Shine All Night Tour: Diverse Songs, Impressive Staging

Last night at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL, a suburb of Chicago, country rocked the arena, which was about 80% filled. I had paid $10 for a ticket, but there were a few rows open in the lower bowl, so I sneaked down and took a $60 seat. The view was incomparable. The Shine All Night Tour, a co-headlining tour of Martina McBride and Trace Adkins, opened with newcomer Sarah Buxton. Her set was short and unmemorable.

Then Trace Adkins, a country superstar, sung a set that varied between his mournful ballads and his redneck playful songs. Trace's set opened with a funny video that segued into I Got my Game On. Trace commanded the stage, swaggering about, singing in his signature baritone voice. He had moving set pieces and a lot of light and video screens. It surprised me because this was a big budget affair for a country concert. He gave the audience their money's worth by singing his hits, including Songs About Me, Chrome and Hot Mama. Many of his songs celebrate/objectify women and being redneck, and the video screens matched, displaying images of scantily clad redneck women. He showed his depth by thanking his fans for making You're Gonna Miss This the song of the year last year, and sung it with simple grace. One of his favorite songs of mine, Ladies Love Country Boys, switched the objectification from women to men, but switched back at the end of his set with his megahit Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, which made the audience go wild. He finished with an encore of Muddy Water and Higher Ground, displaying the gospel prowess of his voice. Trace was an accomplished preformer, singing superficial songs with bravado, and didn't let the thumping music overpower his voice and stage presence.

The arena filled up more before Martina's set. They completely changed the stage, which had two ramps added to it and larger screens. I was pleasantly surprised when a thundering dance beat started and she preformed a remix of the inspirational Ride. Much of her set consisted of her inspiration songs, which cross over into the adult contemporary, christian, country, pop, and dance genres. While Trace only had a few sections on their feet, the audience was enthusiastic for Martina, who stole the show. She had a cold, but bravely hit all the high and long notes of her songs, including the powerful Anyways. Each time she struggled but hit the notes, she got a standing ovation. Upbeat songs began her set, with hits Wild Angels and My Baby Loves Me, which celebrates the everyday wife and mother. The only awkward moment was a misplaced cover of Lean On Me that was preceded by such a joyous set of songs that it was as jarring as the shrill piano that accompanied it. She left the stage and came back out on a glowing crescent moon that sailed above the audience, preforming ballads like Concrete Angel, I Have Been Blessed and I'm Trying on the B-Stage. These songs were inspirational but sad at the same time, covering themes of abuse and heartache but also spiritual empowerment. She walked back to the main stage through the audience, belting out This One's for the Girls, a female empowerment anthem that celebrates girls of all ages and their inner beauty. The set ended with songs of escaping abuse, such as A Broken Wing, and then her best song, Independence Day, a soaring anthem of (again) escaping abuse as streamers jettisoned from the ceiling. She covered Summer of 69 for her encore.
This concert was a lot of fun, a blend of upbeat, rollicking songs, and moving ballads. Martina, despite her cold, belted her heart out. My only complaint was that the audience was a little less responsive than I would've liked. But I've heard country shows aren't known for standing and singing along. Poor Trace put on a great show, but only Martina could move people to stand up. I liked how the country hits were inspirational and traditional, but also the artists could step out of the box and be edgier (Trace's videos) or stage a pop concert with visuals, lights, and choreography (Martina) instead of pandering to the sometimes effected morals of the target audience. It was an interesting partnership that worked because of the diversity of their material. The icing on the cake was free Sunny D from the sponsor after the show!

Trace Adkins

1. "I Got My Game On"
2. "Swing"
3. "Songs About Me
4. "I Wanna Feel Something"
5. "All I Ask For Anymore"
6. "Marry for Money"
7. "Chrome"
8. "Rough & Ready"
9. "You're Gonna Miss This"
10. "Hot Mama"
11. "Ladies Love Country Boys"
12. "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"

Encore

13. "Muddy Water"
14. "Higher Ground"

Martina McBride

1. "Ride"
2. "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues"
3. "Happy Girl"
4. "Walk Away"
5. "Wild Angels"
6. "My Baby Loves Me"
7. "Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong"
8. "I Just Call You Mine"
9. "Lean On Me"
10. "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
11. "Anyway"
12. "Concrete Angel"
13. "I'm Trying"
14. "Love's The Only House"/"Blessed"
15. "This One's For The Girls"
16. "Two More Bottles of Wine"
17. "You're Not Leaving Me"
18. "Where Would You Be"
19. "A Broken Wing"
20. "Independence Day"

Encore

21. "Summer of '69"