Shania Twain had already been singing at the Bell Center for a good 45 minutes when she stepped up to the microphone alone with her guitar over her shoulder and said that she had been introduced to country music by her grandparents and had started composing on her own in a small room Cabin lost in the forest. Then she sang the first lines of Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? in a gentle, almost resigned tone.
Published yesterday at 11:48 p.m.
It only took a moment. “I was wondering what it would be like with a faster rhythm,” she said, before repeating the same piece in the version we know with her group. With this pop energy that reverses the perspective and gives strength back to the woman who is betrayed by her cowboy in the song.
This is the essence of Shania Twain: a singer who broke the codes of pop and country music by putting herself in a position of power. That doesn’t impress me much, (unless you’re in it for the love of it) I’m out of here! and several other songs she sang Wednesday at the Bell Center evoke that form of empowerment.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Shania Twain appears to have fully recovered from her health problems and early 2000s pop antics.
Her tour, like her last album, is titled “Queen of Me,” and that’s exactly how she looked on stage: a singer in full possession of her potential.
Shania Twain appears to have recovered well from her health problems and her early 2000s pop antics. When the author of these lines last saw the Canadian country queen perform at the Center Bell 20 years ago, she had just released her album High! and had given a very disappointing concert dominated by a deafening pop beat, spending his time shaking hands while pacing several levels on a circular central stage.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Shania Twain at the Bell Center
Sparkling land
We caught up with the country musician and singer again on Wednesday for her second visit to Montreal in less than six months. She turned the Bell Center into a saloon and released old songs like Any Man of Mine – with the violins – but also her big pop hits from the mid-1990s Man! I feel like a woman! You’re still the right one, I’ll do well! and some excerpts from his latest album, including Waking Up Dreaming and Pretty Liar.
Shania Twain seemed to be in a particularly playful mood and invited the crowd to sing and dance with her. We found that sparkling side in her that distinguished her 30 years ago in the still very conventional and fixed world of country music. Honestly, we didn’t understand the space theme of some of the animations, nor the gold Wonder Woman costume she wore throughout most of her show, but that didn’t matter much: Shania Twain – who spoke mostly French – charmed everyone.
Talk stands out
It’s rare for an artist opening for a show to elicit a reaction beyond polite enthusiasm. However, Talk easily captivated the audience with its 1980s-inspired arena pop rock. His powerful vocals and catchy choruses filled the amphitheater with ease and elicited such an enthusiastic response from the audience – especially during Run Away to Mars, where the audience sang the chorus – we almost felt like the audience was there for him. Here’s someone who made new friends in Montreal.