Shania Twain is my all-time favourite singer, so of course I saw her concert again in Toronto!
I saw Shania Twain’s Queen Of Me tour in 2023 at Budweiser Stage and Scotiabank Arena. She effectively pared down her latest show to match the intimate vibe of a smaller theatre. I’ve loved her previous shows, but all that hoopla isn’t necessary. The only thing she needs to focus on is performing the hits! She seemed very comfortable and confident on a smaller stage without major set or costume changes to worry about.
Bookending the setlist with upbeat country, rock and pop music was a great choice. Shania sat down for an acoustic set of her slow, romantic ballads in the middle. She dedicated a love song to a couple in the audience to celebrate their long-lasting marriage of 30+ years.
Shania also invited Lindsay Ell to perform Party For Two as a duet. They’ve toured together before and Lindsay Ell recently hosted Canada’s Got Talent on Citytv when Shania was a judge. Shania gave her first ever Golden Buzzer to singer Jacob Lewis who ended up winning the competition. It was cool to see them reconnect onstage live and give the TV show a shout out. However, I’ve preferred seeing Shania sing Party For Two with hot men. Keep in mind that I was spoiled when she sang it live with Gavin DeGraw in Toronto back in 2015!
This concert gave me an excuse to check out the Great Canadian Casino, which is a stunning new venue. I loved how she tailored the background artwork for You Win My Love (watch!) with custom Shania Twain slot machine illustrations to match the casino setting.
I appreciated that Shania was more cognizant of the audience’s time. At her last shows, she wasted too much time with VIP fans onstage, which created FOMO for the rest of us. We all spent a lot of money to attend.
Shania Twain always knows how to rock this country from start to finish and I can’t wait to see her again!
(Shania Twain’s Drummer)
Shania Twain’s show was incredible, but my night didn’t end there. First, I ran into Nobis founder Robin Yates. It was a funny coincidence because we connected when he hosted Canadian country music duo The Reklaws at a Nobis event.
Then, I had a chance to meet Shania’s opener Devin Cole who went viral for rebranding the term W.I.T.C.H. Now it means Woman In Total Control Of Herself (watch!) and it’s such a catchy, empowering song. Plus, I also met Shania’s drummer Tif (Teddy) Lamson. She laughed when I mistook Shania’s guitar player for Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley from a distance.
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Note: The photo of Shania Twain wearing leopard print is from her 2023 Scotiabank Arena concert in Toronto and I never wrote a full review.