Saturday’s appointment with the Country music of the C2C begins in the early afternoon with the press conference of Maddie (aka Madison Marlow, born in Texas) & Tae (aka Taylor Dye, born in Oklahoma). Very young, not even 40 years of age between the both of them. These girls tell us that they have been playing together since they were 15, and that their music is strongly influenced by the likes of Shania Twain, Lee Ann Womack and Martina McBride. Even though they are still very young, on stage, they show great professionalism, and at 17:00 their show begins, which turns out to be really good. Much more country sounding than expected, beginning with “Right Here, Right Now” and then continuing with the hits “Girl In A Country Song”, “Shut Up And Fish” as well as the beautiful “Fly”. Some covers were inevitable, such as “Umbrella” by Rihanna and “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake, bringing their show to an end after about an hour. Talented and in perfect harmony with the young audience of the O2 Arena. Following Maddie & Tae, it’s Sam Hunt’s turn. The guy from Georgia is a superstar of modern easy listening music. His song “Take Your Time” is constantly heard on the radio, even in Italy, and here in London, it is at the top of the charts. Therefore it is only logical that the show is a success, though honestly, he has little to do with country music. The Little Big Town, who play after Sam Hunt, are veterans of the C2C; in fact, they have already played here in 2013. With over 20 years experience together, they have all the talent needed to put on a great show, where every voice can be considered a leading one. Kimberly Schlapman in fact leads in “Sober” and “Save Your Sin”, Phillip Sweet thrills us with “Bring It On Home”, Jimi Westbrook enchants us with “Tumble and Fall”, and finally Karen Fairchild catches the public’s attention with “Girl Crush” and “Tornado”. A beautiful rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” finally captured the audience. Well-deserved standing ovation. We meet Carrie Underwood in the press conference where she immediately affirmed that her career began with American Idol, the only opportunity, in her opinion, that an unknown person has to emerge today in the music business. She also said she would like to record an all-acoustic album in the future, and that she likes to experiment with different styles and genres of music, and will continue to do so. She comes out on stage like a true superstar, and starts her set with “Renegade Runaway”, from her latest album. Great energy, supported by incredible backing vocals and a very tight-knit band, vigorous, rhythmical and loud. In the second half of the concert, her version of “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, and then she called on stage Sam Hunt, and duetted the song “Heartbeat”. There is still time for some of her classics like “Cowboy Casanova” and “Good Girl”, to end with the powerful “Something in the Water”, proving that she still has a great voice after nearly twenty songs. The Saturday audience at the O2 Arena was there for her. (Gianluca Sitta, Fulvia Foresti)
