'Idol' winner Underwood keeps on winning
After selling more than a million tickets to her last concert tour, Carrie Underwood has been flying high on this one.
Really high. As in flying over her audiences in a miniature pickup truck suspended by cables.
"We're kind of going for broke on this one just because I feel like it's time," Underwood said before the tour started last spring." At this point, the only thing it's about is putting on a great show and we're going out with that in mind. I definitely think we have delivered."
Underwood's "Play On Tour" comes to Intrust Bank Arena on Tuesday. It has generated strong reviews at previous stops across the country. On Sept. 28, the San Jose Mercury News had this to say about the concert:
"The third act ... basically occurred in the back of a blue pickup truck, which was hoisted by cables above fans' heads and flown about the arena. Underwood belted John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' from the truck bed, as fans cheered the audacity of the moment. When it finally parked back onstage, the singer would hit the crowd with two of her best numbers: the rocking 'Undo It' and the sweet 'Jesus Take the Wheel.' "
The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, had this to say about her performance there:
"Last night, it was amazing to witness her transformation from the shy farm girl to global superstar. From the moment a riser brought her from below the stage to open her set with a performance of 'Cowboy Casanova,' she owned the stage and the crowd."
The former "American Idol" winner, who turned 27 in March, has set a record with 11 straight No. 1 country singles. In an interview, she said she thinks her set list is meaty enough to support a spectacular stage show.
"As far as things getting bigger, it's just that — the stage is bigger, there are more lights, there's more tricks up our sleeve," Underwood said. "We have a lot of moving parts on the stage. My band's great, wardrobe's great. It's just more. It's all of the bells and whistles and sprinkles on the cupcake."
Her third CD, "Play On," has cemented her elite status; the album debuted at No. 1 and has sold more than 1.5 million copies, bringing her to more than 12 million albums sold since 2005.
Those are all heady numbers, but as she has grown more successful, Underwood says she has learned to let go of the statistics.
"I remember in the beginning it was like, 'How many did I sell this week? How many people are going to be here?' " Underwood said. "It was all about numbers, and to be honest now I don't even look at anything because I'm happy. When I see numbers, it either makes me happy or brings me down. I'd rather just be happy and leave it at that."
Underwood's personal life has been flying high, too. She married Mike Fisher of the NHL's Ottawa Senators in July, at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Greensboro, Ga.
Born in Muskogee, Okla., she was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Okla. She auditioned for "American Idol" in the summer of 2004 in St. Louis, Mo., and won the show's fourth season in May 2005.
She immediately shot to stardom with her first big hit, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" off her debut album, "Some Hearts." Three more big hits off the album ("Don't Forget to Remember Me," "Before He Cheats," and "Wasted") made the CD one of the best-selling albums in country music history.
If you go
carrie underwood
What: Country concert with opening acts Sons of Sylvia and Billy Currington
Where: Intrust Bank Arena, 500 E. Waterman
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
How much: Tickets $35.50-$55.50, available at the arena box office or Select-A-Seat outlets. Charge by phone, 316-755-SEAT, online at www.selectaseat.com.
This story was originally published October 17, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "'Idol' winner Underwood keeps on winning."