HomeEF CountrySara Evans, Union Chapel, London live review

Sara Evans, Union Chapel, London live review

It’s safe to say that Sara Evans is a country music legend. She got her start in her family’s band at the age of just six, before releasing her debut solo album ‘Three Chords and the Truth’ in 1997. Since then she’s won over legions of fans with her powerful vocals, and has ten studio albums to her name – most recently 2020’s covers collection, ‘Copy That’ – as well as five number one hits. Now, after over two decades away from the UK, this week she finally returned here for a string of shows, culminating last night at London’s Union Chapel.

Backed by her two guitarists and a pair of backing singers – including her daughter Olivia – Evans arrived on stage around 9pm dressed in a pink floral robe over a black top and leather skirt, paired with high-heeled open-toed boots. She kicked off the show with the appropriately titled ‘A Real Fine Place To Start’, from her 2005 album ‘Real Fine Place’. Right from the off she was encouraging the audience to clap along as she jammed out with her band, and her powerhouse vocals sounded great with the Union Chapel acoustics. The audience burst into thunderous applause and gave her a standing ovation at the end, and she looked blown away by their reaction.

For the next 90 minutes, Evans took us on a whistlestop tour through her career, with her set featuring hits such as the heartfelt ‘Not Over You’ – which brilliantly captures the feeling of seeing an ex you still have feelings for – the playful ‘As If’ and her joyful rendition of ‘Perfect’. I was also really struck by her connection with the audience as she talked about her love for UK fans and cracked jokes throughout the performance. There’s a real warmth about her on stage and she definitely feels like someone who would be great fun to hang out with over a glass of wine or two.

One of the early highlights for me was ‘Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus’, which Evans introduced as ‘a love song between a mother and her child’. The storytelling of the song was absolutely beautiful and Evans conveyed the emotion of it so well, making it impossible not to be moved. Additionally, I loved seeing her sassy side on the likes of ‘Otis Redding’ and ‘I Keep Looking’, whilst ‘Words’ provided a softer moment and the anthemic ‘A Little Bit Stronger’ saw her hitting some impressive big notes!

As well as her own songs, Evans peppered the set with covers she’d recorded for her latest album. Her take on the Patsy Cline classic ‘She’s Got You’ had a lovely smooth quality to it, whilst ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ – originally performed. However, for me the standout of the three was ‘I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail’, originally recorded by Buck Owens and which Evans recorded for her debut. Evans took to the stage with Everette – who’d provided a great opening set earlier in the evening – to deliver a high energy version of the song, and looked liked she was having a whale of a time up there. She also brought out her daughter Olivia, who delivered a gorgeous version of ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ that had the audience on their feet (and who is surely set to be a star in the making herself)

After a soaring rendition of ‘I Could Not Ask For More’, Evans encouraged the audience to get on their feet and clap along before she closed the show with arguably her two biggest hits, ‘Born To Fly’ and ‘Suds In The Bucket’. The former had a fantastic empowering quality and saw Evans showcase the belt and power in her voice, whilst the latter encapsulated her at her very best – great storytelling in the lyrics, a little bit of swagger on stage and a fantastically uplifting note to finish on. At the end of the song the audience roared their approval and it was clear that the feeling was very much mutual.

Overall Sara Evans delivered a great performance that shows why she’s had a reputation as one of the best vocalists in country music for almost 25 years. She absolutely still has the chops to leave an audience stunned and has a fantastic engaging presence on stage as well. It was a real privilege to witness her return to the UK and I just hope she doesn’t leave it quite so long before she comes back here next time!

Set list: 1. A Real Fine Place To Start 2. Not Over You 3. Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus 4. Otis Redding 5. She’s Got You (Patsy Cline cover) 6. As If 7. Perfect 8. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams cover) 9. A Little Bit Stronger 10. Tennessee Whiskey (made famous by Chris Stapleton) (performed by Olivia Evans) 11. I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail (Buck Owens cover) (with Everette) 12. I Keep Looking 13. Words 14. I Could Not Ask For More 15. Born To Fly 16. Suds In The Bucket Performance date: 2nd September 2022

Sara Evans’ latest album, ‘Copy That’, is out now on Born To Fly Records.

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Laura Cooney
Laura Cooney
Laura has been writing for Entertainment Focus since 2016, mainly covering music (particularly country and pop) and television, and is based in South West London.

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