Trisha Yearwood brought her ‘Every Girl on Tour’ to The Taft Theatre last night. Trisha Yearwood has spent much of the past 12 years vastly expanding her multi-faceted business empire. As an author of three New York Times bestselling cookbooks, curator and namesake for lines of cookware, furniture, home accessories, food products and cocktail mixes, and on her Emmy-winning cooking show Trisha’s Southern Kitchen on Food Network. She has spent the last few years on tour with husband Garth Brooks, and is now on tour solo to promote her album, Every Girl. Her first full-length country solo album since 2007.
Trisha took the stage to a packed house of eager fans at about 8:30. She sauntered on stage and went right into “Perfect Love.” Throughout the show she waved to fans, replied to call outs of song requests, and even did a duet of a fan request with two women in the audience. Trisha told the audience a few times throughout the evening, “I feel the love in the room.”
Check out photos from the show!
Even though she claimed to be nervous, “I talk a lot when I am nervous, even though I know my husband would just say I talk a lot and leave it at that,” she seemed completely at ease up on stage and immediately it felt like she could easily be your best friend (Ok…maybe I just want Trisha to be my best friend).
Trisha was completely candid with the audience. She told us about her wardrobe malfunction of the evening (damn those high-waisted jeans), when she last wore the shirt she had on, and talked about aging. “28 years ago, I was 26 years old and I didn’t know what a hot flash was, and I certainly would not have talked about them in public. I think that while some of the things that comes with age – waking up in the morning moving just a little slower, and you know, wrinkles – the tradeoff is that you slowly start to lose your filter. And for some people you know, that may a little terrifying - but it is such a freedom. Of course, still be kind, and love another but you just feel more free to be who you are and that is such a good feeling. Plus getting older and getting more wrinkles is much better than the alternative.”
Trisha sounded better than ever. Girl has some pipes on her. Having been a fan for so long, I knew she could sing, but Damn. “Do they serve alcohol here? Because I feel like you should start drinking,” Trisha joked, “It will make me sound better.” No alcohol needed, she brought down the house with that voice.
As always, Trisha was humble and gave credit where credit is due. She praised Kim Richey (opener) for writing, “Believe Me Baby (I Lied),” brought her backup singer/writer Karyn Rochelle to sing the end of “Georgia Rain,” and even talked up Nashville newcomer Ashley McBryde. “This next song is off the new album and it’s a song written by Ashley McBryde – she wrote this song about her dad. When I heard it, it instantly felt it was about my dad, Jack. I think that is the mark of a great song – for a writer to be able to make you hear yourself in that song (“Bible and a .44”).”
Before changing up her planned setlist with Linda Ronstadt’s, “You’re No Good,” Trisha quipped, “This is me the most fun and I think that is because it’s just so loose – if you watch the cooking show, you know that we are unscripted, so this show is also unscripted. But for me it’s fun, I know there are songs we are going to do every night, we are not going to come here and not play songs like, “She’s in Love With the Boy” – you would probably run me out of town. But I also have the luxury of having enough time to do some other stuff. So just bear with me.”
“It’s hard to believe it has been 28 years since my first album came out and my first single came out,” Yearwood marveled. “This whole night is a pinch me moment. This continues to be a dream come true and I don’t take it for granted. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life, I feel so grateful.”
Before her last song of the evening, Trisha reminded us that, “We all need hope, especially now. We need to love another.” And then Trisha ended the night with a version of “Over The Rainbow” that would even take Judy Garland’s breathe away.
