.

Twain fared better during a three-song acoustic set, which began with the self-affirming “Today Is Your Day” and concluded with two versions of “You’re Still the One.” The first featured her singing alone, accompanied only by her acoustic guitar, with the nearly 9,000-strong audience joining in word for word. She then reprised the song, with her band performing sensitively behind her. While a whole evening of stripped-down songs by Twain would have quickly worn thin, the simplicity and intimacy of this interlude – and its lack of visual and sonic bombast – provided a welcome contrast.

That less-is-more approach was even more apparent in Twain’s stage attire Saturday, which contrasted markedly with what she wore at her SDSU show 11 years ago. A radiantly beautiful woman, then and now, she owes at least some of her success to the wholesome brand of sex appeal that fueled some of her most popular music videos two decades ago. It was that appeal which led Country Music Television to proclaim that Twain likely had “the most famous belly button in country music.”

At SDSU, she dressed demurely for most of her 2003 concert, wearing jeans and a loose fitting Tony Gwynn Padres for part of the show and black sequined pants and a loose LaDainian Tomlinson Chargers jersey for another part. Her only nod to glamour came in between, when she switched to dark pants and a sleeveless blue-and-white stretch tank top that exposed just a hint of midriff. The result, as I wrote in my review at the time, “was more suburban mom than Hollywood harlot.”

On Saturday, as on the previous stops on her current tour, Twain ditched her unassuming style of a decade ago in favor of a va-va-voom! look worthy of a line of glossy posters. (Perhaps such posters could provide a new revenue stream, should she follow through on her vow to quit touring in order to focus on songwriting and recording.)

Opening with the romping, stomping “Rock This Country,” she rose from beneath the stage on a hydraulic lift and proceeded to deliver the song from 30 or so feet above the stage. Her once-brown hair now blond and impeccably coiffed, Twain wore a black fringe jacket, a glittering Rolling Stones mini dress, black short shorts, thigh-high black boots and red sunglasses. The sunglasses came off by her third song, the loping, Stones-flavored “You Win My Love,” while the jacket was doffed after her next selection, the violin-fueled “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” her 1995 breakthrough hit.

Twain’s first costume change came five songs later, when she reappeared in an AC/DC t-shirt, possibly even shorter short shorts, sparkling black net stockings, heels in place of boots, and a soon to be discarded black coat. Later, in between “You’re Still the One” and “From This Moment On,” she changed into a nearly sheer black choir robe. One song later, for “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” the robe was removed to reveal a low-cut black mini dress and red thigh-high boots.

That outfit seemed conservative, though, compared to what Twain wore two songs later for the exultant “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” which was her sole encore selection. This time she put on a high cut, one-piece black leather and mirrored metal dominatrix get-up, with black thigh-high boots and elbow-length black gloves. The absence of a whip or riding crop seemed like a mere oversight.

Were this a show by Britney Spears, Beyoncé or Katy Perry, the number of costume changes – and the revealing nature of some of them – would be par for the course. But considering how Twain’s previous tours put the focus firmly on the music, it was jarring to see her rely so much on the look (rather than the sound) of her performance. Then again, the visual emphasis could have been a tacit acknowledgement of her declining vocal range, or simply an unwelcome carry-over from her performance residency at The Colosseum at Caesers Palace in Las Vegas between 2012 and 2014.

Either way, this visual emphasis distracted from – rather than enhanced – her songs. It also impeded the momentum of the concert, with Twain’s band performing two hard-rocking, mostly instrumental numbers, “Ka-Ching” and “Don’t,” to provide time for her to change.

Her band played with well-oiled precision throughout, whether providing a Texas-swing lilt to “I’m No Quitter” or rocking out with gusto on “Honey, I’m Home,” a high-octane song that suggested what Def Leppard might have sounded like if it had relocated to Nashville. Standout members included Cory Churko and Megan Mullins, who between them played violin, accordion, mandolin, guitar, keyboards, dobro and helped provide backing vocals. During Twain’s opening number, “Rock This Country!”, her band briefly but nimbly inserted the riff from The Beatles’ “Birthday. Later, during the zydeco-flavored “Come On Over,” there was a fleeting allusion to “Don’t Mess with My Toot Toot,” a New Orleans classic that has been covered by everyone from Fats Domino to Rockin’ Sidney and John Fogerty.

