Pickler heats up Niswonger stage

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

Blowing snow and bitter cold temperatures be damned. The blustery weather didn’t stop music fans from filling the Niswonger Performing Arts Center Saturday evening to see country music superstar Kellie Pickler take the stage in front of a sold-out crowd.

Pickler joked with the crowd and thanked those in attendance for the “warm” welcome to northwest Ohio, while she put in a request for a potential future return visit. “We’ll come back anytime ya’ll will have us,” Pickler said, adding “although I’d prefer to have a little more sun next time. I mean, I guess this is normal for ya’ll. I hate to break it to ya, but this ain’t normal.”

Despite the dreary weather outside, Pickler was every bit her sunny, personable self during the show, during which she belted out a medley of songs from her new album The Woman I Am.

Known for her “what you see is what you get” attitude and quirky personality, Pickler burst onto the country music stage after a top-10 finish in Season 5 of “American Idol”. Pickler was a fresh-faced 19-year-old when she auditioned for “Idol”, the show she said launched the rocket of her wildly-successful career in country music.

Blowing away “Idol” judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul with her rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” the small-town girl with the big heart and even bigger pipes quickly gained a huge fan base that has followed her throughout her career.

After “Idol”, Pickler began to experience life in the fast lane, and life outside the small mobile home she called home in Albemarle, N.C.

Today, Pickler is a long way from the shy 19-year-old who captured America’s heart on the “Idol” stage. With a list of honors and accomplishments dotting her resume and a recent first-place finish on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”, Pickler appears to be at the top of her game.

Reflecting on her first-place “DWTS” finish, Pickler said during a pre-show interview with The Van Wert independent that she had gained a newfound respect for dancers, as well as a passion for ballroom dancing.

“Let me tell you, anyone who studies dance is tough,” she said. “It is definitely harder than it looks. Never in a million years did I think I would enjoy ballroom dancing, but the show definitely helped me discover a passion for dance.”

It’s not her only passion. The petite blonde singer has been vocal about her desire to give back, and one way she does that is through her involvement with the United Service Organization (USO) and her numerous trips overseas to entertain troops.

“I love that I get to be a part of something so special,” Pickler said, adding that she and her husband, singer-producer Kyle Jacobs, recently spent Christmas in Afghanistan. “Every trip is different and we’ve just been all over the place, but from each trip we bring back different memories and we’re blessed to meet some pretty incredible people.

“We hear their stories about where they come from, who they are and why they joined and it’s those little conversations in-between the shows where I’m just sitting in the cafeteria and mingling that are the really special moments,” she added. “I have the opportunity to connect with people on a personal level.”

Pickler more than connected with the audience Saturday evening, sharing humorous stories and anecdotes about her childhood, as well as life on the open road touring with her band.

“When I first started out, we all shared one tour bus together and I very quickly realized that I needed to be able to go to the bathroom and not fall in the commode,” she said, drawing laughs from the audience. “Plus, I really didn’t want to be stepping in disgusting things. When I’m on the band’s bus, there’s one rule and that’s when you’re in your bunk, nobody can mess with you. Outside the bunk, it’s free game.”

“And this one right here is the ringleader,” she added emphatically, pointing out band member Jay Gorman. “I don’t know if you know this or not, but he’s from ya’ll’s neck of the woods. I think like about 10 minutes from here.”

Gorman, who plays bass in Pickler’s band, is from Delphos and is a graduate of Delphos Jefferson High School. Pickler noted that Gorman was welcomed back to the area with a party Friday evening, and she joked “let me just say that I’m thankful that everyone showed up for work today.”

Work they did, playing song after song from Pickler’s new album, as well as a few fan favorites from the early years of her career. Opening up the show with “Tough,” a song with a little bit of country, a little bit of bluegrass and a whole lot of attitude, Pickler went on to relate the story behind “Selma Drye,” a song near and dear to the singer’s heart.

“My grandma and grandpa had a big part in raising me and my grandma was the woman I called mom,” Pickler said, adding that her grandparents have played a huge role in her life. “So my mom’s mom was Selma Drye and she was a spitfire.

‘You know the grandma on ‘Beverly Hillbillies’?” Pickler asked the audience. “Well, that was my great-grandma. She had one tooth hanging on for dear life and she always kept two things in her apron … a .38 Special and a can of snuff. So you can see, I get my crazy honest.”

Pickler added that the song was about the women of her great-grandmother’s generation, who were self-sufficient and independent and never owned a washing machine in their lives.

“She never had a bank account and she kept all of her money in canning jars right next to her peaches,” Pickler said of her grandmother. “Yep, she was a spitfire and I love her for it and I wrote this song especially for her.”

Pickler finished out the show with fan favorites such as “I Wonder,” and “Little Bit Gypsy” and she thanked the crowd again for allowing her to do what she loves.

“We wouldn’t be up here if ya’ll weren’t out there; the thing I love about country music is that there are stories behind each song about people’s lives and where they come from,” Pickler said, adding, “country music allows you to celebrate the good times and it’s also there when you need to have your own little pity party. But all in all, it’s about a story, and thank you for allowing me to share my story with you.”

Pickler’s show was the latest in a string of upcoming performances and events at the NPAC. Next up will be the Broadway show The Addams Family on January 31, followed by “The ‘Not So’ Newlywed Game”, featuring host Bob Eubanks, on February 15. Tickets are available at the NPAC box office or by visiting the Niswonger website at www.npacvw.org.