Carrie Underwood

[razorbacker]

Sounds like the fans are looking forward to seeing Carrie.

:: Johnson City Press - News ::

ETSU works to make Underwood show fit in dome

By Rex Barber
Press Staff Writer
rbarber@johnsoncitypress.com

American Idol winner Carrie Underwood will perform at East Tennessee State University next month, and the college is busy arranging now for her show in Memorial Center.

Underwood’s performances typically use props and a stage not optimal for Memorial Center, also known as the mini dome. The shows use riggings suspended from the rafters and a stage that is larger than what has been placed in the venue before. Using Underwood’s usual stage would cut into the number of seats available at her concert and block the line of sight for many concert goers.

“So (Underwood’s team) have proposed to our production company a stage that we would build from the ground up that they would use for their production,” said Tricia Nguyen, Student Organization Resource Center director. “We do have to make sure there’s enough fire marshal clearance and things like that.”

A plan for the concert’s seating is being drawn up and will be submitted to the fire marshal for final approval.

Nguyen said compromising on venue limitations is something that happens with every show, adding nothing unusual is occurring with Underwood’s booking process that has not happened with any other band; it is simply the fact that her show is bigger.

ETSU’s production company, AVI, said Memorial Center presents challenges with Underwood’s show, but that will not impact the performance.

“Well, what we try to do, we try to treat it like it’s an outdoor facility, except we don’t have to worry about rain, which is nice,” AVI’s Garrett Harris said.

Underwood’s show is part of a tour she is currently on, unlike most of the shows booked in the dome that are one-stop shows performed by artists who are not carrying a large entourage and tons of production equipment. Underwood is, but even though the stage may have to be scaled back, the show will be practically the same.

“So most of the time the artist is coming here to play this place like it is,” Harris said. “We’re trying to do everything we can to make it as similar to (Underwood’s) road shows because the students don’t want to get cheated.”

The outdoor stage used by Underwood is about as tall as Freedom Hall’s venue, which could be placed in the dome but would have to be moved to the center of the arena. Nguyen, Harris, ETSU Facilities Manager Tom Trent and others gathered in the dome on Thursday to measure out the minimal dimensions allowed for the performance stage. Dimensions of 100 feet by 70 feet were settled upon.

Trent is responsible for ensuring that everything is set up as the building is required to be used.

Fire lanes, lines of sight and adequate exits are areas where he is responsible, he said.

The dome was once criticized for its inability to host concerts, but advances with sound equipment technology have made the venue a good place for concerts, Trent said. About 8,000 people can enjoy a concert in the mini dome now.

Trent said Underwood’s appearance has prompted phone calls for months to his office from fans requesting tickets, but he tells them they are unavailable. The concert, scheduled for March 28, is only open to ETSU students and their guests.

“There’s a lot of buzz, a lot of buzz,” Nguyen said of Underwood’s appearance. “People are really excited. I’ve heard a ton of students talking about it.”

[razorbacker]

I have just returned from seeing Carrie last night with Keith Urban in Bossier City La.. So I thought I would let you know how it went.

The place seated approximately 15,000 & all the tickets put up for sale were sold (there were some empty sections, but they were up high & behind the stage). The show was to start at 7:30 & at 25 past a huge clock popped up on the screen & began to countdown from 5 minutes. By the time it hit 10 seconds the roar was defining in anticipation. The lights went down & as the band began to play a video screen I would estimate to be 50’ long by 30 high began to play a video of Carrie walking across the road dressed similar to the way she is portrayed in the Before He Cheats video. The crowd began to roar, the band began to crank, the lights went up & Carrie rose from below the stage on an elevator type of thing. It was quite the entrance & the reception was just a delight to hear. When the band broke into Flat on the Floor, the rockin was on. Her set was 75 minutes long & included 4 costume changes. She covered all of the major hits that we all know by now. So Small was the last song on the setlist & as she finished, she stepped back onto the lift & disappeared back below the stage to an incredible round of cheers. That was the last we would see of her, or was it?

Once again the band began to play, once again Carrie rose out of the stage dressed in a tight silver jacket & once the crowd figured out exactly what was going on I think there were more than a few jaws that dropped. We were in for Paradise City by Guns & Roses. Let me tell you, I know there are still those on this site that think she can sing nothing but Country, but she absolutely raised the rafters with this song. If you think I am stretching the point a bit I challenge you to got to the GNR fan site & peruse the bulletin boards & see what their fans are saying about it. There has not been even one negative comment & most range into the "Oh My God that was unbelievable" category. Then she left the stage for good after treating everybody to a down & dirty rendition of Before He Cheats, dedicated to everybody that ever been cheated on (& she included herself in that category).

