Kellie Pickler’s show Thursday, April 25 at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel was reminiscent of Lorrie Morgan and Tammy Wynette – and not just because of Pickler’s short blonde hair.
The American Idol Season Five finalist (2006) and current Dancing With the Stars contestant ran through her hits and brought a couple new selections to the large crowd, as well.
With Red Solo cup in hand, Pickler walked on stage and launched into “Little House on the Highway,” followed quickly by her hit “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful.”
While her inquiry if there were any lovebirds in the audience received little response, the next song, “Makin’ Me Fall in Love Again” stood out, and was reminiscent of another singer Pickler likely grew up with – Lee Ann Womack.
Sporting one of Pickler’s tour T-shirts, Pickler’s Dancing With the Stars partner Derek Hough made his first of several appearances on stage to the delight of the crowd after Pickler sang the fun “Tough.”
Remember the Lorrie Morgan and Tammy Wynette reference earlier? A song called “Stop Cheatin’ On Me” sounded like a hit either of the famous country ladies could have recorded, while Pickler herself then acknowledged she grew up on traditional country music and sang the song “Where’s Tammy Wynette,” followed quickly by the hit “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.”
A lucky grandmother in the audience received birthday wishes from Pickler, which led nicely into a song Pickler wrote for her own grandmother called “My Angel.” Pickler called her grandmother her best friend, and said she passed away when Pickler was 15.
After doing one for grandma, it was only fair Pickler did one for grandpa, and launched into one of her grandfather’s hits – the George Jones classic “White Lightning.”
Showing off her best Minnesota accent (Pickler’s husband, Kyle Jacobs, is a Minnesota native and appeared on stage a couple times at Mystic Lake), she did a song she said Jacobs hates called “I Wanna Be Married (I Wanna Be Single Too).”
“Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You” the fun, spiteful “Rocks Instead of Rice,” and “Unlock That Honky Tonk” led into band intros from her five-piece backing band.
This included an intro to drummer Lee Kelley, who was performing his second-ever show with Pickler, filling in for her regular drummer Gregg Lohman after Lohman was seriously injured in a traffic accident in March in Kentucky.
Jacobs, an accomplished producer, took the stage and did his first number-one hit, Lee Brice’s “Hard To Love,” much to the delight of the audience that included a number of his family and friends.
Jacobs remained on stage for an intimate, acoustic rendition of the song “Mother’s Day,” which followed by a quick kiss from the country couple before he walked off the stage.
A song Pickler wrote in 2006 right after the American Idol Tour ended, “I Wonder,” led into the fun “Small Town Girl” and one of her biggest hits, “Best Days of Your Life.”
Posing for a few photos from the stage and providing friendly banter throughout the night, Pickler became a fan-favorite with many in the audience Thursday night.
It was no surprise that her encore yielded another top hit in “Red High Heels,” which gave Hough that opportunity to show off some of those famous dance moves viewers have grown to love on the ABC series.
While the band played Pickler off the stage, she took time to sign autographs for many fans who were able to get near the front of the stage.
Dancing With The Stars returns Monday, April 29, as seven remaining couples take to the ballroom floor and perform to a Latin-inspired hit.
Other notes:
• The Buffet at Mystic Lake provides the perfect place for a pre-show dinner with great selections at a reasonable price.
• A complete schedule of events for Mystic Lake Casino Hotel can be found HERE.
– Contributing Writer: Ryan Gueningsman
– Photos by: Scott Knutson of Inside Out Studios