Written by Krysta Ayers
APRIL 30, Austin, Texas—On a Wednesday night a cowboy boot-wearing, sundress-donning, pick-up driving (the odds are high) crowd of fans entered the ACL Live Theater to watch Trisha Yearwood. Her seminal work in country music should forfeit the need for an introduction, but if you’re unaware (or Gen Z, with parents that don’t listen to country), Yearwood’s career has spanned decades, starting in 1991 with a self-titled debut album.
Now, after roughly five years since her last tour, she’s stepping back onto the stage to reclaim her spot as one of country’s greats—and her tour kicked off in Austin.
A lot of artists start their tour in Austin, but rarely do we get to witness the kinks, the authentic banter between bandmates and touring artists, or the real-time adjustments needed for wardrobe. Especially for such a seasoned artist like Yearwood. But it is so fun because, you can tell, Trisha Yearwood has seen it all on tour. This is cake. She rolls with the punches, makes jokes, and talks to the crowd as if we were her long-lost friends.
She starts her set with “Bringing the Angels” off her upcoming album, The Mirror, and then she immediately starts the banter. She’s quick and funny, her entire set weaving from standup comedy to live country in a matter of seconds. One of her backup singers is Karyn Rochelle, a singer-songwriter who co-wrote “Georgia Rain,” which they sing together on stage. The stage design is focused on many color-changing balls that are toggled up and down from the ceiling in different designs. When they turn blue, she looks up and says, “I’ve got 75 balls…It’s unfortunate they’re all blue.” They continue to change shades as she launches into the rest of her set which includes, “XXX’s and OOO’s,” “Walkaway Joe,” and “Perfect Love.”
Trisha’s voice is as powerful as ever. She plays the hits, and the twangy pop-country melodies put the crowd in a cloud of nostalgia. Her first album came out only two years before Shania Twain would put out her debut, so we’re talking top country hits when the genre was at its peak (in my humble opinion). She talks about her husband, who is also country royalty: Garth Brooks. She says, “His bank account is bigger than mine but I do have my own bank account,” before launching into her new song “Little Lady,” which calls out society for how it reacts to women getting married.
The crowd is responsive to everything. A lot of those seated in metal fold-out chairs on the main floor keep giving standing ovations after every song. And any time she plays one of her upbeat classics, no one claps on beat, but at least everyone sings along to all the words.