They use a catwalk that goes about ¾ of the way out into the audience. I had seats in row 20 right next to the catwalk. There were 3 separate times during the night that she stopped right next to me to sing & I was so close that I could hear the vocals coming from her mouth before they ever hit the microphone. It was a truly awesome night.

And for those that have never seen Keith Urban, you are missing out on one of the preeminent guitar players around. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand & just turned it up & had a good time.

It was an absolutely great night.

PS: I didn’t know it last night, didn’t find it out until I got home, but when Carrie sang All American Girl she was at the time singing her 6th consecutive #1 hit, as it was certified #1 on Billboard yesterday.

[felix]

Hi Razor,

I've heard that Carrie's Carnival Ride isn't doing too well. May I know how long before she hits 3x Platinum? What are the total sales so far?

Thanks!

[razorbacker]

Hi Razor,

I've heard that Carrie's Carnival Ride isn't doing too well. May I know how long before she hits 3x Platinum? What are the total sales so far?

Thanks!

Carnival Ride was certified double platinum in less than 2 months. It is now just this week reaching the 19th week of release. I post the weekly sales figures for all the Idol albums, usually on Thursday, in the AI Media Articles section. Actual scanned sales are somewhere north of 1.8 million but shy of 2. I would expect to see 3 X Platinum before the end of the year.

What really drove sales for Some Hearts more than anything was the incredible success of Before He Cheats. Many think that there are multiple songs on CR that once they are released could have much the same effect. Those songs being Last Name, Just a Dream, & Flat on the Floor. What is really needed is that true monster crossover like BHC.

Keep in mind though that no one in this environment is selling like they have in the past. I would be very surprised to find out that anyone on Carries team or label expected to see anything near the sales level of SH. And just as surprised to hear that any of those same folks were disappointed in the sales of this album. Also, as a comparison type of thing I posted the following a page or so back:

ALBUM SALES:
THE TOP 10 COUNTRY ALBUMS OF 2007
1. Long Road Out of Eden, Eagles - 2,608,338
2. Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift - 1,950,641
3. Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood - 1,694,118
4. Still Feels Good, Rascal Flatts - 1,605,101
5. Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood - 1,535,558
6. Ultimate Hits, Garth Brooks - 1,334,145
7. Let It Go, Tim McGraw - 1,276,072
8. Reba Duets, Reba McEntire - 1,199,479
9. Enjoy the Ride, Sugarland - 1,130,703
10. Me and My Gang, Rascal Flatts - 1,020,477

Note that CR is the third biggest seller for 2007 & it wasn't released until mid Nov.. Also notice that some of the biggest stars in Country music are completely missing..such as Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Male Vocalist of the Year Brad Paisley, Country Music Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn & on & on it goes. Carrie is at the top of her game & even though sales for CR are down compared to her previous effort, they are still the envy of many in the industry.

[razorbacker]

The Academy of Country Music Awards nominations were announced this morning. Carrie has been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year.

The nominated females are.

Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
LeAnn Rimes
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Good luck Carrie.

[BuckeyeGal007]

I think Carrie can win Top Female Vocalist again this year....it'll be her or Taylor Swift I would say.

[razorbacker]

Carrie just announced some more dates on The Carnival Ride Tour. These are headlining slots with Josh Turner as the Special Opening Guest. I hope she is coming near you & if so, I hope you take the opportunity to see her. You are in for a treat. Sales dates have yet to be announced. I'll be going to Little Rock.

April 30 – Wichita Falls, TX – Kay Yaeger Coliseum

May 1- Amarillo, TX- Amarillo Civic Center

May 3 – Tucson, AZ -Tucson Arena

May 7 – El Paso, TX – UTEP/Don Haskins Center

May 8 – Lubbock, TX – United Spirit Arena

May 12 – N. Little Rock, AR – ALLTEL Arena

May 14 – Colorado Springs, CO – World Spring Arena

May 15 – Casper , WY – Casper Events Center

May 16 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breedan Fieldhouse

May 21 – Fresno, CA – SaveMart Center

May 22 – Reno, NV – Reno Events Center

May 24 – Yakima, WA – Yakima SunValley Dome

May 25 – Spokane, WA – Star Theatre at Spokane Arena

May 26 – Nampa, ID – The Idaho Center

[razorbacker]

A week or so ago I posted some tour data for Carrie & Keith. I am now able to post the figures from her first headlining shows with Josh Turner. She is doing incredibly well as can be seen with every show selling out completely. For comparison purposes I have also included a couple of shows that Martina McBride had in the same arenas as Carrie.

Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner
Petersen Events Center
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Feb. 22, 2008
Attendance/Capacity - 7,095/7,095
Ticket Prices- $55/$35
Gross - $337,675

Martina McBride, Little Big Town, Rodney Atkins
Petersen Events Center
Pittsburgh, Pa.
May 11, 2007
$235,542
6,117 / 8,458
$57.75, $32.75
Police Productions

Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner
Dunkin' Donuts Center
Providence, R.I.
Feb. 24, 2008
Attendance/Capacity - 6,644/6,644
Ticket Prices- $55/$35
Gross - $318,370

Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner
Arena at Harbor Yard
Bridgeport, Conn.
Feb. 25, 2008
Attendance/Capacity - 6,684/6,684
Ticket Prices- $55/$35
Gross - $314,350

Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner
Mullins Center
Amherst, Mass.
Feb. 20, 2008
Attendance/Capacity - 6,351/6,351
Ticket Prices- $55/$35
Gross - $292,655

Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner
Times Union Center
Albany, N.Y.
Feb. 19, 2008
Attendance/Capacity - 6,269/6,269
Ticket Prices- $55/$35
Gross - $291,635

Martina McBride, Little Big Town, Rodney Atkins
Times Union Center
Albany, N.Y.
April 22, 2007
$242,962
5,628 / 7,159
$45.75, $35.75
Police Productions

Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner
Wachovia Arena
Wilkes-Barre, Pa
Feb. 18, 2008
Attendance/Capacity - 6,028/6,028
Ticket Prices- $55/$35
Gross - $288,730

[razorbacker]

Arista is working hard for Carrie, but Carrie is working harder for Arista.

Arista Nashville

All-American Girl” a Top-Seller at iTunes; Video Is CMT’s Fastest #1 in History and Ties Her Own Record at GAC
Upcoming TV Appearances Include Opry Live and Idol Gives Back Special

Nashville, TN – Three-time GRAMMY winner, ACM Top Female Vocalist, and back-to-back CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carrie Underwood earned her sixth consecutive #1 on the country airplay charts this week with “All-American Girl,” which also became her second consecutive co-written single to hit #1, following the success of “So Small,” both from her Double-Platinum album, Carnival Ride.

With the achievement, Underwood extends the most auspicious career launch of any solo female country artist in history, with the GRAMMY-winning “Jesus, Take the Wheel” beginning a string of six smash singles (including four from her 7x-Platinum debut album, Some Hearts), all of which topped the BDS or Mediabase country airplay charts.

On the sales front, “All-American Girl” currently ranks as the #1-selling Country Top Music Video, as well as the #1 Country Top Song at iTunes, where it was also a recent #1 on the all-genre Top Music Videos chart.

On CMT’s Top 20 Countdown, “All-American Girl” set a record as the network’s all-time fastest rising video, reaching #1 in just two weeks and re-claiming the top spot again this week. Jay Frank, CMT senior vice president of music strategy, praised, “Carrie Underwood continues to make songs and videos that connect with CMT viewers immediately. No wonder she had such a meteoric rise to the pole position of our Top 20 Countdown.”

In addition, the video was #1 on CMT.com in the week of its online premiere, streaming nearly 400,000 times in less than a month, according to CMT’s internal tracking.

Viewers at GAC have also responded enthusiastically, where the all-fan-voted Top 20 Country Countdown ranked “All-American Girl” #1 throughout its first three weeks on the chart. Sarah Trahern, GAC senior vice president of programming, observed, “Carrie’s ‘All-American Girl’ video became a fan favorite on GAC right away. It is a true reflection of the many different lifestyles represented by our audience, and it lives up to the high creative standards set by all of her videos.” Remarkably, Carrie is the only artist in GAC history to debut a video at #1 on the countdown, a feat she first accomplished with “Before He Cheats” and repeated with “All-American Girl.”

Fans who’ve been enjoying Carrie’s video can also watch for her on the small screen in upcoming weeks as she performs on GAC’s Opry Live (March 15) as well as American Idol’s second Idol Gives Back charity special, airing April 9, from 8-10 PM ET on FOX. Earlier this week, Carrie appeared on CBS’ The Early Show with Brad Paisley to announce the final nominations for the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, where she’s nominated for Top Female Vocalist.

[razorbacker]

Carrie has been getting a lot of press during her tour. Whether it is a concert review (which have all been very positive) or a preview such as this one that appeared in the Denver Post this morning prior to her appearance tonight.

PS: She will be 25 tomorrow, March 10. Happy Happy Carrie.

Carrie's success story - The Denver Post

Carrie's success story
Underwood's crossover appeal evident in the millions of albums sold, "SNL" appearances
By Ricardo Baca
Denver Post Pop Music Critic

Carrie Underwood is more American than apple pie. Heck, the smiley country music star behind the current No. 1 single "All-American Girl" is more American than McDonald's French fries.

Underwood looks like an all-American girl, sure, with her dyed-blond flowing locks, sculpted eyebrows and aw-shucks Southern appeal. But this Oklahoma gal's rise to stardom is also distinctly American. It's one of those only-in-the-USA stories that brings on the goose bumps — or gag reflex, depending on your relationship with pop-culture juggernauts like "American Idol" and FM country radio.

