Shania Twain performs during her Queen of Me Tour at The O2 Arena (Picture: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
For one night only, the O2 arena in London could be mistaken for a night on Nashville’s Honky Tonk highway with a sea of people dressed in fringe shirts, cowboy boots and glittery hats in honour of their queen of country pop – Shania Twain.
The 58-year-old certainly got the brief too as she suddenly popped up in the middle of the arena floor dressed in a mini skirt, and sparkly boots, while belting out the new single Waking Up Dreaming.
For many people in the crowd, attending the Queen of Me tour was a dream realised and the feverish screams in the arena reflected that fact.
After being pushed around the arena on a cart like the royalty she is, Shania disappeared once more, and a short clip of a rocket shooting into space with her face plastered on it was played on the big screen. Confusing, but we were happy to go with it especially as she quickly returned and made her stage debut with Up!, and Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You).
The best thing is to not ask questions and to enjoy the fun of the night, which reaches its peak as Shania performs I’m Gonna Getcha Good while lying on a motorbike shaped like a horse, and performing a series of high kicks.
After prancing on stage, and showing just how much drama her tulle train can bring Shania showed she could captivate the crowd with just a guitar while sitting on the stall and singing Come On Over, and adored classic You’re Still The One.
Shania is having fun, so we are too (Picture: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
Surviving and thriving in the music industry for three decades is no easy feat, especially for women but Shania takes it all in her stride and is hopefully changing the narrative for future generations.
Over the course of her career, she’s sold over 100 million records, and Shania never forgets that it’s all down to her fans’ unwavering support. ‘I don’t think you understand what it means to me,’ she announced as her voice broke from the emotion.
Showing her gratitude, she brought long-term fan Tyler and his mum up to meet her, after receiving their ‘electronic messages’. The overwhelmed pair sang and took selfies with Shania while around 20,000 jealous fans watched on. One woman even made a run for it down the stairs, to beg the guard to also let her up – her attempt was sadly unsuccessful, but we do commend the attempt.
Shania shows how she became the queen of country pop (Picture: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
The cross-generational fans are certainly not rare. Sat next to us was a teenager, who’d travelled from Yorkshire to be at the show tonight. It was a birthday gift from her mum, who was sitting beside her. ‘She introduced me to Shania. We’d listen to her in the car together and so now she’s our thing,’ she shared as her mum smiled and nodded.
Luckily, we could all be equally involved as she belted out upbeat tracks Giddy Up, and Who’s Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, while you couldn’t help dancing as Shania showed her impressive stamina through a rocky combination compromising of Nah!, She’s Not Just a Pretty Face, Waiter! Bring Me Water!, When and Thank You Baby! (for Makin’ Someday Come So Soon). She barely took a breath, as she shape-shifted between genres but always kept her Twain twang.
Shania is grateful for her fans (Picture: Metro)
There was one point where she was lifted high above the dancer’s head for a high note in From This Moment On, and I’d have loved to see more choreography like this to elevate her songs even further.
The show had a few technical issues, but ever the professional, she seemed unfazed and giggled through anecdotes about Sir Elton John singing her lyrics at her in the corridor, and writing songs in log cabins, as show officials fiddled with her mic pack.
If we were ever going to be stuck in a lift with anyone, then the Canadian singer would make the experience more than bearable. She kept the whole evening joyful, and her infectious laughter echoed around the arena the same way her songs did. You could tell that she was generally having fun, and so it was impossible not to get on her level.
Shania rewarded fans with two of her biggest hits at the end of the show (Picture: Metro)
Since releasing her debut album 30 years ago, Shania has produced many hits – her most famous being That Don’t Impress Me Much, and Man! I Feel Like A Woman. The instantly recognised tunes have soundtracked countless family parties, pre-drinks, and commutes over the decades.
Shania knows this better than anyone and saved them for her encore, and rewarded fans further by wearing the original hat from the Man! I Feel Like A Woman music video, after breaking it free from a museum where it was ‘gathering dust’.
Getting to hear ‘Okay, so you’re Brad Pitt. That don’t impress me much’ live instantly entered my bank of core memories, as did the whole evening.
Shania Twain’s Queen of Me tour continues until 28 September.