[Feb 20 2016] Hampton, VA - Hampton Coliseum

[RyanVaCarrieFan]

Wasted-Outro ONLY! I feel like this is a consistent standout of the show tour after tour! https://youtu.be/ir0YhPBa7Ow

[LouisaJessie]

carrieunderwoodOh, just hanging out, singing on a piano in Hampton, VA. Thanks for being such a great crowd for us last night!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCEHdvprqmV/

[LouisaJessie]

Daily Press ‏@Daily_Press 1m1 minute ago REVIEW: @carrieunderwood puts on a show at @HamptonColiseum (by @mikeholtzclaw) http://bit.ly/1T0bPUq [PHOTOS]

[RyanVaCarrieFan]

https://youtu.be/efCJpL35Hz8 Choctaw County Affair-Intro ONLY-Mad Harmonica Skills!

[LouisaJessie]

Thank you for your videos, RyanVaCarrieFan!

[RyanVaCarrieFan]

Here's my last one that I got-Full Something in the Water! Simply beautiful and amazing! I need to go back! https://youtu.be/nCRVEEOeXmg

[RyanVaCarrieFan]

I would like to hear review of the concert from start to finish. Thanks.

Of course!

First, let's start with a few of my initial thoughts. The show was held at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA, about 45 minutes southeast of Richmond, the capitol of the state. If you guys recall, Carrie played the Richmond Coliseum for both the Blown Away Tour and the Play On Tour, to a sold-out crowd for the BA Tour and ~86%(? I think) sell-out for the PO Tour. The choice to play the Hampton venue did not make much sense to me, as it is only 45 minutes from the center of the state (Richmond) and I believe is slightly smaller. Not many artists play the Hampton Coliseum due to VA Beach being so close and Richmond being only 45 minutes away.

The Swon Brothers took the stage first and struggled with some sound issues throughout their whole show. In my opinion, charisma is not their strong suit, as they did not really have the audience attention at all, most likely due to the fact not a lot of people know who they are. They played about six songs and thanked Carrie numerous times throughout their show. The audience finally got into their show when they played their last song, "Later On" (it was a big "Ohhh, that's who these guys are?" moment for a lot of people).

Easton Corbin was next and honestly, I was surprised by how well he performed! The audience was really into him and he had a nice solid flow with his song choices. By about midway through his time slot, the arena finally began to pack out (The Swon Brothers performed to very few people in the stands, but a full GA pit). The highlight of Easton Corbin's performance was definitely his medley of past hits! He sang John Deere Green, Should've Been a Cowboy, and She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy. He was very comfortable on stage and was very easy to interact with on stage. Needless to say, he proved me wrong and proved to be a solid opening act, much stronger than Hunter Hayes was (who at the time had a song that was in the middle of going 4X platinum). The crowd cleared out after Easton left, as the Swon Brothers were signing autographs at the souvenir stand.

After about 20 minutes, the arena repacked and the lights were down. The crowd was going completely crazy, the Renegade Runaway opening was very dramatic and had the audience's attention. Carrie rose from the center of the stage, which actually surprised a lot of people, as they thought she would enter from the end of the stage. Right from the beginning it was easy to tell her vocals were on point, no one could believe she was sick. After she finished Renegade Runaway, the crowd was still screaming (a lot of this I contribute to Carrie being on stage rather than their love for the song). Last Name was a fan favorite of the night and the mashup with Something' Bad was a pleasant surprise most people did not see coming. Once Carrie wrapped up another sassy rendition of Good Girl, she introduced herself to the audience and explained how excited she was to be in Hampton (much like she does at every show) and then she raced right in to Church Bells, which was what I was looking forward to the most. Shockingly, Church Bells did not do all that well with the audience until about midway, most likely because many of the people there were probably casual fans.

Carrie exited the stage for her first wardrobe change and reemerged on the stage atop a juke box for Cowboy Casanova (not Church Bells). For sure this song is one of the fan favorites, at times it seemed the crowd was singing so loud they began to almost overpower Carrie (not really, but you know what i mean, also the arena echoes something fierce). The next song was Heartbeat and a lot of people were very confused/thrown off by the sudden change in pace. The heartbeat app was not very successful that night as there was no cell service in the arena and the app took a while to load once it was downloaded. Needless to say, Jesus Take the Wheel was a sing along song, and a great one at that. Her vocals already seem better compared to when i last saw her in Richmond. The next song, Wasted, got one of, if not the, biggest reaction from the crowd and rightfully so. The song is a fan favorite, and like i said before, it will definitely be a mainstay in her setlist.

