Miranda Lambert at Bakkt Theater- Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas NV (2023-12-14)

Country invaded the casinos!

With the National Rodeo in town for the weekend, and continuing residencies along the Strip for Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Rodney Carrington, and more, the scene on Las Vegas Blvd, and beyond, was a sea of boots, hats, and Wranglers.

Though not dressed the part, we nevertheless managed our way out West and caught Miranda Lambert live at the Bakkt Theater (formerly Zappos) at Planet Hollywood, for one of her last shows of 2023.

Her successful Vegas residency is called the Velvet Rodeo (even sparking a perfume of the same name) which began its run in the Fall of 2022 and carries on into 2024, with nine new shows announced for the Spring.

The celebrated Longview, TX singer-songwriter began her ninety-five-minute set (no opener) with a sound collage of related audio clips from her two-decade career, only to have her digital name in lights on the screen backdrop purposely fall forward with a thump, as the band kicked in on “Actin’ Up”, the opening track from her most recent album, last year’s “Palomino’ (on RCA Nashville).

Lambert lyrically confessed “I like ‘em crazy” on 2011’s “Fastest Girl in Town” then shouted for everyone to get up for the stomping, ‘Kerosene”, the Steve Earle co-penned single and title of her debut album.

The digital backdrop shifted on “Famous in a Small Town” to storefronts and marquees with Lambert-inspired signs, and she and the band followed that up with the proud to be rough around the edges single,‘Heart Like Mine’, her second-ever song to top the Hot Country Song chart back in 2011.

The inclusion of her recent duet song with Leon Bridges on “If You Were Mine” was a setlist surprise, hats were held high, swaying back and forth for the swooning ballad, ‘Vice’ and the crowd sang along on the touching and personal, “The House That Built Me”.

Another surprise highlight (his time in-person) came mid-set, as one of Lambert’s musical collaborators appeared-, Nashville by-way-of Dallas singer-songwriter Jon Randall, who along with Jack Ingram converged to record the recent Grammy-nominated album The Marfa Tapes, one of her very favorite projects ever, Lambert exclaimed. Randall stuck around for a trio of songs, but Lambert would continue in the Marfa vibe, mashing up “Tequila Does” from that album, with the 1950’s hit by The Champs.

Fan roared even louder whenever Lambert made her way to the second stage, a smaller platform closer to the crowd and connected by a small walkway, to the main stage, which also featured impressive lighting which would frame, accent, and encase her.

2009’s “White Liar”, one of several Lambert co-wrote with Natalie Hemby, a member of The Highwomen and collaborator with Little Big Town and Toby Keith among others, pulled no punches, rebellious in its nature and lyrically honest to a fault. The digital image of a turning merry-go-round embellished last year’s “Carousel” and her 2017 piano ballad “Tin Man’ spoke of the power of the heart.

The show found its late last extra gear with the chugging end of “Mama’s Broken Heart” and the, ahem, firepower of big 2007 radio hit, “Gunpowder & Lead” which found pyro erupting from the stage and sparks even flying from Lambert herself as the fringe on her jacket glimmered as she spun about the second stage.

Without cohort Elle King in the building, Lambert carried on solo with their 2021 hit collab, “Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)”, though the audience was more than happy to help singing the choruses, with beer bottles held high and as confetti floated down.

With the pyro still firing and the stage bathed in red lighting, 2015’s “Little Red Wagon would end the evening on a silly and fun note, with most of the crowd on their feet and dancing along, as Lambert and band played their last notes, then darted off the stage.

Country may have been everywhere on this weekend in Sin City, but we found our cowgirl of choice at the south end of the Strip, at Planet Hollywood with Miranda Lambert. Her residency resumes March 20^th for another (and potentially final) nine performances.

MIRANDA LAMBERT TOUR DATES

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