Twain was joined at the concert’s midpoint by Gavin DeGraw, her opening act, for a vocal duet on “Party for Two” (which, on record, teamed her with Billy Currington). With DeGraw as a foil for singing and dancing, Twain seemed notably more animated.

At various points during the night, Twain sang from a catwalk and from a revolving circular mini-stage at the end of the catwalk. She also sang while being rolled through the arena on a wheeled stand and while astride a saddle, which was attached to a crane that lifted her high over the crowd. Twain repeatedly thanked the audience for its support through the years. She also accepted a bouquet of roses from a male fan, although she declined his request for a hug.

During one interlude, Twain referred to some of her songs as being "diary-like," although moments of introspection (whether sung or spoken) were almost nonexistent Saturday. So was any reflection on this being her farewell tour. And, given the well-publicized upheavals she has undergone in the past seven years – including a career-threatening bout of dysphonia, leaving her husband after he had an affair with her best friend, then marrying her best friend's former husband – Twain has much she could have shared.

She did, in fact, share those upheavals in her 2011 tell-all book, "At This Moment." Whether they will provide fuel for any future musical catharsis remains to be seen (her most recent album, "Up!", came out in 2002). It also remains to be seen if Rock This Country is really her farewell tour, or if – like many other stars before her – she finds the allure of doing concerts too great to resist. As Shania Twain's current stage wardrobe seems to suggest, she may not be the retiring type after all.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/23/shania-twain-concert-review/

Shania Twain's Farewell Tour: $40 Million Grossed, and Counting

By Bob Allen | Billboard | August 27, 2015 12:16 AM EDT

Country superstars Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain head up the list of touring artists on this week’s slate of Hot Tours (see list, below) with multi-million dollar box office profits reported to Billboard from their ongoing North American treks.

Chesney’s top ranking is based on $12.7 million in revenue from four concerts during the homestretch of his Big Revival tour that wraps on Saturday, Aug. 29. Along with an arena performance in Salt Lake City (Aug. 6) and an amphitheater date in Bangor, Maine (Aug. 13), he played return engagements for sellout crowds at stadiums in the Denver and New York City markets.

His performance at Sports Authority Field at Mile High marked his third appearance at the Denver stadium, having also stopped there during 2013’s No Shoes Nation tour and the Brothers of the Sun tour the previous summer. With Jason Aldean as co-headliner for this year’s event, the Aug. 1 concert topped his previous gross and attendance records at the venue, earning $5.2 million from a packed house of 54,674 fans.

He also returned to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. for a repeat performance, his fourth turn at headlining the NFL venue. The concert on Aug. 15, also with Aldean, racked up $6 million from 58,642 sold seats at the stadium, again topping the box office records from his three previous tours.

Twain earns her second-place showing with $5.2 million in revenue reported from five arena performances during the summer leg of the Rock This Country tour.  The first show included in this tally was her concert in Louisville, Ky. on Aug. 3 that drew more than 10,000 fans. A similar sold ticket count was logged on the following evening at her concert in St. Louis. Next were shows in two more Midwestern cities, Des Moines, Iowa (Aug. 6) and Kansas City, Mo. (Aug. 7) and finally the fifth market, Austin, and her Aug. 9 concert on the campus of the University of Texas. Combined attendance from all five cities totaled 56,589 with sellouts reported at two of the venues -- Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines and Kansas City’s Sprint Center.

Sales from the Rock this Country tour have reached the $40 million mark so far, with 13 unreported concerts remaining. The sold ticket count tops 407,000 from 35 shows in the Boxscore database since the June 5 launch. The opening leg of the tour wrapped on Aug. 23, but Twain is set to begin a six-week run of fall performances in the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 12 in Spokane, Wash.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6677759/shania-twains-farewell-tour-40-million-grossed-and-counting

Shania Twain Hits 59 Cities On Farewell Tour With Meyer Sound LEO

Live Design | September 3, 2015

On her first tour in more than a decade, Shania Twain bids farewell to her concert fans as she packs “A-level” arenas with a Meyer Sound LEO® linear large-scale sound reinforcement system. VER Tour Sound is providing the complete audio, video, and lighting package for the five-month, 59-city “Rock This Country” tour.

