The Universal Appeal of a Kelly Clarkson Concert

Like any self-respecting millennial, I have grown up with Kelly Clarkson. From her American Idol days to Miss Independent to her newest album, she has been a permanent fixture in the music industry. This is all to say that when Clarkson announced her first tour in three years, supporting her 2018 album Meaning of Life, I was immediately on board.

Unfortunately, I was deeply offended to find that she did not have any tour dates in New York City, but instead one out in Uniondale, Long Island. After all, isn’t the perk of NYC living that all the good tours come directly to you? So, I told myself the logistics weren’t in my favor and decided I would skip this one.

Cut to about a week before the March 7th show. Some clever sponsored posts on Facebook kept reminding me of the impending concert, and the existence of tickets still available for purchase. In addition, I realized that I could definitely get to Long Island. As in, the LIRR stop within walking distance of my Brooklyn apartment means it’s probably easier to get to Long Island than parts of Queens. So as the only person I knew who could go to a Thursday night show and didn’t have work on Friday, I bought myself one ticket to my first solo concert.

This, dear readers, was a fantastic decision. The concert was a blast, and it had to do not only with Clarkson’s immense talent but the somewhat unique approach she took to certain aspects of the show. One of the factors spurring my last minute ticket purchase was a video I had seen online, in which Clarkson reveals that she hates when artists don’t perform their classic hits during a tour, and hers would be different.

She was true to her word, singing virtually all the early 2000s hits that made my inner preteen extremely happy. "Walk Away", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", "Breakaway", "My Life Would Suck Without You", "Stronger", "Since U Been Gone", and of course "Miss Independent" were all performed with power and energy like they were her new singles. If that wasn’t enough, she also included a mashup of other older songs that, as Clarkson put it, people complained to her in Target that she didn’t sing.

For those who came to the Meaning of Life tour to hear the Meaning of Life album, they had no need to fear. Songs from Clarkson’s most recent Grammy winning record featured prominently in the show, and in my opinion did the best job showcasing her incredible vocal abilities. Each song sounded just like the studio version, except the parts that sounded better. High notes were higher and held longer, and it reminded me that her Idol background meant that during her rise to fame she didn’t have autotune to hide behind.

The most unique part of Clarkson’s show, though, came in the middle during her recurring “Minute and a Glass of Wine” segment. This part of the show is streamed live on Facebook, with Clarkson covering a different song (or songs) each concert, after chatting with the audience and taking a few sips of wine. She’s not the only one partaking – hugging the catwalk section of the stage is an actual bar, where a select few had shelled out the extra cash to claim a barstool and spend the evening drinking and enjoying the show.

As Clarkson explained, this segment serves multiple purposes. First, it allows those who don’t live near a tour date to experience part of the show. Second, it keeps each show fresh, in an era where social media means everyone knows the setlist. Third, it serves as a warm up for her upcoming self-titled talk show. It’s this last purpose that leads Clarkson to sometimes practice her hosting and bring a guest onstage, as she did during my show. Uniondale audiences were treated to Robert Rivera, who had captured Clarkson’s attention after he posted a video dancing to Love So Soft…in heels. Rivera attempted to teach her some choreography, which was amusing but I’ll admit slowed the show down slightly. However, it’s the kind of thing that will work great on the talk show.

For her chosen cover, Clarkson continued to expand her potential fan base by mashing up Cardi B, Post Malone and Lauryn Hill into one seamless jam. It wouldn’t have been my personal song choice (and I’m jealous of those who heard her sing Shallow) but of course she can do everything, and sang it so well that I didn’t even mind.

Just in case you thought there was a genre left out, musical theater was also on the menu that night. Clarkson began her encore with moving renditions of “It’s Quiet Uptown” from Hamilton and “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman, both of which she sang for remix albums of the respective shows. Side note: during “Never Enough” there was a group of small girls near my section standing and passionately singing along – it was pretty adorable.

This reminds me of an important point, which is that this was truly an all ages show. The audience was comprised of everyone from small children to middle aged adults and beyond, all of whom appeared to have a great time. Everyone loves Kelly, and pleasing everyone is pretty hard to do these days.

Kelly Clarkson’s Meaning of Life tour is happening now. For tickets, visit her website