Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Eleven hours after it opened, the York Fair finally caught a break.

The original American Idol took the grandstand stage and, for the most part, the rain that had fallen all day subsided.

Kelly Clarkson might not have looked nearly as svelte as on the September cover of Self in that photo touch-up controversy.

And she wasn’t performing barefoot as she often does (according to one blogger, because she believes she can feel the music through the stage floor).

Her fans didn’t care. They seemed thoroughly thrilled by a 16-song set and an exhuberant performance that made up for the wet conditions.

Kelly referenced the fan’s endurance early on in her show.

“Look, you all are standing in the mud. That’s true fandom.”

She rewarded those fans by letting them participate throughout her show, encouraging them to sing the chorus on hits like “Breakway” and “Behind Those Hazel Eyes.”

By the time she sang the number one hit “Because of You,” the fans were singing along without being asked.

The set relied heavily on her new album (seven songs), included all the big hits off her wildly successful 2004 “Breakaway” CD and a song apiece from her debut album and the less well-received 2007 CD “My December.”

Along the way, there were surprises. A feminine take on the Rob Stewart hit “Some Guys (Girls, in Kelly’s version) Have All the Luck,” featuring a rousing guitar solo, and a sassy rendition of the Patsy Cline classic “Walkin’ After Midnight.”

A Patsy Cline song at a Kelly Clarkson concert?

Kelly provided the explanation. She’s from Burleson, Texas. “One thing you have to love in Texas is cowboys. And you have to love Patsy Cline.”

The 27-year-old singer was backed by three guitars and a full horn section that sometimes seemed too loud for her vocals, especially early in the show.

But when the music quieted, like on “Cry” and her current single “Already Gone,” she displayed the voice the made her the first Idol seven years ago.

She also displayed the girl-next-door attitude that helped her wins over audiences on Idol, poking fun at herself and even explaining her penchant for writing sad songs.

“I just really like writing sad songs because it gets all of it out of you. Something’s bad going on, you write a song about it. Over it. Check.”

Then she launched into “I Want You,” the happy song she vowed to write for her new album.

To the roar of her fans, of course.

The Set List

“All I Ever Wanted”
“Miss Independent”
“I Do Not Hook Up”
“Some [Girls] Have All The Luck” (Rod Stewart cover)
“Breakaway”
“If I Can’t Have You”
“Never Again”
“Behind These Hazel Eyes”
“Walkin’ After Midnight” (Patsy Cline cover)
“Cry”
“I Want You”
“Because Of You”
“Walk Away”
“Since U Been Gone”
Encore
“Already Gone”
“My Life Would Suck Without You”

Check out:

Seven years later, fans still loyal to Kelly Clarkson

Kelly weighs in on Kayne West at the VMAs

Idol fans at York Fair weigh in on Ellen vs. PaulaBucky Covington talks about his career, his new album and his upcoming York Fair show

Sunday: Coverage of Bucky Covington’s show at the York Fair

Coming up:

Tuesday: David Cook talks about his career and his upcoming show at the fair

Friday: Coverage of David Cook’s show at the York Fair