Entertainment

KYE R. LEE/DMN

Kelly Clarkson proved Friday night that she still has the voice that impressed the nation.

Put yourself in Kelly Clarkson's shoes.

The second you become famous, the word "Idol" is tacked onto your name. Not long afterward, you have a hit single. Then another. Then a bunch more. Then one sticky-hot summer night, you find yourself in front of a sea of screaming, bouncing people at Smirnoff Music Centre, which happens to be one of your hometown stadiums.

You might become a bit jaded.

But judging from Ms. Clarkson's performance Friday night in front of a near-capacity crowd, she's handling her fame, fortune and freakish new world like a pro. Not only does she remain likable – fame can be a tough gig on that front – but she also proved two other points: That voice that impressed the nation a few years ago is holding up fine, and she sure knows how to pick the hits. Especially those girl anthems.

From "Since U Been Gone" to "Behind These Hazel Eyes" to "Miss Independent," the crowd screamed and jumped up and down in unison, creating a giddy energy that carried over to the back row of the lawn seating. It held up even when she sang "Go," her song from a Ford commercial. Sure, the video was essentially an ad for a car, but it's still a catchy tune sung perfectly. (In a video message before the show, she mentioned the other product she's linked with: "Give it up to Vitamin Water for keeping us all hydrated and focused." The audience gave it up as asked.)

Interspersed with her sing-along hits were songs from her upcoming album, which she said comes out next February. "Anymore," yet another girl anthem but this time with a Janis Joplin twist, is destined for greatness. You hear it once, and you immediately want to hear it again.

Ms. Clarkson, wearing a Blondie T-shirt and her hair in a short bob, may not have gone glam, but her production values have. Besides the retractable video screens and expensive lighting, the show at one point featured a backdrop of three-dimensional trees in a swamp, illuminated by a huge painted moon. She used that setting to sing the haunting Ray LaMontagne song "Shelter," which she first sang at a Hurricane Katrina benefit. During another low-key moment, she sang an acoustic rendition of the sad yet beautiful "Because of You."

"Thank y'all for singing along," she said afterward. "I heard people singing along, so thank you."

She also thanked the crowd for the support over the years, which she said have been rough at times but great overall. And clearly, she hasn't forgotten where she came from.

"We didn't have a show scheduled here," she told the crowd. "I was like, what? So we changed it."

E-mail darlajatlas@yahoo.com