Kelly Clarkson w/ Pentatonix,
Key Arena, Seattle, WA
08.12.15

The “Original Idol” Kelly Clarkson is still a voice to be reckoned with, and one with opinions and humor to boot. She brought her latest Piece By Piece album tour to Seattle’s Key Arena with plenty of friends on the bill for a full night of fun. First up was Abi Ann, an upbeat Texan with country-pop flair. She was followed by the quirky singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson whose turquoise suit and enthusiasm won over the crowd. Pentatonix, the ridiculously popular a cappella group that have catapulted themselves to the top of charts and a Grammy award were up last in the long opener lineup. Their live set and introduction of original tracks are a joy to watch. And I’m pretty sure a good number of the crowd were there especially for them. After the openers, the crowd was off the charts excited for Kelly Clarkson to take the stage.

Split between youngsters and gay thirty-somethings, they were dancing and singing every word right from the start. The show opened with a Clarkson appearing from behind a massive wall of mirrors dressed all in black, topped with a gold-sequined cropped jacket. All blonde curls and attitude, she has found her niche of stage presence. Clarkson spent plenty of time throughout the show walking the stage strut, joking around and taking selfies with fans. She even managed to sign autographs without skipping a beat.

For almost every song, she had incredibly quippy, personal banter about song meanings, life lessons and jokes about the strong fan blowing her hair around. There were multiple costume changes, from party dress to bright fuchsia ball gown, and all the while Clarkson remained barefoot. Relying heavily on her long string of hits, Clarkson played several new tracks, even altering new material into broken down versions you won’t find on the record, making her live show that much more intriguing. There’s no question Clarkson still has a winning voice and puts on a show full of both emotion and fun.

Find a date near you here.

Kelly Clarkson Set List
Dance With Me
My Life Would Suck Without You
Catch My Breath
Nostalgic
Mr. Know It All
Second Wind
Invincible
Piece By Piece
Because of You/Breakaway medley
Tightrope
Take You High
Behind These Hazel Eyes
(Fan Request) No One Else On Earth (Wynonna Judd cover)
You Love Me
What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
Heartbeat Song
Walktown
Bang Bang
Miss Independent
Since U Been Gone

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini

Kelly Clarkson
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081215_kellyclarkson_smn_03Pentatonix
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081215_pentatonix_smn_02Eric Hutchinson
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081215_erichutchinson_smn_02Abi Ann
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