The man behind Shania’s concert sound is long-time FOH engineer Nigel Green, who has mixed all of the singer’s live shows and concert DVD soundtracks since 1998. Although a studio engineer for most of his eminent career—with credits ranging from Def Leppard and Britney Spears to Billy Ocean and the Backstreet Boys—Green has turned to LEO for a smooth transition from a controlled studio environment into cavernous sports arenas.

 “One of the difficult things for me, coming out of the studio world, was that a lot of PAs had an identifiable ‘horn’ sound with midrange coloration,” says Green. “With LEO I get a much flatter, cleaner, and less colored sound, and it’s more musical as well.”

The Shania Twain tour presents a number of difficult challenges for coverage, throw, and gain-before-feedback. Seating is a full 270-degree wrap, and no house delays are used. Twain also ventures out in front of the main arrays on a deep thrust, then swings through the audience while pushed on a cart, and even soars out over the audience saddled on a cherry-picker.

“On earlier tours, I noticed some of those larger arenas sounded dark in the back corners, but with LEO the coverage is very even throughout,” reports Green. “Also, when Shania flies on her saddle right in front of the arrays, we run a separate voice matrix through the Galileo® Callisto™ processors which allows us to EQ every box individually as she passes in front of it—very difficult to do without a self-powered system.”

 The system is anchored by main front arrays of 14 LEO-M and four LYON-W wide-coverage line array loudspeakers each, complemented by 24 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements. Mid-side arrays are eight LEO-M and six LYON-M main line array loudspeakers each, and rear-side arrays comprise 12 LYON-W loudspeakers each. Eight MINA™ line array loudspeakers provide front fill, two UPA-1P loudspeakers cover rear fill, and a Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system with 10 Galileo Callisto 616 and two Galileo Callisto 616 AES array processors contributes drive and optimization.

Veteran tour production manager John “Bugzee” Hougdahl is pleased with the low stage profile of the LEO system. “I really appreciate the small footprint at the bottom of the cable drop,” he notes. “We have large racks for automation, video, and lighting on each side of the stage, and not having racks of amplifiers really helps.”

Green mixes Twain on an Avid VENUE D-Show digital console loaded with native, Waves, and Crane Song plug-ins. Twain sings through custom-colored Sennheiser SKM 5300 wireless microphones, with wired mics coming from Shure, Sennheiser, Royer, and Earthworks. System engineer and crew chief is Kenny Sellars and monitor engineer is Connie Fernstrom.

Although Twain has not toured in more than a decade, her “Still the One” resident production included 105 shows from 2012–2014 in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, using an upgraded house Meyer Sound system originally installed for Celine Dion’s “A New Day…” show.

http://livedesignonline.com/briefing-room/shania-twain-hits-59-cities-farewell-tour-meyer-sound-leo

Gavin Degraw @GavinDegraw

Pumped to kick off the 2nd leg of the #RockThisCountry Tour this weekend! Tix + VIP Upgrades: http://gavindegraw.com

1:24 PM ET - 8 Sep 15

http://twitter.com/GavinDeGraw

Based on his website, Gavin DeGraw will continue to open for Shania through October 11 in Toronto which was originally scheduled to be the last concert. Then I assume Wes Mack will return October 18-27 for the final 7 concerts of the tour in Western Canada.

No one said anything about last night's concert so I guess no changes to the setlist and no new songs added from the new album.
Surprise surprise

From the City of Spokane Fire Department:

Shania Twain donated several tickets to the local fire service and their families for last night's concert in recognition for their sacrifices throughout the 2015 Fire Season. She did it quietly, and without any fanfare or media. There were literally HUNDREDS of firefighters in attendance from all over the region. During the concert, a medical emergency occurred and our PulsePoint System activated everyone that was signed up with PulsePoint that there was an active cardiac arrest in section 117. Off-duty firefighters, paramedics and citizens responded immediately to care for the attendee. Here is a snapshot of the responders that were activated. The victim survived and is doing very well. Thanks to the region's fire service, PulsePoint subscribers and everyone at the Shania Twain Team. Thank you Spokane!

