Leann Rimes went nautical last weekend, giving Lake Las Vegas' new floating stage its inaugural performance. The Stars on the Lake show featured a mix of Rimes' old hits, material from her new This Woman album, and an early Fourth of July fireworks display.
Wasting no time on an opening act, the show commenced abruptly. So abruptly, in fact, that the lighting crew needed a moment to catch up. Rimes began energetically, belting out "Big Deal," "One Way Ticket" and "Life Goes On," before pausing to welcome the crowd and commenting that, from across the dark moat separating her from the shore, she was unable to see the audience.
"For an artist, the most important thing is to feed off a crowd," Rimes said afterwards, "so it was a little disappointing that they weren't closer, but I could hear them screaming, so that always helps."
And scream they did, as she debuted "Won't Be Lonely Long" and "Nothin' 'Bout Love Makes Sense." The mood briefly turned somber when she sang the mournful "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way," but she easily brought the energy back with a soulful rendition of Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel," and her own country-pop crossover hits, "How Do I Live?" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight." The concert concluded with an encore of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll," and a standing ovation from the audience, who remained standing as Rimes sang "The Star Spangled Banner."
The venue's sound quality was superb, and Rimes proved that hers is a voice which requires little studio doctoring. But her physical performance—consisting of standing center stage and occasionally pacing to stage right—left something to be desired. However, the 65-minute show's overall lack of theatrics and pyrotechnics was quickly made up for by an impressive, 20-minute-long fireworks display over the lake.
Ultimately, the audience was pleased, and Rimes left the soggy venue without getting seasick. The 52-foot-by-76-foot stage is one of the largest floating stages in the country, and the only one in Nevada. But Rimes felt no temptation to bring a more literal meaning to "stage dive."
"I would have ruined my dress," she laughed. "If I hadn't been worrying about what I had on, I would have jumped in the water. It was hot enough to do it."