The night began with Little Big Town.
From “Fine Line” to “Boondocks,” Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Roads Schlapman, and Phillip Sweet kept pace with hits and selections from A Place to Land. 
All four accomplished singers, each had an opportunity to showcase lead vocals on respective selections and each, particularly Phillip Sweet, demonstrated a vocal quality that is under represented on studio recordings. 
In a telephone interview, Kimberly told KGRT listeners that Carrie Underwood was very generous to Little Big Town when it came to use of lights and production, something that headliners oftentimes hold back from the opening acts. Little Big Town made good use of those lights to create interest and keep track of the four energetic singers, two of whom were often on the move. 
Carrie Underwood’s stage set up included a T-shaped runway into the floor seating, again, a zone traditionally off limits to the opening acts. Little Big Town owned the T. As a result, Little Big Town looked as much the headline act as the young lady who was waiting to sing last. Stand out numbers included the four-part harmony of “Life In A Northern Town,” and what Kimberly and Phillip later hinted could be the next single, the bouncy “Good Lord Willing and The Creek Don’t Rise.” 
For a 10-year old band that was born and raised in the boondocks, Little Big Town is about to cross that invisible line that separates the legions of working artists from the handful of superstars in the format. The next record should be titled Large Big Town.While the Pan Am was well-filled for Little Big Town, the crowd swelled as patrons made their way to their seats in time for the lady that America met on TV. With a unique countdown clock, the 2005 American Idol winner gave ample notice that she was about the hit the stage. The screaming fans were ready as the lights died at the count of 0:00. After an introductory video tease, Carrie Underwood rose from the depths of the stage to a lively Las Cruces reception.
The approximately 1-hour-45-minute set was packed with proof as to why this girl won American Idol in the first place and left little doubt as to the legitimacy of her multiple variations of the title “Female Vocalist of the Year.” Carrie was in good form vocally as she effortlessly breezed through her hit singles as well as selections from her two best-selling CD’s, Some Hearts and Carnival Ride. 
Carrie kept interest throughout the show with well-placed personable stories about her life; her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma; her dog, Ace; the current rumors of her love life, or lack thereof; and her stay in Las Cruces which according to Carrie included the sighting of Sonic and the desire for Cheddar Peppers, and according to sources connected with The Country Station included a stop at a local tanning salon and a trip to the gym. Carrie did say that she had a very nice day off before the show. Carrie also made light of the fact that she didn’t think she was ready to headline a show, but from the production of the night, she’s too modest. 
Like all top female entertainers, Carrie made the obligatory costume changes throughout the show, time that was brilliantly filled with a video retrospective of her career and musical solos from the band members. 
Each chapter of the show seemed to keep in musical theme of the costume. Carrie sported a sexy, little black shorts-set with knee-high stiletto boots to open the show; presented her spiritual ballads in a formal gown; stripped the hoop skirt for a mini for a series of sassy selections; changed to a more conservative pantsuit for the bridge of the show; and then added a shimmering silver jacket for the finale. 
The crowd loved it; especially, as Carrie called them, the good-lookin’ boys that were peppered throughout the floor seating holding signs that offered everything from marriage proposals to promises that they would not cheat. The crowd was also filled with young ladies who adore the image of this all-American girl. 
One young lady, 5-year old Logan, was invited on stage to sing “All American Girl” with Carrie. She turned shy in front of a huge crowd, but still did a great job. After all, it’s not everyone who gets to hear Carrie Underwood belt out a song to their face. 
The entertaining night proved to be a winner for all ages. However it’s interesting to note that during the aforementioned conversation with The Country Station, Kimberly made reference to “Carrie’s crowd” being a little different from the Little Big Town fan base. While the two shows are complementary, Kimberly’s comment did make sense after observing the crowd’s reaction to the subtle differences in the two styles of music. 
Yet at the end of the night, especially after Little Big Town came back out for a pre-finale cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way,” both fan bases were meshed into one big country music family. And yes, those confetti cannons did fire off for the anticipated finale, “Before He Cheats.” 
Now – get out and VOTE. There’s an election to decide today.
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