Once Carrie returned for the 3rd act, the crowd was ready for some heavy hitters and Carrie delivered. Blown Away was very well received by the crowd, but it was Two Black Cadillacs that got my attention, as it got one of the quietest reactions from fans. I was truly shocked and I hope it was just a Hampton thing. I know a lot of people were confused about what song she was singing. Next came two heavy hitters from Storyteller, Dirty Laundry and Choctaw County Affair. Dirty Laundry received a decent reaction from the crowd, more so than Church Bells (which slightly bothered me because i am still a firm believer that Church Bells is the better song). However, it was Choctaw County Affair that received the loudest reaction out of all of Carrie's new material. Honestly, you would think this song was already a number one, the way audience went completely crazy just proves that Sony needs to release the song, even if it means, God forbid, forgoing either Church Bells or Dirty Laundry. Needless to say, the harmonica shocked a lot of people and was a big reason for the overwhelming positive response.

Act 4 saw the biggest slow down of the night, in pace, not in audience interaction, as Carrie shocked the whole arena with a powerful cover of "I Will Always Love You", she made sure to say how much Dolly has meant to her and music in general. This one of the first moments where the crowd stood up to applaud Carrie. Like i said before in an earlier post, the seats in Hampton are very crammed and there is hardly any room to move around. She showed her personal side when she began to explain her life and how it changed from what she envisioned and how God always has another plan in store for you. While she was conversing with the audience, a piano began to emerge from the stage where Underwood would eventually sit and perform a heartwarming rendition of What I Never Knew I Always Wanted, which surprisingly works very well in concert. I heard a bunch of women explain how that was a highlight for them as it accurately described their life and how they felt about their husband and child. So, watch out, we could be looking at Mama's Song Part 2 *cue panic*. Fishin' in the Dark was next and that was an alright moment for me, nothing too special. Now, here's one of the biggest shockers to me, Clock Don't Stop received a very good reaction from the crowd, which i was not expecting, but I guess fans really do love the song. I do not think the song is terrible, but there are better choices to perform *cough Relapse cough Chaser*. All-American Girl was a highlight of the show and the Carrie Cam is very innovative way to make sure fans get to interact in some way (I made the Carrie Cam, by the way, so that easily makes one of my biggest achievements in life). Simply put, the fans love All-American Girl and it isn't going anywhere. It is a staple in Carrie's career and will forever hold a spot in young girls' hearts until the end of time. Wow this is a long Act. Little Toy Guns was next and crowd reaction was decent. The crowd didn't seem to really get into in until the glory note and bass drop when the pyro went off. I love Little Toy Guns, but the pyro definitely brought the audience back to life that night. Not sure why Little Toy Guns wasn't received very well in Hampton. I honestly believe that some people forget the song even exists, which is sad. Before He Cheats ended Act 4 and of course it was probably the loudest moment of the whole concert. It's a song Carrie doesn't even have to sing. The music starts and the audience takes off, never missing a line or beat. Carrie wrapped up and thanked her band and introduced them to the crowd, which is always such a nice thing. They truly deserve all the recognition they get, if not more. At this point, people started to leave. They actually thought the show was over, not going to lie, I could see why they would think that, the ending to Before He Cheats was very dramatic and did have the sound of a sendoff final song.

After about 3-5 minutes, Carrie was back and busted out into Smoke Break, which does better in concert than I expected, but it is clear that it is not a fan favorite and probably won't make next album's tour. Finally, one of the songs i was waiting for all night started. Something in the Water is a very special and powerful song that literally stops you in your tracks and forces you to listen. I have never been in the presence of a singer who is so powerful. The Grammy's had it right when they used her as the poster child of their "Witness Greatness" campaign. The crowd went crazy for Something in the Water and the effects were beautiful.

When all is said and done, Carrie Underwood continues to better herself and send herself to new heights. The Storyteller Tour easily surpasses any of her past efforts, both vocally and in spectacle. This is the Entertainer of the Decade. No one in Country music comes close to holding a candle to Underwood, her vocals, or her star power. She gives it her all every night and leaves everything on that stage. Thank you, Carrie for the best night of thousands of people's lives, including my own.

[jbrown]

Of course!

First, let's start with a few of my initial thoughts. The show was held at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA, about 45 minutes southeast of Richmond, the capitol of the state. If you guys recall, Carrie played the Richmond Coliseum for both the Blown Away Tour and the Play On Tour, to a sold-out crowd for the BA Tour and ~86%(? I think) sell-out for the PO Tour. The choice to play the Hampton venue did not make much sense to me, as it is only 45 minutes from the center of the state (Richmond) and I believe is slightly smaller. Not many artists play the Hampton Coliseum due to VA Beach being so close and Richmond being only 45 minutes away.

