Kelly Clarkson closes the San Diego Fair

Last night, July 5th, 2009, Kelly Clarkson played the Heineken Grandstand Stage at the Del Mar Fairgrounds promoting her fourth album All I Ever Wanted.  As the last performer of the season for the San Diego County Fair, Clarkson was everything that you would expect...except fat, as she has been called recently in the media.

In fact, Clarkson is very proud of what her mama gave her.  During the acoustic part ofher set, she sat middle-stage with two guitarists from her band, and stated so herself as her Mic-pack  fell out of her back pocket.  "Apparently my butt is big," she joked, "so my Mic-pack won't stay."  Clarkson doesn't want to look like your average "pop star" and that is what makes her that much better.  She's talented, there's no pretense about her, she is who she is and that is a singer. Not a pop star with the glitz and glamour and distracting stage tactics and pyrotechnics.  She is all voice and rhythm and appeals to the masses because of that fact.

Clarkson, who mainly sang songs from All I Ever Wanted during her hour and fifteen minute set, also threw in the top singles that she is known for: "Miss Independent", "Breakaway", "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Since You've Been Gone".  She also sang a couple of covers. One in particular that she gushed about was Rod Stewart and so in tribute to the artist, she re-did the lyrics to his "Some Guys Have All the Luck" and sang a version for the ladies.  Later into the show she covered Janet Jackson's "If I Was Your Girl" which most times than not sounded better than the original.  Clarkson has soul, her voice is effortless and it is apparent while watching her perform. She doesn't need the elaborate stage sets and back-up dancers. 

 She humbled herself and the crowd as she stated, "I hope I don't slaughter this Patsy Cline song for you guys".  Her rendition of "Walkin' After Midnight" was blues-meets-country and she was not at all mum about her home state of Texas that she talked about much throughout the show.

With the exception of the covers that she performed, she played her biggest hits and best radio-play songs off of the current album. Even still, she aimed for originality and changed the tempo in a couple of songs every now and then.  While singing "Cry", a ballad off of All I Ever Wanted, the band sounded like a whisper while a violinist carried the melody and solos.  The violin should not come as a surprise considering her full band not only consisted of your typical drummer, bassist, guitarist and keyboardist but a dj, and a horn section which featured a trombone, saxophone and trumpet.  The dj brought out the funk in one of her angsty pro-woman songs "Never Again", while spinning mixes of "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurhythmics. While the horns brought out the sixties in a new track "I Want You".

Kelly's show is rated E for Everyone: a great girls night out, a date, for families. There is nothing about her that can be found unlikeable by anyone.  Through her music and constant recognition of fans with signs, there is not one person that she was unable to reach that night.

Kelly Clarkson is continuing her tour for All I Ever Wanted in Costa Mesa, CA on July 23rd, 2009.  For more information on tickets take a look at www.kellyclarkson.com.

 (Upper-right photo of Kelly Clarkson: Associated Press/Peter Kramer)