Interactive concert wows Shania Twain fans

Monday, June 21, 2004

By ELLEN A. KIM
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Shania Twain may be country music's biggest-selling female star, but Friday night's fan-oriented show proved that she hasn't forgotten "the little people."

MUSIC REVIEW

SHANIA TWAIN

WHEN: Friday night.

WHERE: KeyArena.

P-I photographer Joshua Trujillo captured Shania Twain in concert in a special photo gallery.

Throughout the one-hour, 15-minute set at a sold-out KeyArena, Twain covered the entire round stage, surrounded by her fans, singing and bending to sign autographs at the same time. She received flowers, high-fived several dozen hands and invited several lucky fans onstage to have a photo taken with her.

However, some, particularly in the midlevel to nosebleed seats, would complain that this much attention to her audience sacrificed some of the show's musicality and showmanship. Twain's vocals and arrangements were pretty much straight off the CDs, and she showed little spontaneity while busy with the crowd.

But fans seemed to come for the meet-and-greet feel, dancing about from the moment Twain took the stage with "Man! I Feel Like a Woman." Dressed in a hot pink tank top, black yoga pants tucked into laced-up wrestling shoes and rhinestone choker, Twain launched into "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" "Honey I'm Home," "Up!" and "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)."

She also delved into older material, such as "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" and "Any Man of Mine," and brought in local young marching band drummers for "(If You're Not In It for Love) I'm Outta Here!" Her songs are perfect for concert singalongs: They're easy to follow, with fun lyrics and sassy attitude. And that's what her fans come for.

Rather than focus on "Up!" her latest release, Twain stuck to fast-tempo hits from all her albums. What was disappointingly missing, however, were the love ballads that launched her name into the mainstream (not to mention thousands of wedding). "Forever and For Always" was noticeably absent, as were her other hits, "From This Moment On" and "You've Got a Way."

She did perform a piano-accompanied version of "You're Still the One," but did so with an aggressive, chatty audience member picked to sing it with her. He may have forgotten half the lyrics, but he didn't lose his nerve, leaving with an autograph, picture and still showering Twain with compliments. (Turns out he'd managed to get chosen once before.)

Her band, made up of eight musician-singers, was as flashy and electrifying as the indoor fireworks that concluded the show.

Dressed in '80s street-gang garb, they impressively switched instruments with ease, sang backup vocals and danced about the stage, occupying the neglected area whenever Twain moved to the other side and earning their own autograph requests.

Emerson Drive, a young sextet from western Alberta, opened the concert.

Ellen A. Kim is a free-lance movie, music and comedy writer based in Seattle. She can be reached via e-mail at Lnakim@hotmail.com.

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