The Kelly Clarkson-Maroon 5 concert at Fair Park’s Gexa Pavilion occurred on the first full day of fall, but it felt like the last gasp of summer. The Thursday–Friday torrents cooled down the city, and being outside starting at 5 p.m. (hanging in the Malibu Rum VIP tent, cuz that’s how I roll), watching hotties play volleyball before the concert began, felt, well … right. We’d earned a fond farewell to Dallas summer; with Pride over, Halloween is just around the corner, and we like that day a little chilly.
It was a fun evening. First off, I got the scoop that Maroon 5’s tour — which officially ends at the Hollywood Bowl in L.A. in two weeks — will have a special “fan-demand” encore in New York City on Nov. 16, so if you missed last night and still wanna see the band perform, that might be your best shot.
Lead singer Adam Levine had a sore throat last night, so he was a bit off his game, despite his energetic bouncing around the stage in an hour-plus concert plus encore. In fact, it wasn’t until about four songs in that Levine began to banter with the audience — and that was a shout-out to opening act Kelly Clarkson for being “a badass.”
And that really captured the night. The Burleson native was kind of the star at the jam-packed amphitheater performance, with her own hour-long set thrilling her local fans. And Kelly loved to banter — and what about was half the fun. Several times, she made jokes about being mistaken for a “lipstick lesbian,” but noted that in fact she did have a (male) fiance. And her rapport with the audience was more intimate than the setting would seem to suggest.
With her gown-clad backup singers, choreographed brass section, numerous costume changes and interaction, Kelly could pick up her show and move it to Vegas tomorrow without a bump.
And her voice was in fine form as well. During her strong rendition of “Mr. Know It All,” the screen behind her lit of hateful reviews and comments made about her in warts-and-all fashion — a daring and empowering thing to do. And on hit after hit, she rattled the rafters.
It was a great end to the summer, a great start to the fall and a great reminder that Kelly Clarkson is still one of my favorite divas.
Photos after the jump.