"I'm constantly pinching myself, still," Underwood told The Denver Post while prepping for a "Saturday Night Live" appearance a couple of weeks ago. "In general, there's not that much time to sit back and think, 'Wow, look at where I am. Look at what I do.' But when I do have time, like when I'm out buying a present for somebody, I always pinch myself then to remind me that it's all real."

How real is Underwood's success story? It's 10 million albums real. And in a crippled recording industry that sees the multiplatinum artist as an endangered species, Underwood and her seven-times platinum debut LP is indeed a golden child.

True to her American roots, Underwood started small.

She grew up performing in Lions Clubs and at local festivals. In college, she studied broadcast journalism before dropping out when her "Idol" audition in St. Louis went extremely well. After winning "Idol" in 2005, she scored sponsorships (Skechers and Hershey's) and toured her first record, "Some Hearts," until it sold more than 7 million copies.

Since the summer of 2005 she's won Country Music awards, Dove awards, Country Music Television awards, Billboard Music awards and Grammy awards. Underwood's sophomore release, "Carnival Ride," is nearing the 3 million mark. And while her career was born on television — and she's returned to "Idol" many times over the years — she thrives in the live medium.

Underwood is one of the most marketable country singers in the world, which explains her current co-headlining tour with Keith Urban, 16 years her senior. The Urban/Underwood gala plays the Pepsi Center tonight, with each singer taking 75-minute sets. And her marketability is something Underwood has become acutely aware of in the past three years, especially because her album sales and tour numbers are what set her apart from the rest of the pack.

"When people start throwing numbers at me — like 7 million of his record and 2 million of that one — I have a lot more respect for those now," Underwood said. "The first time around, I didn't know what those numbers meant. But this time it makes more

Country music newcomer Carrie Underwood draws on the experience of her co-headliner, Keith Urban, on their tour. of an impact because I know more about the business in general.

"In today's market, it's amazing to know that anybody can sell those numbers."

Sure enough, no album released in 2006 topped the 4 million mark that year — although "High School Musical" and Rascal Flatts got close. In 2007, no record sold more than 3 million copies — not even Josh Groban, "High School Musical 2" or ex-"American Idol" Chris Daughtry.

Along comes Underwood, whose crossover appeal is undeniable and whose albums show tremendous shelf life. ("Some Hearts" was released in November 2005, but it was declared seven-times platinum last month.) It says something when Underwood, now a two-time musical guest on "Saturday Night Live," is only the 11th country musician on the show.

"Only certain country artists will ever be asked to perform on 'SNL,' " one fan wrote on a message board recently, "and Carrie is one of them."

"SNL" is all about the crossover country types — think the Dixie Chicks. And Underwood was honored that she helped bring the show back after the end of the writers strike. Given that her 25th birthday is Monday and her career is less than three years old, Underwood, already an arena headliner, is doing just fine, thank you very much.

"I actually really like touring," Underwood said. "I have my dog on tour with me, and he keeps me pretty busy. He gets stinky, and I give him baths and walk him around. I'm also trying to stay healthy and work out and really focus on taking care of myself. It's a pretty massive tour. It's important to be on top of my game."

Underwood is about to cross that 10 million CD mark, but she's still new to the game and enjoying the ride, pinching herself and still digging some of the rock star minutia that celebrities grow to loathe.

"I've been to the CMAs, the ACMs and the Grammys, and it's cool to be a part of a big show like that," she said. "I still don't feel like I'm supposed to be there, though, because I'm looking around and all of the people around me are the musicians I was listening to and seeing in concert when I was in high school and college.

"I don't feel like I'm a part of that yet. I guess I feel like I have a VIP pass that allows me into their world."

As for touring with her new friend Urban, Underwood appreciates the opportunity to co-headline a tour with the more-experienced country singer she looks up to.

"We're co-headlining, but he's been doing this for much longer than I have, so he should play last," she said. "I love watching him night after night, and picking out things I like."

As for her old friends at "Idol," Underwood is still tightly linked to the show. She's still with 19 Entertainment, the creator/producer of "Idol" and the entity in charge of most "Idol"-related recording-management contracts. And when she gets the chance, she'll still catch the show from the road or studio.

" 'American Idol' is still huge, and it's had such an impact on the music industry," Underwood said. "If you look at how people got discovered 50 years ago, it was blind luck, and it's so different now with MySpace and YouTube and 'American Idol.' There's a new way to get discovered, and many people have gone on to do wonderful things."

Asked whether she had any advice for "Idol" and its recent ratings slump, Underwood laughed.

"It's really funny," she started. "If you go from 36 million views to 33 million viewers, it's not that big a deal. Yes, it's a decline, but it's still more than any other show on television. People start freaking out for no reason. It's really silly."