Where do we begin to talk about LeAnn Rimes? Since she burst into the music business at the age of just 13, she’s racked up over 48 million record sales worldwide – as well as nine top ten singles in the US – starred in a string of movies and scooped three ACM Awards and two Grammys. Now, following the release of her 2022 album ‘God’s Work’, she’s been out on the road with her ‘The Story… So Far’ tour, including a one-off show last night at London’s O2 Arena – her first appearance on this side of the pond in six years, and her biggest UK show to date.
The two-hour show kicked off with a shimmering melody under a spoken-word introduction from Rimes, where she talked about how she ‘learned to take back the narrative’ and her journey of ‘courage, love, acceptance and most of all joy’. After declaring ‘the best thing about sharing [my story] is the connection I feel with all of you [and] I hope you find pieces of yourself within these songs’, Rimes stepped on stage alone barefoot and clad in a gold sequin dress. She began by playing the piano and performing ‘Remnants’, from her 2016 album of the same name. The song had a really raw, powerful quality to it and the stripped-back arrangement really showcased Rimes’s lush, clear vocals as she sang about rebuilding her future from the ashes of the past. She finished by holding her hand high in the air and the crowd roared their approval as she brought the song to a close.
What followed was a tour through 30 years in the business, featuring everything from songs such as Rimes’ breakthrough hit ‘Blue’ with its classic country feel to tracks from her ‘God’s Work’ project like the anthemic ‘Awakening’ and ‘Innocent’, which saw Rimes well up with tears during the introduction before hitting some incredible high notes. She also reflected on moments from her career, including her work on the ‘Coyote Ugly’ soundtrack – before performing the sweet, touching ‘Please Remember’ and a high-energy version of ‘The Right Kind Of Wrong’ that had the crowd clapping and dancing in their seats – and the many duets she’s worked on, including ‘Written In The Stars’ (originally recorded with Elton John) and the heart-wrenching, acoustic ‘Borrowed’ which she cut with Stevie Nicks. She also brought out her collaborator Ronan Keating for ‘Last Thing On My Mind’ where their voices blended beautifully together.
One thing which particularly stood out to me about Rimes’s performance was just how much fun she was having. She could frequently be seen jumping around on stage, rattling her tambourine and waving her arms in the air, such as on the funky, blues-influenced ‘Nothing Better To Do’ and her soulful rendition of ‘Life Goes On’. Her joy was absolutely infectious and it was impossible not to feel warm and uplifted by her performance. I also really liked that she wasn’t afraid to switch things up with her arrangements, particularly her acoustic rendition of ‘One Way Ticket’ which she interspersed with ‘Fast Car’, as well as rocking out on her version of Brandi Carlile’s ‘The Story’ and a fiery rendition of ‘Long Live Love’.
For me some of the major highlights were when Rimes slowed things down. Continuing the 90s nostalgic trip, special guest David Gray delivered a beautiful pair of piano duets with her, firstly on ‘Snow In Vegas’ and then ‘This Year’s Love’, which saw the crowd light up the whole arena with their phones. Elsewhere, ‘But I Do Love You’ and ‘I Need You’ provided lush, moving moments, whilst ‘Spaceship’ was a moment of calm towards the end that featured some of her purest vocals of the night. That said, there was still plenty of time for more upbeat numbers in the set, with her belting rendition of ‘Can’t Fight The Moonlight’ drawing a full-throttle singalong from the crowd before she shifted into a ‘jam session’ featuring her spin on classic tracks from Prince, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan.
After a tender yet uplifting rendition of God’s Work, where she encouraged the audience to ‘be my choir’ and hit yet another incredible note, Rimes thanked the audience before performing a gorgeous, soaring version of ‘How Do I Live’. The song is definitely her signature and you could feel her you could feel her pouring her heart and soul into every single word. The crowd burst into applause as she briefly left the stage, before returning for her final song, ‘There Will Be A Better Day’. Bringing the show full circle by sitting alone at the piano, she delivered some of her most soaring, angelic vocals of the night including an outstanding acapella finale. As she took her bows she blew kisses and waved to the audience, and it was clear she felt on top of the world.
Overall LeAnn Rimes cemented her legendary status and showed why her long-awaited return was well worth it. With absolutely top notch vocals, a great sense of playfulness throughout (something she spoke very passionately about wanting to recapture) and a mesmerising stage presence, she delivered one of the strongest shows of the year so far and showcased why she’s been around for so long, as well as not being afraid to move with the times and try something new. In her own words, it was an absolutely magical evening, and I just hope we don’t have to wait for another six years before she’s back on this side of the pond!
Track listing: 1. Remnants 2. Life Goes On 3. Blue 4. Nothing Better To Do 5. One Way Ticket (Because I Can) / Fast Car (Tracey Chapman cover) 7. Awakening 8. Innocent 9. But I Do Love You 10. Please Remember 11. The Right Kind Of Wrong 12. I Need You 13. The Story (Brandi Carlile cover) 14. Long Live Love 15. Borrowed 16. Written In The Stars 17. Last Thing On My Mind (with Ronan Keating) 18. Can’t Fight The Moonlight 19. I’m Every Woman / Sexy M.F. / Respect (Chaka Khan / Prince / Aretha Franklin cover) 20. Spaceship 21. Snow In Vegas (with David Gray) 22. This Year’s Love (with David Gray) 23. God’s Work 24. How Do I Live Encore: 25. There Will Be A Better Day Performance date: 8th May 2024
