Martina McBride, Trace Adkins and Sarah Buxton performed for a near-capacity crowd in Northern Illinois.
[singlepic id=225 w=320 h=240 float=left]DeKalb, Ill. – Billed appropriately as the “Shine All Night” tour, co-headliners Martina McBride and Trace Adkins lived up to their promise with a near-celestial experience for fans. While the Northern Illinois University indoor stadium doesn’t have a retractable roof, with the help of some computer generated graphics and McBride’s power vocals, the stars still dazzled during the Sunday-night performance.
During the show, McBride “moving” experience came when the singer hopped aboard a giant neon moon that gracefully carried her across the stadium ceiling, while performing, to eventually land on a remote stage. McBride returned to the main stage, via the traditional walking method, performing “This One’s for the Girls”.
Approximately halfway into her set, McBride admitted that she was recovering from a cold and wasn’t sure what to expect. Her coughing between songs didn’t go unnoticed but what may have been bothering her internally, fortunately, had little effect on her delivery. Which was proved by the stellar performance of her hit, “Independence Day,” and her current single, “Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong”.
While McBride’s stage presence has always been a bit angelical, on the other end of the spectrum, Adkins stuck with what he knows best, songs about scars, cars and broken hearts. As noted during his performance, for the long-haired, rough-and-ready entertainer, it’s not always about the “hot momma” and the “badonkadonk” songs. With the help of the music video being projected in the background, it was a rarity to find a dry-eye during his performance of the 2007 Grammy nominated hit, “You’re Gonna Miss This”.
Mid way through his set, Adkins noted that he’ll be re-teaming up with his buddy Blake Shelton to perform “Hillbilly Bone” at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18. In addition to the performance, their collaborative effort landed them an ACM nomination for Vocal Event of the Year.
Starting the night off right was country cutie, Sarah Buxton. Accompanied by her guitarist, Jedd Hughes, Buxton shared a few songs from her debut album including her version of “Stupid Boy”, the country radio hit penned by Buxton and made famous by Keith Urban in 2006. Buxton’s self-titled album was released in February.
Being a Sunday evening, the crowd was a bit somber than expected but, by concert end, the Buxton, Adkins and McBride combo – or BAM – brought a whole new meaning to the “All Night” tour.
About Scott Winterroth, Editor
