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When Miranda Lambert was doing her 2022 Velvet Rodeo residency at Zappos Theatre in Las Vega, she would end her show by becoming what she called “a walking firework.” Sparks would literally fly from the fringes of her sleeves. For those of us lucky enough to witness this spectacle, it was an appropriately exhilarating climax. But there was also a sense that it was unnecessary. She didn’t really need the flash, she had the substance. She had the songs.
This was obvious on Friday night at the Saddledome, when the singer-songwriter offered an assured run through some of her best material. It is a surprisingly rich body of work for an artist who has found such massive success in the often unimaginative world of mainstream country music. Compared to a number of chart-topping country acts that have played the Saddledome at past Stampedes, Lambert’s hour-and-a-half set unfolded at a modest pace set against a relatively simple backdrop. But for fans of good songwriting, it was a memorable evening. After playing the recently released Dammit Randy, a salty ‘that-man-done-me-wrong’ anthem, Lambert began a run of six ballads that included the gorgeous The House That Built Me, tender All Kinds of Kinds and superb Vice, a tune that aches with old-school country regret. For an artist with lesser material, it may have been a risk to include such a long run of slow songs so early in the set. For Lambert, however, it was proof that she possesses the ability to write or co-write with a depth and craft that many of her mainstream peers lack or, in the very least good, shows enough good taste to choose songs written by others that perfectly fit her sensibilities, phrasings and pitch. Most of these songs were played with an easy polish by Lambert’s seven-piece backup band, often without embellishments such as extended outros or those jammy off-road excursions that can easily turn country concerts into overlong bores.
This is not to say that Friday didn’t have its fair share of fiery moments. Kerosene, the title track from her first album, was an early highlight with its flashes of banjo and organ flourishes. The slow-burning Wranglers arrived with appropriate menace, while the twangy Geraldene found an easy, country-blues vibe.
While the night was certainly full of ballads — “I’m a sucker for a sad song, I can’t help it,” Lambert said before offering a solo acoustic take on the acclaimed ballad Tin Man — there were lighter moments. That included a festive run through the tempo-shifting Tequila Does, which inevitably morphed into The Champs’ Tequila. The melodic and sly Only Prettier and stomping White Liar were also highlights, as was an energetic take on the thundering Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home), which Lambert recorded as a duet with Elle King in 2021.
Opening act Jess Moskaluke shares Lambert’s knack for solid melody and memorable hooks, which she presented against a spartan backdrop backed by a first-rate band. That included bouncy country tunes with hard-rock guitar flourishes such as Knock Off and Country Girls, although the Saskatchewan native hedged her bets by offering twanged-up covers of Foo Fighters and Kelly Clarkson songs.
Lambert seems a rarity in the genre. Her songs certainly have radio-friendly hooks and she sings about small-towns, red-neck romance and drinking, all hallmarks of mainstream country radio. But her material has deeper emotions and richer melodies than many of her peers, who rely of cliched songs that sound like they came from a marketing committee. Lambert’s songs resonate. Friday’s concert may have lacked some of the flash of past Stampede concerts, but it also had far more memorable moments.