Thursday, November 20, 2008

When Carrie Underwood auditioned for
"American Idol" nearly five years ago, judge Randy Jackson, after applauding her voice, told he she needed to "work a little bit more on the stage presence."

At the E Center Wednesday, Underwood showed she had heeded his advice.

The 25-year-old woman from Checotah, Oklahoma showed one of the largest E Center crowds in recent memory that she was entirely comfortable onstage, whether sweetly bantering with the crowd, bringing a gushing 14-year-old on the stage to help her sing "All-American Girl," or playing both the acoustic and electric guitar.

The 100-minute set, her first headlining gig in the area, consisted of 18 songs (the bulk of her two multi-platinum albums, "Some Hearts" and "Carnival Ride" )that included two surprise covers: Fleetwood Mac's "You Can Go Your Own Way," and, even more surprising, Guns n' Roses' "Paradise City" (and all of its tongue-twisting verses) during the two-song encore.

The sound at the E Center was predictably pristine, capturing the nine-piece band's country nuances (which included a steel guitar, banjo and a fiddle), which made the songs seem more like genuine country songs with a pop influence, as opposed to pop with a country influence. (And having a fiddle, rather than a violin, makes all the difference.)

Underwood's vocals were front and center, and just as an American Idol winner should, she proved that she could handle the demands of both ballads and high-energy hootennanies like "Before He Cheats" and "Flat on the Floor." A long catwalk from the stage to nearly the end of the floor seats enabled the wholesome singer to connect to more of the audience.

The only complaint is that while her songs are undeniably catchy and lyrically interesting in their storytelling (most of her songs are written by others) she ended nearly every song with bombastic vocal hysterics. She should use the scalpel of her voice rather than the sledgehammer by learning when to use restraint and when to let her voice soar.

But the concert was a winner, especially for the near-sellout family-friendly crowd. Five costumes were used in the show, with nothing that showed any skin that would hint at sex appeal. It was more like first-base appeal.