Martina McBride, July 27, Mandalay Bay Events Center
In front of a surprisingly small crowd, country star Martina McBride delivered a strong and musically accomplished—if disappointingly brief—set consisting primarily of past hits and songs from her new album, Waking Up Laughing. McBride was in top form, her spectacular voice sounding just as good live as it does on record, and her seven-piece band was tight and impressive. The mostly older, relatively sedate crowd helped give the evening an intimate feel despite the size of the venue; McBride casually bantered with fans and even sang “Happy Birthday” to a pair of very pleased guys. Musically, the highlight was a trio of songs from McBride’s 2005 classic-covers album Timeless, although crowd response was much more vocal to hits like “This One’s for the Girls” and “Independence Day,” which closed out the main set with the audience finally up on their feet.