Kellie Pickler’s solo headlining tour made its stop at the Hard Rock Rocksino on Saturday March 4. She kicked off her 19-song set with some upbeat songs taken from her four studio albums, released between 2006 and 2013. She talked about life on the road and living on the tour bus as she began singing “Little House on the Highway.” Her southern charm and twang shine through the lyrics. She said you couldn’t have a country concert without some “cheatin’ songs.” Her voice is reminiscent of Patsy Cline as she sang “Stop Cheatin’ on Me” and “Ring For Sale.” During the latter song, Pickler sat down on the stage and sang with a fan in the front row who knew every word.
A heartwarming moment occurred when Pickler spotted a fan holding up a sign and she asked her to come closer to the stage so she could read this sign which read, “I sang with you in Afghanistan.” It was a wonderful moment to see the reaction on Pickler’s face when she realized this, and she graciously thanked the fan and the fan’s family for her service in the Army and posed for a picture and autograph.
After having fun with the audience and joking that their “accents are so cute. I’ll have y’all saying y’all by the end of the night,” Pickler took a moment to “get herself into character” for a more serious song, “I Wonder.”
Pickler fondly talked about her husband Kyle Jacobs, who is a Nashville songwriter and producer, and was in attendance in the audience. She laughed when she revealed the next song that she would perform would be one he specifically wrote for her, “No Cure For Crazy,” which is a track from her latest album release, “The Woman I Am.”
After singing “Tough” and “Makin’ Me Fall In Love Again,” which Pickler dedicated to all the lovebirds in the crowd, she took some time to salute all the armed forces, and once again gave some individual attention to several lucky fans in the first few rows. Pickler clearly adores her fans as much as they love her, based on all the selfies, hugs and high fives that were going around.
Pickler returned to the stage and recalled her youth growing up in Albemarle, North Carolina with her grandmother Faye who raised her. Her great-grandmother, Selma Drye, also helped raise her and was the inspiration for the next song, named after her. After listening to the song lyrics, it is obvious that Pickler inherited a lot of her spunk from these two fiercely independent ladies.
Pickler paid homage to the first women of country music by performing “Where’s Tammy Wynette” and “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” which was originally recorded by Wynette in 1967. The classic sound and old-school vibe really suit Pickler’s voice well.
After introducing the band, whom Pickler fondly refers to as her “brothers,” Pickler rounded out the evening with two of her stand-out tracks from her sophomore album, “Kellie Pickler,”which was released in 2008, “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” and “Best Days of Your Life,” her first top-ten single which was co-written by Taylor Swift. She briefly exited the stage and returned for an encore performance which is her signature song “Red High Heels,” from her debut album “Small Town Girl.” More fun with the fans ensued as Pickler autographed a pair of red high heels while singing the song.
With four albums, a dance trophy, a TV show and a new home goods line, Kellie Pickler is a multi-talented and very busy woman. If you missed this fun show at the Rocksino, you will definitely want to see what music and laughter she has in store the next time she returns to this area.
1 Comment