The Swon Brothers took the stage first and struggled with some sound issues throughout their whole show. In my opinion, charisma is not their strong suit, as they did not really have the audience attention at all, most likely due to the fact not a lot of people know who they are. They played about six songs and thanked Carrie numerous times throughout their show. The audience finally got into their show when they played their last song, "Later On" (it was a big "Ohhh, that's who these guys are?" moment for a lot of people).

Easton Corbin was next and honestly, I was surprised by how well he performed! The audience was really into him and he had a nice solid flow with his song choices. By about midway through his time slot, the arena finally began to pack out (The Swon Brothers performed to very few people in the stands, but a full GA pit). The highlight of Easton Corbin's performance was definitely his medley of past hits! He sang John Deere Green, Should've Been a Cowboy, and She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy. He was very comfortable on stage and was very easy to interact with on stage. Needless to say, he proved me wrong and proved to be a solid opening act, much stronger than Hunter Hayes was (who at the time had a song that was in the middle of going 4X platinum). The crowd cleared out after Easton left, as the Swon Brothers were signing autographs at the souvenir stand.

After about 20 minutes, the arena repacked and the lights were down. The crowd was going completely crazy, the Renegade Runaway opening was very dramatic and had the audience's attention. Carrie rose from the center of the stage, which actually surprised a lot of people, as they thought she would enter from the end of the stage. Right from the beginning it was easy to tell her vocals were on point, no one could believe she was sick. After she finished Renegade Runaway, the crowd was still screaming (a lot of this I contribute to Carrie being on stage rather than their love for the song). Last Name was a fan favorite of the night and the mashup with Something' Bad was a pleasant surprise most people did not see coming. Once Carrie wrapped up another sassy rendition of Good Girl, she introduced herself to the audience and explained how excited she was to be in Hampton (much like she does at every show) and then she raced right in to Church Bells, which was what I was looking forward to the most. Shockingly, Church Bells did not do all that well with the audience until about midway, most likely because many of the people there were probably casual fans.

Carrie exited the stage for her first wardrobe change and reemerged on the stage atop a juke box for Cowboy Casanova (not Church Bells). For sure this song is one of the fan favorites, at times it seemed the crowd was singing so loud they began to almost overpower Carrie (not really, but you know what i mean, also the arena echoes something fierce). The next song was Heartbeat and a lot of people were very confused/thrown off by the sudden change in pace. The heartbeat app was not very successful that night as there was no cell service in the arena and the app took a while to load once it was downloaded. Needless to say, Jesus Take the Wheel was a sing along song, and a great one at that. Her vocals already seem better compared to when i last saw her in Richmond. The next song, Wasted, got one of, if not the, biggest reaction from the crowd and rightfully so. The song is a fan favorite, and like i said before, it will definitely be a mainstay in her setlist.

Once Carrie returned for the 3rd act, the crowd was ready for some heavy hitters and Carrie delivered. Blown Away was very well received by the crowd, but it was Two Black Cadillacs that got my attention, as it got one of the quietest reactions from fans. I was truly shocked and I hope it was just a Hampton thing. I know a lot of people were confused about what song she was singing. Next came two heavy hitters from Storyteller, Dirty Laundry and Choctaw County Affair. Dirty Laundry received a decent reaction from the crowd, more so than Church Bells (which slightly bothered me because i am still a firm believer that Church Bells is the better song). However, it was Choctaw County Affair that received the loudest reaction out of all of Carrie's new material. Honestly, you would think this song was already a number one, the way audience went completely crazy just proves that Sony needs to release the song, even if it means, God forbid, forgoing either Church Bells or Dirty Laundry. Needless to say, the harmonica shocked a lot of people and was a big reason for the overwhelming positive response.

Act 4 saw the biggest slow down of the night, in pace, not in audience interaction, as Carrie shocked the whole arena with a powerful cover of "I Will Always Love You", she made sure to say how much Dolly has meant to her and music in general. This one of the first moments where the crowd stood up to applaud Carrie. Like i said before in an earlier post, the seats in Hampton are very crammed and there is hardly any room to move around. She showed her personal side when she began to explain her life and how it changed from what she envisioned and how God always has another plan in store for you. While she was conversing with the audience, a piano began to emerge from the stage where Underwood would eventually sit and perform a heartwarming rendition of What I Never Knew I Always Wanted, which surprisingly works very well in concert. I heard a bunch of women explain how that was a highlight for them as it accurately described their life and how they felt about their husband and child. So, watch out, we could be looking at Mama's Song Part 2 *cue panic*. Fishin' in the Dark was next and that was an alright moment for me, nothing too special. Now, here's one of the biggest shockers to me, Clock Don't Stop received a very good reaction from the crowd, which i was not expecting, but I guess fans really do love the song. I do not think the song is terrible, but there are better choices to perform *cough Relapse cough Chaser*. All-American Girl was a highlight of the show and the Carrie Cam is very innovative way to make sure fans get to interact in some way (I made the Carrie Cam, by the way, so that easily makes one of my biggest achievements in life). Simply put, the fans love All-American Girl and it isn't going anywhere. It is a staple in Carrie's career and will forever hold a spot in young girls' hearts until the end of time. Wow this is a long Act. Little Toy Guns was next and crowd reaction was decent. The crowd didn't seem to really get into in until the glory note and bass drop when the pyro went off. I love Little Toy Guns, but the pyro definitely brought the audience back to life that night. Not sure why Little Toy Guns wasn't received very well in Hampton. I honestly believe that some people forget the song even exists, which is sad. Before He Cheats ended Act 4 and of course it was probably the loudest moment of the whole concert. It's a song Carrie doesn't even have to sing. The music starts and the audience takes off, never missing a line or beat. Carrie wrapped up and thanked her band and introduced them to the crowd, which is always such a nice thing. They truly deserve all the recognition they get, if not more. At this point, people started to leave. They actually thought the show was over, not going to lie, I could see why they would think that, the ending to Before He Cheats was very dramatic and did have the sound of a sendoff final song.