2:39 PM ET - 13 Sep 15

http://www.facebook.com/spokanefire

CONCERT REVIEW: Shania Twain impresses much at Spokane Arena

By Laura Johnson | The Pacific Northwest Inlander | September 13, 2015 at 8:24 PM

Shania Twain loves rock ‘n’ roll. And the audience was tipped off to this early at Saturday night’s packed out Spokane Arena show, which was part of her Rock This Country tour. The bumper music prior to her arrival on stage was Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” When the Canadian singer finally came out from the depths of the stage singing her song “Rock This Country,” she wore a glitzy Rolling Stones shirt dress. At the end of the song she even turned around and pumped her pelvis at the exact moment pyrotechnics went off  — a true rock star move if there ever was one.

BUT for all of the rock inspiration, rest assured that this was a country show. Although the crowd, wasn’t as decked out in proper country attire as expected.

Through the better part of an hour the singer, back on tour after an 11-year hiatus, took her adoring fans through a multitude of older, country-tinged hits — the ones not on her smash hit Still the One album — such as “Any Man Of Mine,” and “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under.” There was one point when there were even three fiddle players on stage and some steel pedal guitar infusion.

It’s not always right and proper to talk about how sexy a female is. But in the case of Twain, at 50, the woman was the best looking person in Spokane last night. She strutted and stomped around the stage in thigh-high platform boots, flipped her amazing mane of hair around, sparkled and smiled, and looked like she was having a blast, even going into the audience at one point. She was a goddess in the spotlight, helped majorly by a rowdy backing band and a state-of-the-art stage set-up worthy of the Super Bowl.

Sure, her vocals aren’t exactly the same. But there was a point in the 2000s when the artist thought she’d never sing again. She had to relearn to sing. Every show Twain does now, she warms up for an hour beforehand. And certainly, there were some songs that seemed like she was saving it, holding back. But when “From This Moment” finally came, she hit every challenging note beautifully, her voice soaring the same as when she blasted onto the pop charts in the 1990s.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been up here and I really missed it,” Twain said from the stage. “When you don’t do something for a long time you lose your confidence. But I’m back.” She then literally got in a saddle that was connected to a crane that came out of the stage and she delivered her 2002 single “Up.”

This is supposedly Twain’s final tour. She wants to go home and finish her new record, some of which the audience got an acoustic taste of at last night’s show. These songs were all lovely, but the big hits, the ones we were all waiting for, came at the end. “You’re Still the One” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much” were out of control. But it was the encore, the one we had to wait what felt like an hour for, that brought down the house.

Once more, coming from a trap door in the stage, Twain said the words “Let’s go girls” and the screams were deafening. We all knew what was coming. For her final song, Twain thankfully wore a Xena Warrior-inspired swimsuit that highlighted most of her butt, and sang with much panache, fireballs and falling confetti, “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”

Saturday night, Twain said she had come to throw the biggest party possible. She didn’t disappoint.

http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2015/09/13/concert-review-shania-twain-impresses-much-at-spokane-arena

Was there lava on the first leg? I don't remember that but I was also watching Shan the whole time - not the video screen, haha

ETA - just remembered my desktop background is from the encore. I can see where they get lava from that if they did, but I'm still curious if it's a different video.

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

Exclusive tour merchandise for your city! ONLY available for a limited time. http://teespring.com/ShaniaTwainID

12:45 PM ET - 15 Sep 15

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

The link above is for Boise, Idaho only. Keep checking back for your city's custom tour merchandise. Other links will be up the day of the concert.

Review: Shania Twain offers flash and polish at the Saddledome

By Eric Volmers | Calgary Herald | September 17, 2015

Review

Shania Twain at the Saddledome

Attendance: 11,500

It’s hardly an original observation at this point in Shania Twain’s career.

But the Canadian performer — the queen of big-spectacle country and Vegas glitz — has a concert persona that perfectly matches the curious over-use of exclamation marks in her song titles.

Big. Silly. Loud. Kind of fun. But, let’s face it,  a touch tedious after awhile. Performing the first of a two-night stint at the Saddledome Thursday evening, Twain rose from under the stage to the generic-rock-but-kinda-country strains of  Rock This Country! (!) She kept rising, almost to a point where it seemed we were about to witness a Spinal Tap-worthy mishap. But the singer — who added some cool to her glitter by wearing a Rolling Stone shirt (albeit a glittery one) and shades — is far too controlled for anything like that to happen.

