It’s no easy feat to use almost every inch of an arena in your show, but when Shania Twain made her entrance from the far back of Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney last night – in a sparkly cowboy hat and an even sparklier gown – it was clear this wasn’t her first rodeo.
In impossibly high heels, the Canadian superstar sashayed the length of the arena. She walked past her screaming zealots dressed in as much ‘in solidarity’ leopard print as they could muster, past the blur of limbs and vigour on a podium that was drummer Elijah Wood (no, not that one), and onstage to her triple-threats, the small group of dancers-come-singers-come-actors that almost stole the show, almost.
As she launched her sold out, two-date Sydney leg with ‘Life’s About To Get Good’, three things came to mind: her voice is as strong and reaching as ever, her presence still hits you like a grenade, and thanks should be given to the country-pop music gods for having Australia included in her 77-date Now Tour.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back again but I sure hope it’s not another 20 years that’s for sure,” she said. “Everybody agrees on this tour that Australia has been the best audiences of the whole world, honestly.”
At 53-years-old, Shania Twain has been making and performing music for 45 years – that’s right, she made her start at eight-years-old and her mum had her singing on restaurant counter tops at three. She still holds the title for the best-selling album in country music history with 1997’s Come on Over selling 20 million copies in the US alone.
And she’s still creating; her fifth album, Now, was her first in 15 years. Released last year to critical acclaim the LP did away with savage rumours that Twain’s offerings would be nothing without her ex-husband and musical partner Mutt Lange involved.
On her fifth-last show of the global tour Shania Twain glowed through hit after hit. Tracks like ‘Up!’ saw her dance comfortably in the ether on top of moving 10-ft. tall LED cubes. In ‘Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)’ the cubes resembled a swimming pool where graphics of splashing water were kicked up by her dancers on top.
Watch a behind-the-scenes clip of the Now Tour below:
You don’t get to be Shania Twain without forming a close-knit bond with your fans. Right before ‘Any Man of Mine’ a Kiss Cam scanned the crowd for couples. It ended on her, seated amongst her fans next to her husband Frederic Thiebaud.
Then, right after performing legacy track ‘You’re Still The One’ on guitar from her second stage in the crowd, she took two fans back to the MainStage for a selfie. In the most genuine display of fandom we’d seen that night, the pair said they’d called in sick from their jobs at The Courthouse Hotel in Newtown to be there.
“You won’t lose your job,” said Twain. “Just tell them to call me. I’ll smooth it over.”
Shania Twain may have been written off by some as country-pop male fantasy – those same people are probably feeling hot under their white collars post-#MeToo – but in reality she’s the ultimate symbol of female empowerment.
From deep cuts like ‘If You Wanna Touch Her, Ask!’ and ‘Black Eyes, Blue Tears’, to having a major record label deal at the age of 20, Twain’s feminism has always been obvious to those who didn’t buy in to her commercial appeal.
Naturally, Twain rounded out her 18-track set with blockbuster hit ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’; and as she donned the iconic long black gloves and smiled as we tried to out-sing her, it felt like she needed this as much as we did.
Watch fan-footage of ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ below:
