The country and pop singer more than delivers (despite illness) in an hour and a half set that was filled with fun and nostalgia.
My goodness I had never seen so many cowboy hats, boots and of course leopard print in one place before – all in a wonderful and yes exhilarating tribute to the one and only Shania Twain.
Following vibrant and contrasting performances from Elle King, Natalie Imbruglia, The Corrs (yes of course not forgetting Jim!) and Anne-Marie this felt like a really female powered concert as part of the BST Hyde Park line up of concerts – but just as importantly a celebration of songwriting itself.
The tone of Shania Twain’s set was clear from the start: the bold production values of upbeat numbers such as ‘Giddy Up’ and ‘Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)’ matched well with more poignant numbers such as ‘You’re Still the One’ (which felt slightly flat in the way the audience got more involved than she did – but she did mention the cold she was suffering from but refused to put her off). The heart wrenching performance of ‘From This Moment On’ is one of which you would have had to have a heart of stone not to be moved by.
Her sense of playfulness and willingness to interact with the crowd was a real delight, showcasing just how much she appreciated the audiences turning up for her – and I will certainly never forget her both hugging the tree on the Great Oak stage querying whether it was real or not as well as playfully scolding an unseen (from the majority of audience members position) audience member for not singing in the right key. It truly felt like a joint experience between singer and audience.
Twain oozes with confidence throughout and even if her unscripted comments slow the energy and pace down occasionally (but it is lovely to see how much she appreciates the audience) – you can absolutely see why she still remains one of the most popular singers around, particularly when it comes to her renditions of two of her best known hits that leave the audience on an absolute high.
The sheer energy and excitement that she brings as a performer and the way in which she uses the stage ensures that the audience is absolutely captivated by her performance. Let’s hope it is not too long that UK audiences get to see her perform on stage again!
By Emma Clarendon
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