Thursday night’s concert hit all the notes we’ve come to expect of a Shania Twain concert, particularly since her lucrative and long-running stint in Vegas a few years back.

Of course, accusing Twain of flash-over-substance is like accusing Liberace of being flamboyant. It’s par for the course and certainly feeds into fan excitement, represented by Thursday night by a near-constant squeal of recognition for just about every song she trotted out.

With monstrously large set pieces, flashing pyrotechnics and a backdrop that alternated between a fearfully large Shania on closed-circuit and rather on-the-nose messaging (BOOTS! during a playful run through Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? for instance). Twain had some perfunctory interaction with her large and polished back-up act and at one point was carted through the crowd in Cleopatra fashion.

Still, in a cute moment, Twain took a photograph with a little girl attending her first concert.

It was a sweet gesture and brought the often impersonal show down to earth. So did an acoustic run through Today is Your Day, which showcased Twain’s powerful vocals backed by warm harmonies. It was a concert highlight, as was stripped-down version of the salty No One Needs to Know and sing-along version of the melodic You’re Still the One.

As deadline neared, the backdrops became increasingly dazzling, hitting an epic, Tiger-filled climax for Twain’s defiant That Don’t Impress Me Much. It was a Vegas-worthy spectacle, overbearing and kind of strange.

Earnest singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, who joined Twain on stage for a rollicking duet on Party For Two, obviously couldn’t match such flash. But, during a pleasing opening set, he cheerfully wore his influences on his sleeve. He hit a crowd-walking climax with a serviceable run through Billy Joel’s Big Shot and ended things with an appropriately cheesy take on Bryan Adams’ Heaven. The South Fallsburg, New York singer shares those artists’ eager-to-please enthusiasm. So he gets an A for effort, even if his own songs don’t always register as particularly memorable. He offered soft-edged soul, wafer-thin rock and a few piano-led ballads before hitting a peak with the galloping R&B of Best I Ever Had. DeGraw put sweat into his set, even if the sound occasionally suffered from opening-band thinness. There’s something endearing about an artist so clearly smitten with playing before a stadium crowd. Memorable? No. But this was not exactly a night for such things. “If you’re not here to party we are going to leave you in the dust,” he said at one point, not very convincingly.

Yes, it was a party. But presumably a very similar one will be thrown again tonight. And maybe again next year at around this time.

As Twain no doubt learned night after night in Vegas, there’s power in consistency. So why bother gambling?

http://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/music/review-shania-twain-offers-flash-and-polish-at-the-saddledome

Here it comes! -- a Shania Twain preshow quiz

By Cory Matteson | Lincoln Journal Star | September 17, 2015 11:30 pm

Hey readers! Saw you over there, lookin’ for a quiz. Well here goes! 

Country star Shania Twain crossed over to VH1 soft pop goddess quite seamlessly in the ‘90s, and she brought a bunch of declarative and exclamatory sentences with her, too.

Many of her greatest hits also include spoken word quips. Like, a lot of them do. A seconds-long soliloquy seems to be her signature version of a “two-three-four” to get a song on its way. See if you can match the Shania lines with her biggest songs. 

Shania lines

1. “Let’s go, girls.”

2. “When I first saw you, I saw love. And the first time you touched me, I felt love.”

3. “Ow! Uh huh, yeah yeah.” 

4. “Yeah! Shake it!”

5. “Here it comes!”

6. “Kick it.”

7. “Hey Mark, I’m having a party. Wanna come?”

8. “Woo! (Laughter.) This is what a woman wants!”

9. “Cool!”

10. “Come on! Hoo!” 

11. “Here we go!”

Shania songs

A. "Party For Two"

B. "Come on Over"

C. "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)"

D. "Any Man of Mine"

E. "You Win My Love"

F. "You're Still the One"

G. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"

H. "Ain't No Particular Way"

I. "That Don't Impress Me Much"

J. "Whatever You Do, Don't" 

K. "I'm Holdin' on to Love"

Answers: 1, G; 2, F; 3, I; 4, B; 5, H; 6, K; 7, A; 8, D; 9, C; 10, E; 11, J.

http://journalstar.com/entertainment/music/here-it-comes----a-shania-twain-preshow/article_f0b04599-2545-5b67-bae0-46935325a850.html