She will take your $20 and give you back your Visa, there is more than one reason Kelly Clarkson became America’s idol way back in 2002. The powerhouse singer was right at home joking around with fans at Darien Lake on Tuesday night. Clarkson evoked laughter from fans in the beginning of her show when she told the audience she had not been in Buffalo since 2013 because she was busy making a kid. The crowd of all ages supported the mother with overwhelming cheers and screams as she started her set.
The 17 song set was filled with Clarkson classics and new favorites that kept the audience in good spirits throughout the show. Unlike some artists, Clarkson loved to interact with her audience. The singer often took time to talk about a song she was about to perform, creating common threads with the audience.
Before performing her hit “Mr. Know It All,” Clarkson urged fans to sing along because this song was for anyone who “dated a jerk, worked with a jerk, known a jerk or been a jerk.” Whatever category you fit into, you felt compelled to sing along. Later on, before singing the title track off her new album “Piece By Piece,” the singer jokingly commented on the sad nature of the upcoming songs stating, “It’s sad because that’s all I write. You’re welcome! She laughingly said, “You must like it or you wouldn’t be here.” The dichotomy of Clarkson’s relationship with the men in her life drove an emotional performance of “Piece By Piece,” accompanied only by a piano, Clarkson’s commanding voice captured the audience.
After sharing an anecdote of meeting a boy in the mall who started to belt out Whitney Houston, Clarkson invited Atlanta native Jamie Grace to the stage to perform as a part of Clarkson’s open mic that helps aspiring artists get their names out there. Jamie Grace was welcomed with open arms by the audience as she performed a cover of Taylor Swift’s hit song “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Never forgetting where she started, the season 1 American Idol winner performed a fan request made prior to the show via Twitter. The request of ‘N Sync’s hit “Bye Bye Bye” had the crowd buzzing with early 2000s’ nostalgia, fans everywhere singing and showcasing their cheesy boy band moves.
For her second to last song, Clarkson was joined on stage by her opening act Pentatonix. The A capella group was treated like a headliner earlier in the night as they taught us the ABCs of A capella when they performed a memorable solute to the king of pop Michael Jackson. The creative mashup between the artists for Clarkson’s single “Heartbeat Song” off of her album “Piece By Piece” got total crowd approval and made it hard to say goodbye as the show was almost over.
Like any good mother, Clarkson had prepared us to all to leave the concert “Stronger,” performing songs like “Miss Independent” in her encore. Finally, fans were sent on their way with the bittersweet sentiment that “My Life Would Suck Without You.”
Setlist:
Dance With Me
My Life Would Suck
Catch My Breath
Nostalgic
Mr. Know It All
Second Wind
Invincible
Piece By Piece
Medley
Tightrope
Take You High(When Doves Cry)
Behind These Hazel Eyes
Bye Bye Bye (NSYNC cover)
Don’t Let Me Stop You
Stronger
Heartbeat Song
Walktown
Encore:
Bang Bang ((Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj cover)
Miss Independent
Since U Been Gone
Photos by BackstageAxxess Correspondent Nick LoVerde.
We would like to thank Ashley Ball from Live Nation for her assistance in obtaining the credentials for BackstageAxxess to review the show.
