In 2015, Shania Twain announced her first tour in eleven years (Rock This Country Tour) and billed it as her farewell tour. A change of heart, two tours, and eight years later, the Canadian country-pop icon is still on the road. Last night, she kicked off the second North American leg of her current outing, the Queen Of Me Tour, at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
This marked Twain’s long-awaited return to the Alamo city; she last performed here on her 2003 Up! Tour. She showed up for San Antonio last night, and they showed up for her too. The nearly sold out arena joined in on the very fun show: one that has good production but mainly puts the music front and center.
Clocking in at just over two hours, the singing never stopped. The only true break for Twain was between the main set and the encore, which allowed for the only costume change of the night. For most of the night she sported a pink-and-purple leotard covered in a long silky wrap with very noticeable, sparkly purple tennis shoes. Comfort is a pop star’s best friend decades into a career. But for the final two songs, she brought out a fan-favorite look. She put on the original leopard-print catsuit from the ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ music video, which had been sitting at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum since 1997.
“I’ve only worn it once,” she said, referring to before the tour during the making of that music video. “So might as well put it on again.”
Hits like ‘That Don’t Impress Much’ make up most of the setlist for this latest trek and that’s a good thing. Other than singles ‘Waking Up Dreaming,’ in which Twain emerged from a box in the middle of the crowd to open her show, and the lively country-pop track ‘Giddy Up!,’ the songs from her latest album fell flat. The disco-friendly ‘Number One,’ which meant to bring up the energy again after a handful of ballads, left much to be desired. Likewise, ‘Pretty Liar,’ which featured a Parental Advisory Explicit Content warning as a backdrop, failed to really connect with the audience.
But the crowd did not seem to mind as she made sure to take them down memory lane with songs like ‘Any Man Of Mine,’ ‘Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?’ and ‘Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You).’ For the latter, she jumped on a cool platinum motorcycle. The giant screen that served as the backdrop for Twain complemented her well. Neon signs, dark deserted roads, and even aliens invading country bars were just some of the graphics that gave her songs a fresh feel.
Ballads like ‘You’re Still The One’ and ‘From This Moment On’ made the show feel intimate, but the highlight of the night was ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman!’ Her anthemy biggest hit sent the crowd home happy; the lyric-switch to ‘Let’s go, San Antonio!’ was the cherry on top.
It was hard to decipher whether Twain was truly enjoying herself or not. At times, it seemed like she was just going through the motions. Her first few addresses to her fans felt a bit empty. But as the night went on, there seemed to be a change. It was Twain doing what she did best, feeling very comfortable on stage, and bringing everyone along for the ride.
Shania Twain’s Queen Of Me Tour continues with shows in the US and Canada through November. She then returns to Las Vegas for her new greatest hits residency at Planet Hollywood in May 2024.
Rising country singer Lily Rose opened up the show which was well-received by Shania’s fans. She did a few country favorites in a medley of covers and closed things out with her breakout single ‘Villain.’
