Reba Live!

You’ve loved her for a long time. Since the first time you heard her voice. You didn’t even know she was a redhead then. You have most of her albums, even the early ones. The big poster of her that takes up most of one wall in your study has been there for years. When the television show came on, you had to see it. This was a whole new creature. She was appealing as always but also funny. Her comedic sense of timing was incredible. You told a lot of people she reminded you of Lucy. They generally agreed. It had grown into a comfortable relationship. Going to Orlando on a whim last night to see her in concert after seeing a video of her and Kelly Clarkson, you started to get worked up about it. When the lights came up and she rose from below the stage on a platform at the top of the stairs, you felt a sensation, an excitement that you haven’t felt since Elvis came out on the stage. The crowd was with you. As she sang and moved across the stage, we were into her. It was a love fest. But, it wasn’t nostalgia. It wasn’t a tribute to someone who has survived and now gets by on former glory. As her voice grabbed us and drove us through her songs, we knew she still had it. Now you remembered what you had originally loved about her. Her presence just solidified it. In smart designer jeans and a form-fitting blouse, that had an Elvis-like eagle across the front, her 52 year old body was slender, tight, and sensuous—one that Britney Spears would envy on even her best day, except she doesn’t have to flaunt it. She’s all woman, and you know it. Her vocal range is intact. She traveled the range from sweet to sassy. When she sang “Because of You,” the one from the duet with Kelly Clarkson, she made it hers—sorry, Kelly, no one does it like her. We were all on our feet cheering, applauding, never wanting her to leave the stage. And she responded to us and returned the love. The tears in her eyes during our tribute were genuine, just as she is. The two hours went by too quickly. After she left, we wouldn’t stop, and she came back. This time, she had on a slinky, shiny red dress as she sang “Fancy.” Words like “Diva” and “Superstar” get thrown around so often now that they sometimes have no meaning. However, they fit her like that red dress. You will continue to love her for a long time. Reba was and is ALIVE!