Carrie Underwood Better Than Ever in Carnival Ride Tour – San Diego Concert
Now that I’ve been to four separate Carrie Underwood concerts (Dixon, California; Los Angeles, California; Stagecoach 2008; San Diego, California), I think that I can say that I am a Carrie Underwood concert pro at this point.
Since Carrie’s first album “Some Hearts” came out, she’s been far and away my favorite singer and music personality. I was pretty much a pure hip-hop/R&B listener and somehow, Carrie Underwood got me to listen to country, which got me listening to some more rock, which got me listening to anything and everything. About 75% of the time that I’m in the car, I’m rocking out to something that isn’t hip-hop or R&B at this point and I think that’s a pretty big deal for one artist to completely change the type of music that someone listens to.
After going to Carrie’s Carnival Ride tour in San Diego last night, I have to say that Carrie has come a long way in a good way as a live performer. Not that she wasn’t great initially, but she really owns the stage at this point and is great at interacting with the audience. A singer like Carrie will always have the voice to win over an audience, but people come to concerts to feel like they’re getting to know their favorite singer and I think she’s come a long way in that sense. You see a lot more of her personality and she takes a little bit more freedom with the riffs and variations that she puts into her performances, all of which is great.
So basically, if you’re a Carrie fan and haven’t seen her in concert? Just go. You won’t regret it and she’s turning into such a strong performer at this point that I’ll never miss her when she’s in town, no matter the cost! There are tons and tons of concert reviews online, at great fansites like CarrieFans.com, but if you’re at all a fan of Carrie’s, I can tell you as a veteran concert goer (not just a Carrie concert goer) that she’s quickly becoming great to see live.
Carrie is part of a “new generation” of country singers, especially female country singers, that are making their mark inside and outside of the country music industry. While there are names like Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, and even LeAnn Rimes, that everyone who knows a little bit about music will know, you’re starting to see a new generation led by singers like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, Miranda Lambert and others that are really beginning to stake their claim within the music industry.
What we’re seeing here is the passing of the torch – much like Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Brandon Roy, and Deron Williams have given us a new generation of NBA superstars – country music is undergoing a transformation right before our eyes. This is a transformation that will finally stop people from saying that they like “all music, except for country.” Artists like Swift, Underwood, and Jennifer Nettles’ duo Sugarland, have crossover appeal that makes it more than ok for anyone to like country.
I’ve said for a while that there is no ballad like a country ballad and with this new generation, there’s actually a shot for a wider audience of people to get to hear it.
Fantastic write up about Carrie. I am also an “new” country listener. I NEVER would have been listening to country if it wasn’t for Miss Carrie Underwood. She has brought new life to that genre and I have discovered some of the best music because of her….She really is something else.
Hey – I was wondering what you think of pop-ish stars making country albums? I have two people in mind, although one wasn’t ever really ‘pop’. Anyway! I’m talking about Jewel and Jessica Simpson. I haven’t really heard tracks from either of those newer albums, but I’m not a JSimpson fan anyway. With Jewel, I’m afraid it’ll be bad.
I have always loved that picture of you and Carrie from last Summer. She is wearing the blue tee and page boy hat. I find you again here your meet and greet pic is great. I agree with everything you are saying. I’ve been to 8 shows so far and Carrie continues to grow as a performer. She is the total package and I don’t think there’s anyone out there that has it all and can sing any genre. She is truly a phenom.
Much props dude. We share the same first name and I’m Asian as well. Asian-American rather. I was just like you, only listening to hip-hop/r&b… till I heard Carrie sing. If you ask me five years ago if I listen to country music, I would say “Hell no!” Carrie has definitely open me up to country and other genres of music.
Did you get any good pictures of her while at the concert?
So how exactly do you manage to get backstage at all these awesome events!?
Hey! Wow, that’s a great picture. You not even got a photo with her…you got a bear hug
It’s been forever since I saw you. Hope everything is going well. We should plan a game night/dinner night/whatever night sometime soon.