I last saw Trisha Yearwood in concert in September 2005 in Las Vegas, so by January, I was ready for another dose of that Yearwood magic, and made my way to a casino local to me with my friends, Dale and Dianne.
While Trisha had an opening act in Las Vegas, she was on her own this night, so we made our way to our 8th row center seats and anxiously awaited the start of the show.
I'd have to say 9 times out of 10, a show that is supposed to start at 8:00 p.m. never starts on time, but usually is at least 10 minutes late. Whether due to the star dealing with Meet & Greets, or other reasons, it's so common that when the lights actually did go down at 8:00 pm, I was pleasantly surprised.
Trisha's band usually consists of five members, but she was without her fiddle player this night, as her fiddle player is *very pregnant* and home awaiting the birth of her child. Because of this, Trisha teased that Johnny (her lead guitar player) would be singing all the "girly parts tonight." Johnny is the only member in her band that has been with her for the past 15 years. Others have come and gone, but Johnny is always there, and she loves to tease him.
Trisha started the show with her first single, and No. 1 song, "She's in Love With the Boy." Quite fitting title if you think about Garth being that boy. :) "XXXs and OOOs (American Girl)" was next, followed by her current single "Tryin' To Love You."
After playing for a bit, Trisha talked a bit with the audience, and teased, "Wow, no one has asked 'Where's Garth.' I'm gonna tell him no one asked." Of course, then, that's when someone does ask, and she says he's home with the girls. They have homework tonight, and all three of them have pages that need to be typed. According to Trisha, "typing isn't one of Garth's many talents," so she knows he is having a great time with it. She says that she is the English and Spelling person, so if the girls need help with English or Spelling, they ask her.
Trisha went on, telling about the songs she's recorded, and how there is an abundance of sad songs, and only two happy ones. The next song would be one of those happy ones. With that she launched into "Thinkin' About You."
As the night wore on, and Trisha sang song after song flawlessly. Every so often, she would retreat to the back of the stage and sip from a mug. It was at one of these times that she revealed that she was feeling like she was losing her voice. You could certainly never tell there was anything wrong with her. She says that living in a house with Garth's three girls that all are sick with colds, and then Garth, who has the sniffles himself, but she's not staying away from him because of it, she's bound to get sick too.
Some of the songs Trisha performed were "Georgia Rain," "Perfect Love," "The Song Remembers When," "Walkaway Joe," and "How Do I Live." The latter, she actually dedicated to someone. She said she doesn't usually do dedications, but being a newlywed, she was inspired to do so for this couple, because it was their 25th anniversary, and because it was the man that asked her to do it, which really impressed her. After singing that, she and the band thanked everyone for coming and left the stage. A few minutes later, as she came back, she took the mic, saying how she thinks encores are silly. "Everyone knows we just are standing off to the side of the stage waiting for a few minutes to come back. We know we're coming back. You know we're coming back. So, I figure that we really should say, 'This WOULD have been the last song,' and get on with it, but we never do.
Trisha explained that encores are generally for songs that you never would have the nerve to actually record. For her encore, she sang "Midnight Train to Georgia." And, after that, she explained that if she had the guts to record a standards album one day, the next song, "Smile," would be on it.
It doesn't matter if Trisha is singing her biggest hits, or other people's music, she sounds incredible. Even with a cold. You couldn't even tell she was sick. Definitely one of the best female voices in Nashville today!
The following is the full set list:
- She's in Love With The Boy
- XXXs and OOOs (American Girl)
- Tryin' To Love You
- Thinkin' About You
- Who Invented the Wheel
- Georgia Rain
- Perfect Love
- The Song Remembers When
- Like We Never Had a Broken Heart
- Give Me the Good Stuff
- Walkaway Joe
- Pistol
- Wrong Side of Memphis
- How Do I Live (dedicated to Mark and Wendy)
Encore:
- Midnight Train to Georgia
- Smile
The show lasted about an hour and 25 minutes. Amazing show.