Martina McBride's "Waking Up Laughing" Tour Captivates Audiences

[JM]

One of Country music's top female artists, Martina McBride drew fans of all ages for the second night of her 2008 "Waking Up Laughing" Tour, which stopped at Cincinnati, Ohio's U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, January 19th.


The "Waking Up Laughing" tour, which supports McBride's latest album, Waking Up Laughing opened in Evansville, IN on Friday night, and will end in Syracuse, NY on Sunday, March 2nd.


McBride captivated an enthusiastic audience with a top-notch, hour-and-a-half show that showcased nearly two-dozen of her most popular songs. Opener's Lady Antebellum and chart-topper Jack Ingram also were on the bill. Each of their sets proved to be outstanding, from beginning to end.


At the start of the show, Lady Antebellem opened with several songs from their upcoming, self-titled album, Lady Antebellum, which will release in April of 2008 on Capital Records Nashville. The trio made up of members Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, also performed their self-penned radio single "Love Don't Live Here."


Following Lady Antebellum's set, Jack Ingram took the stage with an energetic performance of crowd favorites including "Measure of A Man," and "Wherever You Are."


Then McBride came out, and rose up onto a platform as she opened with her hit "Anyway." She continued her stellar performance with "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues."


Her demeanor was warm and friendly, and it was easy for her to connect with the fans, and almost every seat was filled in the half-arena setting. The show itself was diverse, showcasing some of her hits including ballads and more rocking numbers, including "Wild Angels," "My Baby Love's Me," and "Happy Girl."


Another highlight of the show was a duet McBride did with her brother and guitarist, Marty Schiff, on the song "Tryin' To Find a Reason," from her latest project Waking Up Laughing, which released in April of 2007 on RCA Records. McBride did the duet on her album with Keith Urban, but she mused he was too expensive for the tour.


About half way through the show she did several more traditional numbers from her Timeless album, which pays tribute to some of her favorite Country songs, including "Rose Garden" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night."


Everyone was enjoying himself or herself as Martina and her seven-piece band joined in with fans throughout the performance as they walked the stage with confidence, greeting them, waving and interacting periodically.


The show was also moving with the emotive and inspiring with the breath-taking performance of "Where Would You Be." Following that number was "Concrete Angel," which also had the music video playing in the background on three, large screens. While audiences were in a more thoughtful mode, McBride continued with "Broken Wing."


However, the show was quick to get lively again with many in the audience singing and dancing along to her hits, "This One's for the Girls," and "Independence Day."


The lights, sound, and stage set also added to what each of the performers had to offer the crowd, which had a good mix of both men and women.


McBride ended the night with a two-song encore of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," and Pat Benetar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," which were both welcome surprises.


It's still early in the year, but this show will prove to be one of the year's best. The show proved to be spectacular - with he combination of artists, songs, and crowd response. The fusion of songs, sentiment, and the artists' personalities shining through, really left audiences feeling good.