Underwood overachieves

Carrie…Carrie Underwood Petersen Events Center Friday, Feb. 22

Skygazers at the Petersen Events Center shifted their attention from last week’s lunar eclipse to a rising star. Carrie Underwood belted out her songs Friday and showed everyone why she deserves the American Idol title.

She displayed a variety of musical talents to a sold-out crowd at the Pete, from the amped-up vocals of her power ballads to her fresh renditions of Guns N’ Roses covers.

She is currently touring with Keith Urban, but she came to Pittsburgh to prove she could survive as the headliner.

Not only did she survive one of the first shows in her Carnival Ride Tour, she also impressed the crowd by nailing some incredibly high notes. Underwood has perfected her vocals, and that gave her room to work the crowd and bring new energy to the stage.

The evening kicked off with a brief set from Josh Turner, whose deep crooning voice readied the crowd for the headliner.

Then came Underwood, who had all the trappings of a superstar, including a high-tech large screen backdrop and a platform in the stage that allowed her to rise up and kick off her set with “Flat on the Floor.”

She didn’t waste any time before rolling right into the second song, “Wasted,” the chart-topping track about overcoming addiction.

After a quick wardrobe change, Underwood reappeared as a silhouette, wearing what appeared to be a wedding gown, but revealed itself as a pale blue prom dress once the lights came up. This appealed to the many young girls in attendance.

This more serious outfit was appropriate for the somber songs she was about to sing, including “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “I Know You Won’t,” both of which showcase her extensive vocal range.

The band then showed off its talents with an instrumental medley of guitar, fiddle, drums, steel guitar and background vocals as Underwood ducked backstage for another wardrobe switch.

She returned sporting a down-home jeans and T-shirt look. She explained how she would love to play every song from her first album, but she had another show on Saturday, so playing music in Pittsburgh all night long was out of the question.

Instead, she belted out a select medley from first album Some Hearts, which included snippets of “Lessons Learned,” “That’s Where it is,” “While We’re Young and Beautiful,” as well as the title track.

She closed her set with the powerful “So Small” and received a standing ovation. But the show wasn’t over yet.

The theme for Underwood’s encore was rock ‘n’ roll from Guns N’ Roses, as she sang “November Rain” and “Paradise City.”

The show ended with Underwood’s Grammy-winning “Before He Cheats,” much to the delight of the crowd, who, judging by their reaction to the song, had been looking forward to it all night.

Underwood demonstrated that she is not just the vocal sweetheart of country music anymore. Sure, she can belt out a tune, but these days she can rock out, as well.

Underwood proved to her fans at the Petersen Events Center that she could headline a tour as successfully as the best of the industry.