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Wells Fargo Arena goes country in 2010
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Brad Paisley performs at the White House
Des Moines' Wells Fargo Arena may need to consider a name change for the first half of 2010. Looking at the calendar for the arena a better name may be The Grand Ole Opry North as the only concerts set are country acts. The good news is that they are some of the largest drawing acts in country music and area residents are gearing up for the Nashville invasion.
Kicking off 2010 for the arena is Brad Paisley on January 15th. Paisley is the multi-award winning country singer, and guitar virtuoso that has become a country music icon in the last five years or so. His music blends modern country sounds, including the standard fiddle and steel guitar, with his amazing finger-picking, twangy guitar, as well as his clever, humorous, and often poignant lyrics. Paisley has won multiple CMA awards, Grammy awards and countless other awards and is actually hosting the CMA awards this year, along with Carrie Underwood. The stop in Des Moines is continuing the American Saturday Night tour and he is being supported by Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore.
The following month another new country superstar is heading into the arena. On February 13th Tim McGraw is going to be on tour in support of his latest album "Southern Voice". Like Paisley, McGraw has won too many awards to name, but some include Grammys, AMA, as well as CMA awards. McGraw tends to stick a little more toward the heart felt sometimes sappy lyrics, but also has some fun with is music. His vocal styling is quite unique, and his look is unmistakable, rarely seen without his trademark black hat. This is his first concert in Des Moines without his wife Faith Hill in several years. Which in many ways is a good thing. Some of the most over the top, sappy duets are the work of Tim and Faith sharing the stage or the studio. Opening for McGraw on this "Southern Voice" tour is Lady Antebellum.
March is quiet for now as concerts go, but on April 10th Wells Fargo welcomes two of the biggest country acts in the last twenty years. George Strait and Reba McEntire are bringing their collective super stardom on the road together and for longtime country fans this is going to be a can't miss. Strait has won more CMA awards than anyone in history, and nearly 60 number one hits and more amazingly; 33 multi-platinum selling records. Strait plays it fairly straight in is music, and songs tend to stick closer to the traditional country themes. Some of his biggest hit include "All My Exes Live in Texas", and "Designated Drinker". McEntire is one of the most recognized female artists in America, of any genre, with her firey red hair and piercing blue eyes, and even more so with her unmistakable voice. The "down home" twang in her voice is welcoming and a little nostalgic. McEntire, like Strait tends to stay more in the traditional track of country music with hits like "I'm Not That Lonely Yet", and "Fancy".
Last but not least, one of the hottest entertainers in the U.S. no matter what the genre is coming to Wells Fargo on May 6th 2010. Taylor Swift comes to town in the midst of trying to take over the world. Her latest release Fearless is dominating charts and awards shows (as the recent MTV Video Music Awards proved) and the trend doesn't appear to be ending any time soon. Swift is spreading into acting as well as she has appeared on a few TV shows, including Saturday Night Live recently and is set to make her movie debut in 2010. Still in her teens Swift has really become a force on the charts and in the country music scene in a very short amount of time. Her blonde angelic looks, and ultra-sweet voice have served her well, but she will probably need to grow up musically to keep the train moving forward.
It does need to be mentioned that there is one last concert at Wells Fargo arena in 2009. It is the annual Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday concert. The artists are amazing and put on a beautiful show in preparation for the holiday season. They take many Christmas and holiday classics, and have put a modern spin on them adding layer upon layer of guitar, drums, synth and keyboard as well as strings to give all their music new life. The light show and staging of their concerts are something that needs to be seen to truly appreciated. Below is a video of TSO to get a little taste of what you'll see at Wells Fargo December 22nd.
That is all for the Wells Fargo concert calendar as of now, but more announcements could be coming soon, including the make up date for the postponed AC/DC show. There could be many more announcements as there are many more tours getting ready to kick off in the coming months.
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