David Nail had the honor opening for Martina McBride Wednesday night at Wolf Trap. David is a gifted singer/songwriter who has two album releases under his belt, and he entertained the crowd with a 30-minute opening set. Highlights included the song “Red Light” and “The Sound of a Million Dreams.” David had the crowd ready for Martina, and he is an artist to watch out for in the future. Martina would complement his vocals later in the evening. She was the headliner and she was welcomed with loud applause when her band took the stage a few minutes later.
Martina McBride is having fun with her current tour mixing up the set list and striving for a more intimate feel. She still packs several hits in the set list but also adds some older hits, deeper cuts, and some interesting covers to the mix as well. Of course, she sprinkles in songs from her latest CD Eleven as you would expect. She might not sing your favorite song every night but she will hit every note with her incredible voice. Everyone in the large Wolf Trap crowd left happy.
McBride’s vocals have won four Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year Awards and two Academy of Country Music Awards for Top Female Vocalist. It was easy to hear why Martina won those awards as her voice hit and sustained every high note with ease.
Martina kicked off her 24-song show with “One Night” off her latest album. Then she performed her first number one hit “Wild Angels” followed by another number one hit “Blessed.” When she finished these songs she was greeted with her first standing ovation of the night, and she chatted with the crowd before launching into “Safe in the Arms of Love,” which was another top five hit.
She then performed three songs from Eleven including the popular “Teenage Daughters” and hit single “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.” Martina than sang a deep cut called “She’s A Butterfly” from her 2003 Martina album. That song was followed by a surprise cover of Rod Stewart’s classic “The First Cut is the Deepest” with a bit of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” thrown in for good measure. She followed that cover with “Rose Garden,” which was a top 20 hit in 2005.
Martina’s voice soared on “Anyway” – a top five song from 2005. Two more new songs followed before she introduced the band with a version of “King of the Road.” A surprising note is that Carolyn Dawn Johnson has joined Martina’s band for this tour. Carolyn is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has put out two top ten albums herself, and has written hits for Chely Wright and Jo Dee Messina and others. It would have been spectacular to have Carolyn sing one of her songs during the night but she was happy just to be part of the band.
After the introductions Martina returned to the hits with “Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong,” “Love’s the Only House,” and “This One’s for the Girls.” Another hit “Whatever You Say” followed and she finished with two of her most powerful songs. “A Broken Wing” and “Independence Day” finished her set. The crowd was on their feet. Martina had delivered a great set but she was not done yet.
She came out and performed a beautiful rendition of “Over the Rainbow” – a cover song she recorded live a few years ago and added to an album as an afterthought. Her powerful, beautiful voice, complemented with an acoustic guitar, was pure bliss. The full band returned and the launched into a spot-on cover of “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics – a band I would never expect to be covered by a country artist. It was just another surprise in a surprise-filled night. It was also further proof McBride’s voice can sing anything she desires.
Martina finished her encore set off with another Rod Stewart cover “Stay with Me.” Martina came out for a final encore and closed the night with the aptly titled song “Closing Time,” which is a bonus track on her current album.
Running Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission between the opening act and Martina McBride’s performance.
Martina McBride with special guest David Nail played one night at Wolf Trap – 1551 Trap Road, in Vienna, VA. on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. To view upcoming events at Wolf Trap, check out their calendar.
LINK
Martina McBride’s website.
