Concert review: Carrie Underwood at the Puyallup Fair — inspiring, sweet and sassy

Concert Review |

Country music's reigning pop princess, Carrie Underwood, brought her inspiring, sweet and sometimes sassy style to a sold-out crowd at the Puyallup Fair Friday night. The singer kicked the night off with the lively "Flat on the Floor," from her most recent release, the multi-platinum "Carnival Ride."

In the 90-minute set, she performed 18 songs from both of her albums — including some of her biggest hits, like "Jesus Take the Wheel" — for a rapt crowd. The show was the perfect touch to a setting that was a complete slice of Americana — from the Krusty Pups to the Friday Night Lights-type scene at a high school down the street.

Underwood hit the stage playing the country sexpot, sporting a skin-tight sleeveless denim jumpsuit with a plunging neckline, ruffle-edged collar and diamond buttons down the front. The outfit made it hard to believe her comment later that she sits at home eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream while watching movies. Dangly diamond earrings, a gleaming cuff bracelet and glitter-toed designer heels completed the look.

The cute-as-a-button crooner was accompanied by an eight-piece band (drums, two sets of keyboards, a female back-up singer, and four guitar players) on a sparse stage. Two giant video screens provided closeups and videos.

Underwood took on one seemingly out-of-character cover — Guns n Roses' "Paradise City" — which seemed to send the band into rock n' roll fantasy mode (running around the stage, working the crowd and acting a bit less staid). The tune drew as much applause as the singer's original recordings, which was somewhat comical but spoke volumes about the young lady's crossover appeal.

Female fans both young and old sang along all night to ditties including the melodious if not corny "All-American Girl" and the uplifting ballad "So Small." Underwood played guitar on two songs, but the instruments truly seemed more like props than the real thing. The talented beauty should stick to what she excels at: flaunting her powerful, though not extraordinary, pipes. Those were on full display on tunes including her latest single, "Just a Dream," a wistful tune that describes the untimely death of a husband soldier, the uplifting ballad "So Small," and the deliciously wicked "Before He Cheats."