Shania Twain Rocks Rexall!
SHANIA TWAIN REMINDS TENS OF THOUSANDS WHY SHE'S STILL THE ONE!
By Emil Tiedemann
IT was 22 years ago when I, barely a teenager, first saw the music video for Shania Twain's very first song "What Made You Say That?" I was in love from this moment on!
My adoration for Shania only elevated with the release of her groundbreaking The Woman in Me album in 1995, sparking a transition in the landscape of country music as we knew it.
And you can only imagine the depths of my fascination for anything Twain when she topped even that with the record-shattering Come On Over album in 1997. That album made Shania an icon in this industry, forever chiseling a spot for herself in the realms of popular music.
Things continued up from there, as she had her first #1 pop album with 2002's Up!, making her the only female artist to score three Diamond-certified albums. And then things sort of just ceased from there, with the exception of a Greatest Hits package and some single song contributions here and there.
By that point, I had still not ever seen Shania in concert, and with no new album in sight, I had low expectations of getting to see her perform live, unless I wanted to scrounge up the cash to head to Vegas to see her residency at Caesars Palace. She also came to Calgary last year for the Stampede, but I missed out on that too!
And then Shania - who turns 50 in August - announced the end of her residency in Vegas and the launch of the 67-date Rock This Country Tour, her final arena show. There were two Edmonton dates, and so my amazing sister managed to land us a pair of nosebleeds for the Friday, June 12th show at Rexall Place! Finally!!
That night was last night, and it was a special one. My sis and I sat near the very top of the packed arena, and caught most of Alberta-born opening act Wes Mack, who would later come out to perform "Party for Two" with Shania.
The place was euphoric when Shania rose from under the stage, clad in a pair of shades and her new - and kinda strange - blonde do, belting into her 2000 hit "Rock This Country!"
From there the crowd of thousands sang along to every familiar lyric of every memorable song that many of us either grew up with or were introduced to sometime thereafter: "Any Man of Mine," "That Don't Impress Me Much," "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?," "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!," "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)," "Love Gets Me Every Time," etc., etc., etc. Not a single track we couldn't recognize!
One song in particular evoked an unexpected emotional response from yours truly. When Shania grabbed her acoustic guitar, sat down on her stool, and began strumming the chords to "No One Needs to Know," I couldn't help but tear up.
At first, I didn't really know why, but then I realized that here I was - after all these years of adoring and admiring this musical icon - singing along with her to one of her many hit songs. It was a special night indeed!
Shania returned to the stage for an encore performance of one of her biggest hits, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," and the crowd erupted yet again, roaring along to "I'm goin' out tonight, I'm feeling alright, gonna let it all hang ouuuut!!"
And then it was all over. I'm sure most people there didn't want it to end, although for many the party didn't! As for my sister and myself, we drove home blaring along to the radio station playing nothing but Shania! But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.
I went to sleep that night with Shania on my mind, thinking that even after all this time, you're still the one, Shania!
By Emil Tiedemann
 |
| Shania's 1st single, 'What Made You Say That?' (1993) |
My adoration for Shania only elevated with the release of her groundbreaking The Woman in Me album in 1995, sparking a transition in the landscape of country music as we knew it.
And you can only imagine the depths of my fascination for anything Twain when she topped even that with the record-shattering Come On Over album in 1997. That album made Shania an icon in this industry, forever chiseling a spot for herself in the realms of popular music.
Things continued up from there, as she had her first #1 pop album with 2002's Up!, making her the only female artist to score three Diamond-certified albums. And then things sort of just ceased from there, with the exception of a Greatest Hits package and some single song contributions here and there.
 |
| These three albums sold more than 43 million copies combined in the U.S. alone! |
By that point, I had still not ever seen Shania in concert, and with no new album in sight, I had low expectations of getting to see her perform live, unless I wanted to scrounge up the cash to head to Vegas to see her residency at Caesars Palace. She also came to Calgary last year for the Stampede, but I missed out on that too!
And then Shania - who turns 50 in August - announced the end of her residency in Vegas and the launch of the 67-date Rock This Country Tour, her final arena show. There were two Edmonton dates, and so my amazing sister managed to land us a pair of nosebleeds for the Friday, June 12th show at Rexall Place! Finally!!
 |
| This is Shania's 'farewell tour,' and her first in more than a decade! |
That night was last night, and it was a special one. My sis and I sat near the very top of the packed arena, and caught most of Alberta-born opening act Wes Mack, who would later come out to perform "Party for Two" with Shania.
The place was euphoric when Shania rose from under the stage, clad in a pair of shades and her new - and kinda strange - blonde do, belting into her 2000 hit "Rock This Country!"
 |
| The blonde Shania! (Photo by Bruce Edwards, 'The Edmonton Journal') |
One song in particular evoked an unexpected emotional response from yours truly. When Shania grabbed her acoustic guitar, sat down on her stool, and began strumming the chords to "No One Needs to Know," I couldn't help but tear up.
 |
| Shania played two nights in Edmonton, June 11 and 12, 2015! |
At first, I didn't really know why, but then I realized that here I was - after all these years of adoring and admiring this musical icon - singing along with her to one of her many hit songs. It was a special night indeed!
Shania returned to the stage for an encore performance of one of her biggest hits, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," and the crowd erupted yet again, roaring along to "I'm goin' out tonight, I'm feeling alright, gonna let it all hang ouuuut!!"
 |
| Shania Twain, you're still the one! |
And then it was all over. I'm sure most people there didn't want it to end, although for many the party didn't! As for my sister and myself, we drove home blaring along to the radio station playing nothing but Shania! But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.
I went to sleep that night with Shania on my mind, thinking that even after all this time, you're still the one, Shania!
Shania singing "No One Needs to Know" live in Vegas!
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