| Jo Dee Opens the Show | |
When I heard that George Strait was going to do some arena shows this year, I hoped that he would come back to California. The last time his tour was out this way was in 1999. I attended the show, however wasn't able to stay for either George or Tim McGraw's part of the show, 'cause my ex-husband got heat stroke from being in the sun without sunblock. :/
I hoped George would at least come back to Oakland again, which was where the show was in 1999, but it was even better news. He was coming to Sacramento, which is only 100 miles from my home. Oakland is about 170 miles from here, so I was really excited. Even better, I scored seats in the third row of seats, first level off the floor. The stage was set up in the middle of the arena, so I knew this would be a pretty decent seat. When I arrived, I estimated the distance to be equal to maybe 12-13 rows at a regular stage setup.
Jo Dee Messina was George's choice to open the shows. I had seen Jo Dee open for the Judds on their Reunion Tour back in 2000. I was MUCH further away back then, so I was excited that I might be able to get better pictures of her as well.
The show was supposed to start at 7:30, but I think it started closer to 8:00. Before Jo Dee came on the stage an announcer from the local radio station came on to warm up the crowd a bit. About 70% of the arena was filled by the time Jo Dee hit the stage.
Jo Dee wore a short filmy shirt in autumn colors of gold and red with a white tank underneath and blue jeans. Her hair was cut short and she looked good. She started the show with "I'm Alright," then moved on into "Downtime." After that, she welcomed everyone to the show and explained why they were doing a show "in the round." She said that that way people could see George from this angle, and that angle, as she turned around. Then she said "of course when you're talking about George Strait, every angle is a good angle." Jo Dee asked us to help her out and if we knew the song lyrics, to sing them out real loud. She then lead into "Heads Carolina, Tails California" which was a crowd pleaser.
There were screens on the top of the stage on all four sides, so when the artist was on the opposite side of the stage, you still could see them well by watching the screens. Jo Dee moved around a lot during her songs. I think she probably visited all four sides of the stage during each song. During the next song "That's The Way," part of her video for the song played on the screens during some parts of the song. Next she sang her big hit, "Bye Bye."
The next part of the show, Jo Dee explained that she's from that country music capitol -- "Boston." Then, she laughed and said that music was always a big part of her life, and commercials especially. She said for example, if I said "Like a good neighbor," you'd say "State Farm is there," and everyone sang the last part. She explained that her brother used to play music a lot and she would put her ear to the door and listen to the music. Then, she said "he'd play songs like:" and she sang "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey.
Jo Dee said that when she was 9-years-old, she was a cool kid, and she used to go to the roller skating rink, and hearing the next song brought back memories of those times. She then sang "Bad Case of Lovin' You" by Robert Palmer. She then went on to say when she was 14, she would play in clubs 4-5 nights a week singing songs like "Stand By Your Man." Then, said while she was singing Patsy, Loretta, and Reba, everyone else was listening to stuff like... Then the band played some rock song that I didn't recognize, and she didn't sing it.
Jo Dee said that she has memories of a song in the past that she'd always liked, and with all the events in the past year, the song took on a new meaning, and she sang "Freedom" by George Michael. At least I'm pretty sure that's the song it was.
Jo Dee went on to say that she moved to Nashville when she was 19, and she remembers songs that people can learn from, especially guys, like: "Lessons in Leavin'." Then, she sang "Stand Beside Me," and the lights flashed like lightning and you heard thunder, and she sang "Bring On The Rain." Then, she sang her recent single, "Dare To Dream."
Next she sang "Get Up And Dance." She sang this song when I saw her open for the Judds too, but it isn't on any of her albums. This was also where Jo Dee played the drums. She would play a bit, and then the drummer would respond with the same, then she'd play something else and he'd respond with the same. She did this with glowing orange drumsticks. They turned the lights way down and you could see the drumsticks glowing in the dark. Then, later she strapped on a guitar and took a turn at a small solo. I thought that was cool.
Here's the set list for Jo Dee's show:
- I'm Alright
- Downtime
- Heads Carolina, Tails California
- That's The Way
- Bye Bye
- Don't Stop Believin'
- Bad Case of Lovin' You
- Stand By Your Man
- Freedom
- Lesson in Leavin'
- Stand Beside Me
- Bring On The Rain
- Dare To Dream
- Get Up And Dance
Before I saw the show, I couldn't understand why George Strait picked Jo Dee to open for him. She sings a very different style of country music, and I just didn't think the people that would come to see him would like Jo Dee. I was wrong. She got great applause, and I am very glad I was wrong. She gives 110% during her show, and it was truly enjoyable.