The Winnipeg Sun from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada • 19

Winnipeg Sun Saturday March 27 1999 19 Features Edhor John Kendfc Phone: 632-2783 E-mait fcaturesOwpgsuncom JOHN KENDLE Entertainment Editor Lean limber and clad in bright body-hugging outfits this crew was more than just a band it could have been the cast of Rent especially when it ran through a spellbinding highly choreographed version of That Impress Me Much The entire troupe save for the seated pedal steel player drummer and percussionist jogged their way through the tune on treadmills mounted on rotating pedestals The bells and whistles were also accompanied by more than enough fan interaction maybe too much in fact In an effort to endear herself (and perhaps to cover for a show which may be five hits short of being an absolute blockbuster) Shania certainly involved her audience Not only was she joined by the scripted high school drummers (on Outta Here) contest winners (on What Made You Say That) and choirs (on God Bless The Child) Twain also managed to read a couple of fon poems accept proffered flowers and trinkets pull a too-preco-cious step dancer up on stage and even invite a whole row of fens up for hugs Heck she was even carried around the Arena floor Cleopatra-like on a platform atop the shoulders of burly security guards While obviously endearing the ploys did eat up a lot of time But they did set the stage for a tremendous climax a roaring version of This Man Of Mine a rousing Don't Be Stupid (featuring open-ing act Leahy doing the stepdancing routine from the video) and a cacophony of screaming violins chunky guitar rifb powerhouse beats topped by a bedazzling pyrotechnics display Is it country? Not in the way Hank Williams imagined the genre But it sure seemed to be top-notch well-executed entertainment Which is all too hard to come by in these days of easy-come easy -go music stars You know Shania might just be on to something MOVIES Oir jYL sidneyLf uirlsM town heir the Daryl Hannah-Jemifs TUty thriller Cord perhaps! ii hast known for Lady Sings tl Bluett Ms OscaiHpminated 1972 screen bfoef BlHfa Holiday starring Diana Rc I On WSSK Ch AT THE MOVIES I Ed-TV a Hollywood remake of the Quebec film Louis 19 Kingl Of The Airwave suites bmo if cent Matthew McCoaaughey the subject of Ms own 24-hour-a-dayi week show much to the' delight then gradual horror" i- of Ms friends and family Mow playing IN THE CLUBS: Can you feel the Mize? Break i out the leather jackets anM -5 the three-quarter sleeved rock 1 shirts it'll be plenty loud at i the Pyramid tonight when good old '80s metal heads Quiet Riot take the stage along with VOncouver indusfj tro-rockers Jar Tickets are at TicketMaster 780-3333 ON THE TUBE The Comedy Network has two comics for the price of one in Its back-to-back HIO half-hour standup specials Tonight Ellen DeGencres and Larry Miller take the stage starting at 11 pm Latec actor Jon -4 Voight guests on Dennis i Miller Live at 12:30 am MuchMusk Ch 4C45 rewinds six hours of its week-long Snowob99 concert specials mid then plays them again all day starting at 9 am IAN'S LIST Things Shania probably didn't -dqjpfterjast mahtJ ihqwi: '3) Hit the drive-thru on the way to the hotel for a couple of Whoppers! 2) Last caH at Die Maschine! 1) Took off the wig lit up a smoke put up her feet and watched South tafcl he world's most famous midriff bared itself at the Winnipeg Arena last night and a crowd of 15000 navel-gazers found it a most 1 wonderful thing Not just because the belly button in question belongs to an attractive woman but also because it belongs to one of the hottest stars in the firmament at the moment Rest assured Shania Twain is much more she's been made out to be The pride of Timmins Ont sold more than 20 million albums on the basis of eye-catching videos alone In feet most of the rumours and barbs directed way when she first broke through to the big time in 1995 were dispelled by her stage show last night Yes lUrain now 33 and in the midst of her first major concert tour can indeed sing live No she does not suffer from stage fright and yes she is in fact an energetic performer with a sure-handed stage presence Best of all though she's the ringmaster of a travelling entertainment package that offers much more than your typical run-through of hits Taking a cue from Garth Brooks who truly brought New Country into the arena age Twain has crafted a multi-faceted concert set which is equal parts burlesque Las Vegas revue Broadway dance routine honky-tonk hoe-down and Nashville Fan Fair right from the opening when the star burst on to the stage in lime-green leopard-print tank top to sing Man! I Feel Like A Woman The burlesque comes from a sense of self-assured sexuality which Twain indulges without overly flaunting (What do you think the bump-and-grind horn parts and fluorescent mike stand in Man! were for anyway?) The Vegas revue aspect is evident in this keep-the-cus-tomereatisfied attention to detail Twain's stage is constructed to maximize vantage points and GUH GLAMOUR AND TALENT! Shania TWainb a surefooted dynamic and writing performed maw warn Shania proves more than a pretty face even those sitting behind the main set got a chance to see the show from a front-of-house per- SHANIA TWAIN Last night Winnipeg Arena out of spective via four video screens which projected a Isrger-than- life Shania to customers both front and rear Adding lustre to the vibrant presence of the Divine Miss IVrain who preened through just one costume change last night are the eight lithe backing musicians who accompany her.