Shania Twain may not be impressed by much, but just about everyone is impressed by this pop-country siren. She's the Denzel of females — all talent with a perfect visage. And just like that runaway train Mr. Washington spent a whole movie trying to slow down, she's proven to be almost unstoppable.
"For fans, we're going to be reintroduced to each other."
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The singer of feminist anthems like "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" and wedding staples "You're Still the One" and "From This Moment On" has had her share of country-and-western heartache. She lands like a cat, though, always on her feet.
When Twain was a kid and her family was in need of money, she began singing at bars for extra dough. When her husband left her for her best friend, she retreated to heal, only to find love with that same friend's ex. When a lesion damaged her vocal cords, she retired to Switzerland, returning to the stage in Vegas for 2012's Still the One at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. She has hit her stride again and again.
Twain is heading to 67 cities this summer and fall for her Rock This Country tour. It's been more than 11 years since she toured North America, and this is slated to be her final time on the road. The chanteuse says that after two years at one spot in Vegas, she realized she missed going out to where the people were rather than have them coming to her. "It's a very exciting time for me. For fans, we're going to be reintroduced to each other," Shania says. "Music is bringing us back together, and we're going to celebrate and reminisce with all of the hits."
Though Ms. Twain went Vegas, don't expect her set to look like the Bellagio. She claims it's a whole new look that no one has seen before. Oddly, though, she admits to bringing her horse on tour once to get some exercise and see some new landscapes. But this time, she's leaving the equine life at home. Instead of riding Mr. Ed, she'll record a new album during her breaks.
But, sadly, audiences on this tour will not hear songs off her upcoming release. "This tour is really all about the classics," she reveals, but also, "to say goodbye to the stage on a high." She says if the album moves ahead quickly, though, by the end of the tour some lucky buggers will catch her performing them in concert.
However, don't think Twain is leaving the game for good. "It's certainly not my retirement from music," she says. She'll be making music till she dies, but she's finished with the performance side of the biz. She'll turn 50 this August and has been onstage since she was 8. Forty-two years makes hers a pretty fantastic career. These days, she'd rather write for up-and-coming artists and spend time recording her own albums.
"I've evolved a lot over the years," she explains. "My life has changed so dramatically, and my point of view has changed in a lot of ways. The way I see my role onstage and what I mean to fans and what they mean to me, all of that is more valuable, and it's just another level of maturity and gratitude. I'm looking forward to just exchanging that and experiencing that with them."
Shania Twain with Gavin DeGraw. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 16, at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami; 7867771000; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $43 to $133 plus fees via Ticketmaster.com.
