Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Kellie Pickler endured 40-degree temperatures Saturday night to play a full set with her six-man band to open the new Avalon mixed-used development in Alpharetta.
She wore a black parka with a fake fur fringe, tight jeans and leather boots. She moved around a lot, clearly a tactic to stay warm. She also seemed to have trouble with her ear pieces, adjusting them frequently.
But she didn't complain. She's a pro. She did her job entertaining about 500 brave fans.
"We're going to pretend it's 95 degrees out here," she said. "Mind over matter! It' scolder somewhere else!"
She sounded as good as I remember her from previous concerts. She sang all six of her hits from the 2006-2009 arena, plus a handful of more recent tunes. Her emotional ballad about her estranged mom "I Wonder" still brings me to tears. And even without Taylor Swift as her duet partner, her biggest hit "Best Days of Your Life" was a lively reminder that Swift was once a country artist.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
I had a strange encounter with a drunk 40-something woman who sidled up to me at one point and asked, "Who is this?"
Me: "Kellie Pickler."
Her: blank face
Me (trying to be helpful): "She finished sixth on American Idol season 5."
Her: more blank face
Me (mildly exasperated): "Same season as Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry?"
Her: mass confusion
Me: "Do you know 'American Idol'?"
Her: I don't get cable.
I gave up.
Pickler at one point introduced each band member with genuine affection and gave them a chance to do a solo, be it "Walk This Way' for the drummer, "Sir Duke" for the bassist and "Crazy Train" for the guitarist. She ended with an encore of "Red High Heels," her signature first hit, followed by fireworks into the frigid air.
***
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Another season 5 finalist, Katharine McPhee is on another hit show! "Scorpion" is now the networks most popular drama among 18 to 49 year olds.
She may end up having a good paying gig for many years go come!
And how about this for weird? One of the executive producers of the show is Atlanta's Scooter Braun, the man responsible for overseeing Justin Bieber. (I didn't even know he had gotten into television production!)
Kelly Kahl, senior vice president for CBS primetime, told The Wrap that the show, which features McPhee as the "normal' among a group of geniuses, is a bit like the dramatic companion of the No.1 comedic show "The Big Bang Theory." Having "The Big Bang Theory" on the same night for several weeks didn't hurt the show's ability to build a younger audience. Kat is similar to Kelly Cuoco's Penny character on "The Big Bang Theory."
This sure beats her first dramatic TV regular job on the perpetually troubled NBC show "Smash," which lasted two seasons back in 2012-13.
***
Carrie Underwood's upcoming two-CD greatest hits album will include these songs, proving that she has a gazillion hits now.
Disc One
1. "Something in the Water"
2. "Little Toy Guns"
3. "Inside Your Heaven"
4. "Jesus, Take the Wheel"
5. "Don’t Forget to Remember Me"
6. "Before He Cheats"
7. "Wasted"
8. "So Small"
9. "All-American Girl"
10. "Last Name"
11. "Just a Dream"
12. "I Told You So" (feat. Randy Travis)
Disc Two
1. "Cowboy Casanova"
2. "Temporary Home"
3. "Undo It"
4. "Mama's Song"
5. "Remind Me" (duet with Brad Paisley)
6. "Good Girl"
7. "Blown Away"
8. "Two Black Cadillacs"
9. "See You Again"
10. "How Great Thou Art" (with Vince Gill) [Live from ACM Presents: Girls’ Night Out]*
11. "So Small" (writing session worktape 1/24/07)*
12. "Last Name" (writing session worktape 1/22/07)*
13. "Mama's Song" (writing session worktape 2/5/09)*
* (Never-before-released version)
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