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 LeAnn Rimes |
 LeAnn Rimes |
 LeAnn Rimes |
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Review and photos by Mary Andrews LeAnn Rimes returned to Tucson with her holiday show Today Is Christmas. The house was packed with fans that were anxiously anticipating LeAnn Rimes' rock solid voice and sexy stage swagger.Rimes started her singing career when her father entered her in talent contests at the age of five. Her first hit record and album, Blue, was accomplished by the age of thirteen. One could easily mistake her voice for that of Patsy Cline's. However, she succeeded in being an original vocalist within her own right. Twenty years later, LeAnn's voice is unrivaled in the music business today and this show was testimony to her talent. The opener for the evening was singer/songwriter, Ellee Duke. The nineteen-year old prolific songwriter passed up a golden ticket to "American Idol" due to the contractual obligations expected by the show. Duke is still working on her first album and opening shows for Ms. Rimes. The talented performer accompanied herself on acoustic guitar. The 30-minute set included some of her self-penned songs along with some soulful Christmas songs. After a short break, LeAnn Rimes took the stage for the eager crowd of fans. The first song was a stunning rendition of "Carol of the Bells" that showcased Rimes voice beautifully. It was apparent that the set was not going to be the typical "Jingle Bells" type of song selection. Early in the set, LeAnn spoke to the crowd about how she loves Christmas. To this date she has two Christmas albums, Today is Christmas and What a Wonderful World. Most of the songs tapped into the new Christmas album. The song, "Today Is Christmas," was written by Rimes exclusively for the Today Show this year. She was very proud of the song being adopted by the show. LeAnn seemed to have a personal experience with each song. She described Brandi Carlile's "Heartache Can Wait" specifically as one of those songs and she gave it a heart wrenching treatment. The audience joined in and sang along with "Holly Jolly Christmas/Frosty the Snowman." This was an informal show with intermittent shout outs from the fans of "You're awesome" and "I Love you" throughout the show. Ms. Rimes seemed to be very receptive of the outpouring of love considering her "living out loud" life over the last five years. "Celebrate Me Home" was dedicated to the veterans in the audience. She discussed when making the video for this song that they decided to use soldiers coming home from the war as the direction they needed to go. There are 22 million veterans in this country. She invited the head of the Disabled American Veterans to join her on stage. The organization is a non-profit group aimed at helping veterans. Together they presented a $1000 visa card to Army vet, Eric Cacego. The show went on after a standing ovation. There were many highlights during the concert. The "Campfire Session" stands out because it was just LeAnn and her guitarist, Greg Hagan. The songs were "Blue Christmas" and "Blue" and were striped down versions that showcased the purity in Rimes voice. The showstoppers elicited more shouts of awe from the audience. The band played perfectly to keep Ms. Rimes voice at the forefront as the primary instrument heard. The band members are: Greg Hagan (Guitar/ Vocals/ Musical Director), Akil Thompson (Guitar/ Keys/ Vocals), Craig Young (Bass), and Chris Knight (Drums). The ninety-minute show left the crowd wanting more from Ms. Rimes, but surely this will not be the last trip to Tucson for this amazing singer! |
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Set list: | |
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1. Carol of the Bells 2. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee cover) 3. Today Is Christmas 4. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas 5. All I Want for Christmas Is You (Vince Vance & The Valiants cover) 6. The Heartache Can Wait 7. Holly Jolly Christmas 8. Celebrate Me Home |
9. White Christmas
(Bing Crosby cover) 10. Blue 11. That Spirit Of Christmas 12. O Tidings of Comfort and Joy/Gloria In Excelsis Deo/ Hark!The Herald Angels Sing 13. I Still Believe In Santa Claus 14. A Little Drummer Boy Encore: 16. Happy Christmas |
 LeAnn Rimes |
 LeAnn Rimes |
 LeAnn Rimes |
 LeAnn Rimes |
 LeAnn Rimes |
 Ellee Duke |
 Ellee Duke |
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