Reba reigns at Country Thunder
By THOMAS BOND
Get Out
April 23, 2004

She may have taken a singing sabbatical and become the television star
of her own sitcom, but Reba McEntire is still the queen of country
music.
In just her second live performance since 2001, the 49-year-old
sensation gave a marvelous performance and was received like royalty by
a raucous crowd of approximately 35,000 at Country Thunder Friday night
in Florence.

Though she's taken up acting - both on Broadway and on her TV show
"Reba" - this show was strictly about the music and all the better for
it. Gone were the glitzy stage sets and glamorous get-ups of past tours
- can you imagine a spangled gown on a farm in Florence? - as McEntire
and her band touched on hits from throughout her lengthy career and
choice cuts from her new album, "Room to Breathe."

"It's really exciting to see her perform live," said Shelly Zimmerman,
29, of Gilbert.
She and her husband attended a pre-show meet-and-greet with McEntire and
came away impressed.

"She's even prettier in person than she is on TV!" enthused David
Zimmerman, 30.

The stripped down stage presentation was perfect for an outdoor festival
and matched McEntire's clothing choice of a simple black halter top and
tan slacks with a smattering of sequins at the bottom. Her trademark red
locks are still cut short but were just starting to touch her bare
shoulders. In her return to the concert stage, she sounded as
comfortable as she looked, opening the show in fine voice on "So Good
Together" and "Whoever's in New England."

McEntire made her case for country cred - as if she needed to 25 years
into her career - by telling the gathering that she "grew up on a
working cattle ranch in Oklahoma." She described her taciturn father and
introduced "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" and the song was made all the
more touching by the band's delicate acoustic backing.

McEntire was equally at home rocking through uptempo numbers such as her
latest single "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain," though it was initially
marred by some feedback problems.

Two-thirds of the way through her 90 minute set, McEntire introduced
Linda Davis who sang lead on "Love Sneaking Up on You" and then the two
duetted through a terrific take on "One Honest Heart."

While speaking of her TV show, McEntire cracked "It's called 'Reba' so I
can remember the name of it!" and launched into the program's theme song
"I'm a Survivor."

"I love her show. She's my woman on TV!" said T.J. Kirkpatrick, 23, of
Phoenix.

His girlfriend prefers McEntire on the microphone.

"She was born to sing and music is her life," said Dusty Conner, 23, of
Safford. "Acting is just something extra that she does on the side."

McEntire closed her set with the gentle ballad "And Still" followed by
the electric guitar driven tunes "Is There Life Out There?" and "Does He
Love You," the latter, again, with Linda Davis.

For her encore, the star returned with a jacket to match her pants and a
blistering version of "Fancy" before she was whisked away in a limo with
police escort - fancy, indeed!