Concert Preview
Going to see Shania? Here's what you need to know

By Patrick MacDonald
Seattle Times music critic

MARK CORNELISON / LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER Feeling lucky? Shania Twain (performing recently in Louisville, Ky.) likes to invite people onstage.

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

Other links Search event listings Search movie listings Sign up for Movies e-mail

Top 10 Things You Must Know Before Attending Shania Twain's Concert Tonight in KeyArena:

1. The show is in the round. That means that, no matter where you sit, you will spend a lot of time looking at her backside. Which, depending on how you feel about Twain, might not be a bad thing. It also means that the star will have to make her way through the crowd to get to the stage. Here's an insider's tip: That shadow-figure of a person behind a scrim onstage at the beginning of the concert will not be Twain! She'll be the woman running down the aisle with bodyguards all around her.

2. You will not hear any country music. Twain is not now, nor has she ever been, a country-music artist. She is a pop singer. She and her husband/producer, Mutt Lange, were smart to sell her as a country star, because she started her career too late to be a teen idol. Lange is a superstar rock producer, best known for working with AC/DC, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Bryan Adams and the Cars. He knows how to make slick, hook-laden rock hits. With Twain, he makes slick, hook-laden, faux country. Twain has absolutely nothing in common with real female country stars like Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire or Emmylou Harris, other than their gender.

3. It will be part fashion show. Twain is country music's sexiest star. She always says in interviews that she doesn't care how she looks and she doesn't think she's sexy (yeah, sure) but her pants are tighter than Dwight Yoakam's and her snug tops expose her navel and leave nothing to the imagination. Expect at least one costume change, maybe more. All costumes will be small and tight.

4. Bring your autograph book and camera. Twain interacts with the audience more than any other artist on the road today. At her concerts, it is not unusual for her to sign dozens, even hundreds, of autographs. How? By signing while singing. One critic wrote that she mostly saw Twain's head during the 90-minute set, because Twain was constantly bending over to sign autographs while singing. She also invites people onstage to have their picture taken with her. Not one or two shutterbugs, but up to a dozen a show. And she invites people up to sing with her. At the very least, if you are anywhere near the stage, you'll get high-fived by Shania.

5. Bring flowers. Longtime fans know they can always get Twain's attention by waving a bouquet in her direction. She always takes them immediately, and sometimes the giver gets a kiss. Don't worry if she's singing. Like we said, she's a multitasker, and will take the flowers without missing a beat. By the end of the show, the stage will look like a flower shop.

Concert preview Shania Twain and Emerson Drive, 7:30 tonight, KeyArena, Seattle Center; $45-$80 (206-628-0888, www.ticketmaster.com or www.hob.com; information, 206-684-7200 or www.seattlecenter.com).

6. If you've already seen her on this tour, expect less this time. Twain has cut down her set list considerably, from about two dozen songs earlier on the tour to about 16 now. Why? Because she spends so much time with the audience. She talks a lot between songs, taking questions and comments from the crowd. She has been known to climb down from the stage and sit next to someone, just to talk. Who has time to sing?

7. Bring money. Twain's ticket price is already pretty high, and some fans pay many times the face value at ticket agencies for prime seats. And there are plenty of Shania Twain souvenirs on sale at the show. Hint: She is more likely to sign one of her posters, programs or T-shirts (bring a pen with unwashable ink) from the concession stand rather than just some slip of paper.

8. Bring earplugs. The show is louder than most, because in-the-round configurations require more speakers and more amplification. She has an eight-piece band, and all want to be heard. And there are pyrotechnics, including explosions.

9. It helps to be a Fleetwood Mac fan. If you arrive early, expect to hear Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album in its entirety. That's what has been piped into the audience before Twain's set for most of the tour. When the LP is over, the concert begins.

10. Get there early. The opening act, Emerson Drive, is a slick country-rock band made up of six good-looking young men. The band has a current hit with the slick, energetic "Last One Standing," written by former rock stars Richard Marx and Fee Waybill of the Tubes.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More Entertainment & the Arts headlines...