Reba McEntire in fine form after one-year hiatus

While a violent rainstorm hammered much of central Maine, a fortunate few thousand were transported to a place of bright lights and warm, friendly music.

One of the reigning queens of country music, Reba McEntire, and a promising newcomer, Doug Stone, offered a mix of good-time honky-tonk and ballads about love gone wrong, much to the delight of the 4,500 in the audience Thursday night at the Augusta Civic Center.

The concert’s third act, Ricky Van Shelton, canceled when a sinus infection led to laryngitis. The other two performers lengthened their sets to help offset the loss of Shelton. Still, about 300 spectators got refunds and left.

McEntire was in fine form on her first tour since taking nearly a year off to have her first child, son Shelby.

As smoke swirled in colored lights, she appeared on stage at the top of a backlit set of stairs. She wore a sequined blue top with a teal chiffon skirt over a black body-hugging catsuit, which contrasted strikingly with her flowing red hair.

McEntire opened by romping through “Your Life,” supported by a seven-member band and two backup singers, all dressed in black. She continued to surprise on the up-tempo numbers throughout the evening, with such songs as “I Can’t Even Get the Blues No More,” “Walk On” and a rocking version of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.”

She showed off the range of her voice on the ballads, whether her own like “Whoever’s in New England,” her regular-set finale “You Lie” or her cover of the Everly Brothers’ “Cathy’s Clown.” She also performed a medley of older ballads, including “Old Fool at a New Game,” “I Know How He Feels” and “What Am I Gonna Do?”

McEntire was in a playful mood, pulling off her dress and donning a silver-and-green sequined jacket over the catsuit during “Little Rock.” While two couples, winners of a local radio contest, danced during “Oklahoma Swing,” she slipped offstage. She returned in a long, black-and-silver sequined dress, singing her new version of Bobby Gentry’s “Fancy” in a defiant voice.

Perhaps the highlight of McEntire’s 70-minute set was her trademark encore, a powerful, a cappella version of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams.” She left the audience standing and applauding, ready for more.

McEntire’s opening act, Doug Stone, and his six-member band, took full advantage of their expanded set. The 34-year-old Georgian showed his honky-tonk leanings on songs such as “Overnight Male,” “High Weeds and Rust” and “You Have the Right to Remain Silent.” The band even showed it could rock with its encore version of the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Running,” with Stone performing a guitar solo.

Stone was an equally adept balladeer, with songs such as “14 Minutes Old,” “In a Different Light” and his hit, “I’d Be Better Off In A Pine Box.”

Stone, with his boyish good looks, expressive face and nimble dancing feet, proved a person to watch in the near future.