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Shania Twain's Planet Hollywood Residency


Tonight Magazine
By Beatriz Carias
December 12, 2019


This classic country star kicked off her Las Vegas residency tour at Planet Hollywood.

The crowd expected her to open this important show with full force. Thousands of people crowded into Zappos theater to watch her very first performance of the tour. Fans young and old waited in anticipation for the eight o’clock show. Unfortunately, it did not start on time. The crowd was kept waiting for half an hour for it to begin. When the lights finally dimmed, fans cheered with excitement. Everyone was met with a couple of loud thuds from a drum that were unexpected and took a few people by surprise.

The audience cheered when the curtain finally dropped to reveal Shania on a lit up staircase dressed in a full length ball gown. It was a spectacular sight. She teased the audience with lines from her smash it ‘Man! I feel Like a Woman.’ Flames erupted from the stage with each line of the chorus. Such a grand entrance left show goers excited to see how the rest of the night would unfold.

The “Queen of Country Pop” opened with ‘Rock this Country’ that brought people to their feet. She sang songs from old albums and tied in newer songs off of her latest album. Her outfits were nothing but extraordinary. Each costume she changed into had some sort of sparkle to it that showed off her fun personality.

As the night continued, the concert hit a few glitches. The lights were too bright (when they worked), the volume was too loud, and the dancers were off beat. It felt as though everyone needed at least one more dress rehearsal to really tie everything together. The stage itself felt busy and distracting. Monitors filled the area with bright lights with moving animations making it difficult to know where to begin focusing your attention. Her background dancers added to the distraction as well. Their costumes made them look like they were off to the Magic Mike show instead.

Towards the middle of the show, the venue experienced a power outage that left the strobe lights on for a painful amount of time. People had to close their eyes or turn away to keep from being blinded. The curtains that were placed over the lights to try to dim the effects made little impact either. It was a nauseating experience. This was a major hitch that impacted the mood of the night. After the lights were fixed,  a couple was brought out so Shania could serenade them. Although a sweet sentiment, it felt odd that the couple was placed clear across the stage from the Country Queen herself. There was little interaction between Shania and the couple. Her lack of eye contact with them made the song an awkward experience.

The strobe lights were not the only electrical difficulties that were encountered throughout the night. Backup dancers had lights that did not work for costumes, and props that did not light up when necessary as well.

Shania brought out a set with her dog on it as a tribute to the late singer Prince. Again, it was a sweet sentiment to the beloved singer, but she did not think through the auditory consequences of putting a dog on stage at a concert that was already too loud for human ears. This really should have been thought through more.

When she sang a cover of White Christmas, her voice did not compliment the song.  Shania ended with her hit “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” which brought everyone to their feet again.  Overall, the night was not what one would expect for an opening night from the beloved star. Hopefully the glitches from the show will be worked out for the future.

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