McEntire concert keeps fans guessing

Reba McEntire showed a sellout crowd Sunday night at the Augusta Civic Center why she is one of the most popular touring acts in country music.

Artists giving stadium shows rife with special effects (in other words, Garth Brooks) have raised the stakes in country music. And McEntire has arisen to the challenge.

In addition to playing many of her hits, McEntire’s show incorporated numerous costume and scenery changes and video selections on giant screens overhead. She was backed by an eight-member band, three backup vocalists and 10 dancers.

When she gets too old to tour any longer, McEntire is already set to play Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Preparations for McEntire’s set went on in secret, as a white curtain covered the front of the stage. Her show began with a 10-minute video history of her life and career projected onto that curtain.

The live segment began with the strains of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” McEntire stepped out from behind a curtain, dressed in a white dress with silver spangles and high white boots, belting out the soul classic.

For the next 90 minutes, McEntire gave her fans what they were expecting, mostly the hits from her past four albums. These included: “Rumor Has It,” “Your Life,” “They Asked About You,” “She Guessed His Name Was John,” “For My Broken Heart,” ” `Til You Love Me” and “Take It Back.”

But what separates the live show from the album is how the music is presented. McEntire constantly surprised her audience Sunday.

A video of “Is There Life Out There” segued into a live re-creation of the kitchen setting, complete with a refrigerator, table, chair, typewriter, lamp and coffee cups. The stairs on the opposite side of the stage were set up to look like a classroom, with desks and live and video students.

“Walk On” took on a gospel flavor, as McEntire was backed by a 14-member choir in robes.

Two large wardrobe trunks were rolled on stage, and McEntire and her backup singers played dress-up, pretending to be doctors and housewives during “Nine to Five.” Toward the end of the song, McEntire sat down on the edge of and fell into the smaller trunk, which was then raised into the air. At the song’s end, the trunk’s sides fell away, revealing that McEntire had disappeared. She came up through a trapdoor at the front of the stage in a blue outfit for the new number.

Later, a spotlight silhouetted a woman in a telephone. It was revealed to be up-and-comer Linda Davis, who, with McEntire, performed their award-winning duet, “Does He Love You?” Davis also performed her own song, “She Did.”

McEntire’s encore started with the video clip for “Fancy.” The curtain arose, with McEntire dressed in the same outfit as in the video. She later doffed the dowdy black coat to reveal a clingy red dress. She stepped onto a platform which was hoisted into the air and slid along a track over the audience’s heads.

It was a fitting end for a surprise-packed show.

Opening the show was John Berry, who was warmly received. His seven-song set included his hits “Kiss Me in the Car” and “Your Love Amazes Me.”

Second came John Michael Montgomery, and the screams from the women in the audience never let up through his 45-minute set. Montgomery’s charisma was evident, and his enthusiastic set included “Be My Baby Tonight,” “I Swear,” “Life’s A Dance” and “I Love The Way You Love Me.” His encore was an overly extended version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” during which Montgomery showed off his guitar skills for 10 minutes.