MERRIE LEININGER
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Looking out at the crowd of mothers just a few years older than me, holding hands with their 8-year-old daughters, I was reminded of the last time I saw Gwen Stefani in concert. It was right after "Tragic Kingdom" came out and I was a junior in college.
That No Doubt show had a lot fewer sparkles, costume changes, dancers and a couple thousand fewer screaming fans, but Gwen was exactly the same. She rocked that empty Columbus arena (those who wanted to see the Goo Goo Dolls and Bush rolled in later) just like she rocked the Reno Events Center on Friday night.
It truly was family night, with an age range of 3-years-old to around 65. Gwen herself had family on her mind -- she talked about how Reno was the second-to-last show on the tour, she was tired, her toe hurt from a slip in the bathtub, and she was clearly missing her family. Then she dedicated "The Real Thing" to her husband, Gavin Rossdale.
"I never do this, but I have not seen my husband in six weeks, and I'll see him tomorrow, so this is for Gavin," she said. "That is so embarrassing."
Despite being road-weary, Gwen repeatedly told the Reno crowd how much she appreciated their loud and constant vocal praise.
"Really, this was unexpectedly very, very fun," she said before starting her encore. "You guys have been amazing. Really, one of my favorite shows and it's because of you that I had fun tonight."
Most of the crowd seemed completely star-stuck, especially when Gwen left the stage, ran to a little platform in the back to introduce her niece, and then sang "Cool" while standing on the seats in the far upper right, almost drowning in a sea of adoring fans' faces and arms reaching up to touch her.
Whether she was in the front, the back or running in between, the sound was amazing. Maybe I've been to too many heavy rock and local band shows, but I can't remember the last time I could actually understand every word a singer spoke from stage. The production quality was equally high from everything: the six-piece band, eight dancers, nine costumes and the videos, treadmills and trampolines on stage. It must have taken them more time to choreograph the show than they actually spent on the road. And the crowd appreciated it. They never even seemed to get bored when Gwen took time to share the love and introduce every single person on stage with her.
Beyond all the glitz and spectacle of the show, I have to say I was the most impressed with Gwen. Despite being clearly tired, she really was just as energetic, talkative, emotive and engaged with the crowd as she was when about 15 people were listening to her sing "Just a Girl" 12 years ago in Columbus. And that's why I am still listening to her and why mothers were there with their children Friday night.
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