After about 3-5 minutes, Carrie was back and busted out into Smoke Break, which does better in concert than I expected, but it is clear that it is not a fan favorite and probably won't make next album's tour. Finally, one of the songs i was waiting for all night started. Something in the Water is a very special and powerful song that literally stops you in your tracks and forces you to listen. I have never been in the presence of a singer who is so powerful. The Grammy's had it right when they used her as the poster child of their "Witness Greatness" campaign. The crowd went crazy for Something in the Water and the effects were beautiful.

When all is said and done, Carrie Underwood continues to better herself and send herself to new heights. The Storyteller Tour easily surpasses any of her past efforts, both vocally and in spectacle. This is the Entertainer of the Decade. No one in Country music comes close to holding a candle to Underwood, her vocals, or her star power. She gives it her all every night and leaves everything on that stage. Thank you, Carrie for the best night of thousands of people's lives, including my own.

Thank you for writing this excellent detailed review of the tour, It felt like I was there watching the show. Can't wait to experience it myself.

[opry051008]

So, watch out, we could be looking at Mama's Song Part 2 *cue panic*.

LOL! Thanks so much for your videos and detailed review. It's always great to hear from a fan who was actually there to get a real sense of the audience reaction to the concert.

[bribarham]

Thank you for the review.. So glad you had so much fun. Also, really enjoy the videos.

[bluetb4]

Shannon Hott ⚾️‏@ShanHott27 1h1 hour ago Ok I may have printed out a couple copies! @carrieunderwood I was just too excited!

[txacar]

^Great review and wonderful job on the videos. Thank you.

[bluetb4]

Emily Mitchell ‏@eamitchell26 20m20 minutes ago @carrieunderwood thx 4 making my daughters first concert an epic night to remember #puretalent #TheStorytellerTour

[maddkat]

@AGSbcc
@carrieunderwood Great Concert in Hampton, VA - thanks so much Carrie - my wife & I will see you CMA Fest Week pic.twitter.com/ieyXikVkn7

[Kizmet311]

Thanks for the review Ryan!

Also, I noticed that it looked like Carrie was mixing up her wardrobe for this one. Louisville got the night one wardrobe, but this was the night 3 wardrobe (I think), although the white dress with fringe is from night 1. I also thought perhaps that the encore dress was from night one/Louisville as well, but honestly not for sure. I just know they were both long, black dresses.

[maddkat]

^ we got the red dress from Duluth. Jacksonville had a flowy gray dress for DL/CCA
I was very happy about that.:-)

[Kizmet311]

^ we got the red dress from Duluth. Jacksonville had a flowy gray dress for DL/CCA
I was very happy about that.:-)

I totally did not realize that the red dress was not from night one. Guess I really wasn't paying that much attention, lol.

[Ann055]

10-year-old with rare disease meets Carrie Underwood thanks to local singer | WTVR.com

[bluetb4]

Here is a fan review from the Hampton show.....


Emily Kishler ‏@emily_kishler 27m27 minutes ago NEW BLOG POST: @carrieunderwood Concert Review! Had a great time writing this. Link: http://bit.ly/1pjvySD #countrymusic #CarrieUnderwood

[maddkat]

Here is a fan review from the Hampton show.....


Emily Kishler ‏@emily_kishler 27m27 minutes ago NEW BLOG POST: @carrieunderwood Concert Review! Had a great time writing this. Link: http://bit.ly/1pjvySD #countrymusic #CarrieUnderwood

What an interesting review.I saw the tour a few weeks ago and Carrie only left the stage to chnange costumes not after every song.lol
Glad she really loved the show though.