Miranda Lambert's Rodeo

Miranda Lambert shows she's moved on from Blake in sizzling Rodeo performance

Playing at RodeoHouston for the first time since her split with Blake Shelton shocked her many fans, Miranda Lambert opened her set with “Kerosene” on Monday night. The song, which is about giving up on love, seemed like a subtle way to let her audience know that she is ready to move on without having to mention her former husband and Voice star by name.

During the song, which was Lambert's first big hit a decade ago, her vocals were muffled, which made it very hard to hear the lyrics. The sound techs quickly fixed the problem and she soon sounded a lot better, proving to the excited crowd of 60,118 why she is one of country music's biggest female stars.

Before the show started, I looked around NRG Stadium and was legitimately dissatisfied with the lack of cowboy hats and sequin tops in the crowd. I tried to reason with myself and decided that most people were saving their rodeo best for the weekend.

The lights went down and the fireworks began while a one-minute montage of the rodeo played on the big screen. Nothing will pump you up more for Lambert than fireworks and a montage. The five-time rodeo veteran came out on stage, dressed in a denim dress dripping in fringe and matching cowboy boots, and her “Ran fans” erupted.

Between songs, a stagehand handed Lambert a beautiful semi-hollowed guitar, and she readied for the next song. Sadly, she only used the pink guitar once. If I had the opportunity to play a guitar that beautiful, I would use it for every song, even if the tune didn’t call for it, but I guess that’s why I’m not a country star.

After a few, Lambert played a new song called “Sweet By and By,” which she said she had never performed live before. A couple of songs later, she launched into “Baggage Claim” and called on the women in the audience to join in. They went wild as Lambert belted out the last lyrics: “Come and get your shit.”

In between songs, Lambert played the crowd like the consumate professional she is. At one point, the Longview native said, "This feels like home.” Then, she quickly adjusted by declaring, “No, it is home!”

She went on to say that she and the band were headed to London in the morning for a series of European concerts and drew big applause when she said, “We’re gonna show them how Texas does it over there.”

Lambert showed an easy rapport with her band, occasionally playfully hitting and teasing them, which the crowd seemed to enjoy. Whenever she launched into a solo, the guitarist performing it would get into the obligatory power stance and squint his face as if he were concentrating really hard on what he was doing. A guitarist with a soul patch, who looked like he probably played in a ‘90s rock band, perfected the stance and facial expression so well that it looked effortless.

The bassist danced a lot but often by himself. I have a feeling that Lambert may have told him that if he’s going to do that he better do it in the corner. My favorite member of the band was the tambourine player-turned-hype girl. She played the tambourine as if her life depended on it. It didn’t hurt that she was wearing a sequin top that really stood out as she moved and danced.

However goofy the band appeared at times, they still gave the impression that they genuinely enjoyed their work and were thankful for the opportunity.

The most moving moment occurred when the lights dimmed and Lambert played “The House That Built Me” while fans pulled out their cell phones and lit up NRG. The crowd went berserk as Lambert finished the song.

Lambert & Co. ended with “Gunpowder and Lead” as the audience kept cheering while some sang along. Lambert thanked the crowd and said, “See 'ya next year,” as she left the stage and the crowd roared.

As the song ended, Lambert was escorted to the tunnel and the fireworks began again. Her catch-phrase “Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History” appeared on the big screen and I realized that if the singer hadn't made much history on this night, she certainly showed the large crowd a damn good time and proved she is having a good time, too.

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Set List

Kerosene

Fastest Girl in Town

Heart Like Mine

Sweet By and By

Over You

Baggage Claim

All Kinds of Kinds

Smokin' and Drinkin'

Mama's Broken Heart

Covered Wagon

The House That Built Me

Automatic

White Liar

Little Red Wagon

Gunpower and Lead

Miranda Lambert had a good time during her performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Miranda Lambert had a good time during her performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

houston-rodeo

Movie Review

New Superman movie forges into the future while honoring the past

Photo by Jessica Miglio

David Corenswet in Superman.

When the character of Superman was invented in 1938, it was perhaps easier to see the world in good and bad terms. Fascism was already on the rise in Germany under Adolf Hitler, and the idea of an all-powerful superhero who stood up for people in need was a welcome one. In the nearly 90 years since, though, the world and the character have undergone multiple evolutions, and the thought of someone who is purely good is often met with cynicism or worse.

The new Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, puts the superhero (or metahuman, as the film calls him and similar creatures) squarely in the midst of the modern world, with geopolitical conflicts, mega-corporations, and social media all combining to make the altruism of Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) questionable. That skepticism even extends to his coworker/girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whose knowledge of his exploits puts her in a tricky position personally and professionally.

Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to dominate the world and take down Superman, with his eponymous corporation and vast group of underlings dedicated to doing both. Superman is generally a one-man fighting crew, but he’s occasionally aided by a group calling themselves the Justice Gang, comprised of heroes many have never heard of like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a version of Green Lantern; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), a flying metahuman; and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who knows all kinds of technology.

One of the best things about this new version of Superman is that it mostly dispenses with introductions, putting the audience in a world where Superman is already a well-known quantity who’s adored by many and hated by some. Gunn has used his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios to honor the past of the hero and take him into the future. With the 1978 John Williams theme song echoing throughout and Corenswet giving off Christopher Reeve vibes, it’s clear Gunn wants audiences to feel nostalgia while still getting something new.

He also appears to want viewers to fight against the negativity that the modern world can bring. The plot involves manipulation of the public, usually at the hands of Luthor, through bombastic talk shows, political theater, and social media, the latter of which — in a great joke — comes to involve hundreds of typing monkeys. The film could be read as a rebuttal of many real-world ills as, despite Luthor’s machinations, many choose to continue to believe in the goodness of Superman.

There is a lot going on in the film, but somehow it never comes off as overly complicated. Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane and Luthor’s attempts at taking him down are given the most prominence, with everything else supporting those two main things. The Justice Gang is a fun addition, with Mr. Terrific becoming the breakout hero of the group. The addition of the (CGI) dog Krypto provides levity, poignant moments, and unexpectedly great action scenes. The only part that gets somewhat short shrift is the crew of The Daily Planet, with everyone besides Lois and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) getting little more than face time.

Being the new Superman is a lot to live up to, but Corenswet is completely up to the job. He, like Reeve, plays the character as someone who is earnest but not naive, a quality that comes through even when he’s in the middle of fight scenes. Brosnahan is also fantastic, providing a nice balance to the relationship while also proving the character’s own worth. Hoult makes for a great new version of Luthor, and Gathegi nearly makes the case that Mr. Terrific should get a starring film of his own.

Just as he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has shown that success can be found through making characters people want to see. Not everyone in this Superman will be familiar to viewers, but in the end a group of people working together toward a goal that serves the common good is one worth watching and cheering for.

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Superman is now playing in theaters.

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