Miranda Lambert is one of my favorite musicians, but I've not seen her perform live since 2011, because every time she comes to California, we have a conflict. When I found out that she was scheduled to perform at The Citizen's Bank Arena in Ontario, CA, I was ready to purchase tickets. I held back because it's winter and we live in a ski resort town. I just knew that if I bought tickets, that we'd get a snow storm and not be able to make it down the mountain.
Just a few weeks before the concert, I bought a plane ticket to join Dan on his business trip to Portland. The return flight home landed just hours before Lambert's concert and the concert venue is a five minute drive from the airport. I wasn't willing to risk snow, but I could risk a delayed or canceled flight.
Luckily, we had zero problems. I always like to make sure that we see the opening acts ( a great way to discover new music and just to be supportive of the artists. Plus, I don't like to disturb the people sitting near me), but we couldn't get inside in time to see the first opener, British singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas. We technically arrived on time, but the queue for security was enormous. I'm not complaining, because I'd rather that they take security seriously, but it's definitely something that takes longer at concert venues nowadays. Arrive early and be patient! Silvas came back onstage to sing an Aretha Franklin cover "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" with Lambert.
We made it to our seats in time to catch a majority of John Pardi's set. I didn't think that I was familiar with Pardi, but I recognized several of his songs from country radio, such as "Head Over Boots."
As you can see from the above picture, our seats were far back. We were in the last row, but because they were closer to center, we had a great view. The concert was sold out and when I went to purchase tickets, I only had a choice of a few seats through Ticketmaster resale. I've seen Lambert perform eight times and these were the worsts seats/ most expensive tickets. Her popularity has certainly grown. This was Dan's first Lambert concert and he was really hoping that she'd do her cover of Gillian Welch's "Dry Town." She didn't, but he still enjoyed her concert.
A video showing Lambert's road crew played as they were setting up for her to take stage. It was a fun tribute to all of the people ( so many people) who work hard on her tour. It was also very cool to see songwriter, Gwen Sebastian singing background vocals on Lambert's tour.
Lambert started the show with her energetic cover of John Prine's "That's the Way the World Goes 'Round." Lambert played songs spanning her career, including her latest album, The Weight of These Wings. When I saw her in 2011, she debuted a few songs that she had been working on for her 2014 album, Platinum, but most of the songs off of that album and her latest, I had not heard performed live. I was thrilled to hear her perform "Tin Man", "Vice", and "Bathroom Sink."
She donned a pair of pink sunglasses for her sassy song, "Pink Sunglasses" and gave them to a child in the audience.
Lambert's encore was "Little Red Wagon," in which she changed a lyric to reflect that she no longer lives in her ex-husband, Blake Shelton's home state of Oklahoma.
Lambert mentioned in the concert that she likes to put on a show that gives you all of the feels. When she performed "Over You," I started thinking of my mom and the tears flowed. Not that I enjoy being emotional in public, but there is something about the energy of a live show that is cathartic. Lambert likes to use the phrase "Music is Medicine," and if there is one artist that this is true of for me, it's Lambert. Her music has helped me through plenty of rough times.
I'm so happy that we were able to see Lambert's latest tour. It was a great evening out and money well spent. Here is a picture as we were leaving the arena.
One more thing that needs to be mentioned: Lambert had the coolest outfit. She was wearing a long-sleeve top with a plunging neckline and incredible fringe on the sleeves, a floral embellished leather mini skirt, and cowboy boots. She rocked it! I love pageantry and crazy sets, but there is something to be said for an artist that comes out and just performs a long set, without changing outfits.