Swish
02-07-2009, 05:49 AM
It was a strange night Thursday in Van Andel Arena.
How strange was it?
So strange that while headliner Rascal Flatts capped the night with a fantastic, 100-minute multi-sensory overdose of pop, country and rock -- its signature hit-making formula -- another artist, opening act Jessica Simpson, inadvertently stole the spotlight.
The award-winning country trio Rascal Flatts performed Thursday night in Van Andel Arena with Jessica Simpson as the opening act. The guys were really that good, but Jessica stole the spotlight. I'm sure it wasn't planned that way.
The trio of Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus is easily one of country's most talent vocal groups, and the nearly 9,000 fans in attendance at Van Andel Arena appreciated every single song by singing, dancing and texting friends all night long.
But it was pop singer-turned-actor-turned-country starlet, Jessica Simpson, who generated the most reaction as she fought back tears, forgot her lyrics and mumbled her way through a bizarre 38-minute set.
It left fans talking more about her strange behavior than about her supposed weight gain, which by the way wasn't obvious in her short-shorts, black T-shirt and boots.
Almost from the opening song of "These Boots are Made for Walking," Simpson fought with her ear monitors, constantly trying to keep them in place, meaning she was having difficulty hearing her own voice. That's frustrating.
At one point she had her backing seven-piece band stop and start over on the uptempo song "Pray Out Loud."
After that, she forgot the lyrics to her single "Come on Over," which left her extremely frustrated, asking for forgiveness from the audience by mouthing the word "sorry" on two large video screens.
Things got so bad that while introducing her closing song, "Do You Know," the title track of her country album, and a song she recorded with her idol Dolly Parton, the singer said there are times she feels like walking off the stage -- "like tonight." At the end of the song, she thanked her band for "having her back." And it looked as if she was wiping away tears as she walked off the stage.
And no boyfriend was in the house to console her. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who was rumored to be making the trip to Grand Rapids, was not in the audience. Or at least that's how Simpson played it, saying early in her set: "I'm so excited, I get to see my boyfriend tomorrow."
This is almost as good as seeing Romo fumble that snap in the playoff game last year. Life's simple pleasures are the best.
How strange was it?
So strange that while headliner Rascal Flatts capped the night with a fantastic, 100-minute multi-sensory overdose of pop, country and rock -- its signature hit-making formula -- another artist, opening act Jessica Simpson, inadvertently stole the spotlight.
The award-winning country trio Rascal Flatts performed Thursday night in Van Andel Arena with Jessica Simpson as the opening act. The guys were really that good, but Jessica stole the spotlight. I'm sure it wasn't planned that way.
The trio of Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus is easily one of country's most talent vocal groups, and the nearly 9,000 fans in attendance at Van Andel Arena appreciated every single song by singing, dancing and texting friends all night long.
But it was pop singer-turned-actor-turned-country starlet, Jessica Simpson, who generated the most reaction as she fought back tears, forgot her lyrics and mumbled her way through a bizarre 38-minute set.
It left fans talking more about her strange behavior than about her supposed weight gain, which by the way wasn't obvious in her short-shorts, black T-shirt and boots.
Almost from the opening song of "These Boots are Made for Walking," Simpson fought with her ear monitors, constantly trying to keep them in place, meaning she was having difficulty hearing her own voice. That's frustrating.
At one point she had her backing seven-piece band stop and start over on the uptempo song "Pray Out Loud."
After that, she forgot the lyrics to her single "Come on Over," which left her extremely frustrated, asking for forgiveness from the audience by mouthing the word "sorry" on two large video screens.
Things got so bad that while introducing her closing song, "Do You Know," the title track of her country album, and a song she recorded with her idol Dolly Parton, the singer said there are times she feels like walking off the stage -- "like tonight." At the end of the song, she thanked her band for "having her back." And it looked as if she was wiping away tears as she walked off the stage.
And no boyfriend was in the house to console her. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who was rumored to be making the trip to Grand Rapids, was not in the audience. Or at least that's how Simpson played it, saying early in her set: "I'm so excited, I get to see my boyfriend tomorrow."
This is almost as good as seeing Romo fumble that snap in the playoff game last year. Life's simple pleasures are the best.