Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson Give an Unforgettable Live Show at Alltel Arena

Douglas Boultinghouse
Staff Writer

   After an overwhelming response to the first leg of the groundbreaking and genre-crossing “2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour 2008,” Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson brought their harmonies back to Arkansas.

   The queen of country and the princess of pop-rock made a stop at the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock Nov. 15.

   To assure the night would go smoothly, comedic actress Melissa Peterman, known primarily for her role as Barbara Jean on “Reba,” tagged along to add humor to the show.

Photo by Douglas Boultinghouse

Two Voices - Clarkson and McEntire share the stage at Alltel Arena.

   Charging the stage with a sign saying “On your feet!” she gasped at her standing ovation. Within her 30-minute comedy set, she cracked jokes about her “Reebs and KC,” calling the three of them the three musketeers.

   While in the natural state, Peterman made a point to visit Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library and what she called the “John McCain Mall.”

   “I’d rather have a mall than a library,” she joked.

   Around 8:45 p.m. the house lights went down, and a curtain covering the stage illuminated with vibrant colors as McEntire’s voice was heard belting the Patsy Cline classic “Sweet Dreams.”

   The gears shifted and Clarkson took over showcasing her massive pipes on The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams are Made of This.”

   As the curtain rose and the two joined forces on the chorus of the song, they made their way down a staircase to the stage.

   Throughout the night they both remained on the stage trading verses and sharing harmonies on both McEntire’s power ballads and Clarkson’s rock anthems.

   Watching the two on stage together becomes mesmerizing. Clarkson shares the stage with her musical inspiration and “hero,” while McEntire shares the stage with a friend her looks of admiration show she truly adores.

   The ladies, one barefoot and one in boots, ripped through the hits “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” “The Fear of Being Alone,” “Walk Away,” “How Blue” and many others.

   Peterman returned to the stage to interact with McEntire and Clarkson before they performed the theme song to “Reba” called “I’m a Survivor.”

   Peterman sported a t-shirt with Clarkson’s face printed on the front. She moved to make the face scrunch or make one eye wink as she exclaimed, “Kelly’s mad!” or “Hey Big Jim, Kelly Clarkson’s winking at you!”

   Granted the entire three-hour show proved to be impeccable, three performances knocked everything else out of the park.

   First, during an intimate portion of the set, they performed a cover of Patty Griffin’s gospel ballad “Up to the Mountain.” In the last two years, the song stands as one of the staples of Clarkson’s live shows.

   While Clarkson sang the song with so much emotion and power, McEntire surprised her and the audience when she joined in on the closing notes. The harmonies and high notes sounded angelic and earth-shattering.

   The song ended with an arena-wide standing ovation in which McEntire asked, “Can I get an amen?”

   “AMEN!” the crowd shouted.

   The second of the three came when Clarkson took center stage to perform her bitter kiss-off song “Never Again.”

   The song, written about an ex boyfriend who dumped her and then proposed to another girl the next day, hit close to home that night. Rumors flew among the crowd saying that ex boyfriend, originally from Little Rock, showed up for the show.

   Clarkson showed no mercy. She practically screamed the song and hit notes so unbelievably high the first several rows stood shaking. The anger in her eyes and fury in her expressions left the crowd taken aback by both amazement and shock.

   The finale of the show consisted of “Since U Been Gone,” “Because of You” and “Fancy.”

   “Because of You” marked the third moving performance of the night.

   As McEntire sang lead on her re-make of Clarkson’s autobiographical tear-jerker, the vocals and emotions were tense. Clarkson sang a verse in the middle and harmonized throughout the song.

   McEntire turned the mic on the crowd and ask them to sing. At this point, the tears welling up in both of their eyes, added such a raw and touching feeling to the night.

   Both stars graciously thanked the crowd.

   The “2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour” will wrap up before the Thanksgiving holiday. While the tour may end, the friendship and music McEntire and Clarkson share with each other will bring many more surprises in the years to come.

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