Reba McEntire encapsulates one-of-a-kind career at flashy Fiserv Forum concert in Milwaukee

Reba McEntire kicked off her Fiserv Forum concert Friday with “Can’t Even Get the Blues,” her first No. 1 single on the Billboard country charts, released in 1982.

She followed it up with her most recent No. 1 on that same chart, “Turn On the Radio,” released 28 years later in 2010.

And in between those songs' releases, McEntire quipped, "there's been a lot of life, a lot of love and a whole heck of a lot of hairspray."

In between and around those songs, McEntire's career has been one of a kind. Last year, the country legend celebrating her 60th top 10 single on Billboard's country airplay charts. Then there's her prolific acting career, most recently starring in the Lifetime movie "The Hammer" and Season 3 of ABC's "Big Sky."

There was no way McEntire was going to be able to get to all of her hits Friday. Even a video montage looking back at her extensive acting and music career skipped over her memorable stint as Col. Sanders.

But across a polished 95-minute set that featured 29 songs, McEntire managed to touch on many musical personas for the near-capacity crowd.

More:From Lizzo to Bruce Springsteen, these are the 20 top Milwaukee concerts this spring

More:These are all of the arena, amphitheater and stadium concerts in Milwaukee in 2023

There was the defiant and empowering Woman-of-the-People Reba, ripping off the bottom of her gown as she triumphantly moved on from heartbreak on "Going Out Like That" and pushing aside "self-pity" on "I'm a Survivor," performed over footage and clips from the "Reba" sitcom.

There was the Wistful Reba, fondly remembering her late rodeo champion father and her aspirations of being a professional barrel racer, until, nudged by her father, she followed the path to her music career. Those memories gave way to sweet photos of her parents over the decades as she sang the bittersweet tribute "The Greatest Man I Never Knew," as poignant in its sense of pride and love as it is with regret.

There was the Spiritual Reba, preaching about how her faith has guided her through tough times, acknowledging life these days may be harder than ever, before bringing out one of her opening acts, the Isaacs, to provide sweet backing vocals to an uplifting medley of "Back to God," "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "Oh Happy Day."

There was Bestie Reba, bringing out her other opener and longtime friend Terri Clark; McEntire praised her handling of steaks, and the two joked about returning Tupperware with the lids. The crowd even got to hear something new from McEntire, a sizzling cover of Linda Ronstadt's "Heat Wave," part of a medley of Ronstadt covers she has recorded, with "You're No Good" and "When Will I Be Loved."

But my favorite Reba of the night was Sad Reba, her Southern twang, splendid all night, reaching its greatest emotional depths on "And Still," her eyes sorrowful as she sang about having feelings for an old flame before the killer knife twist at the end when she meets his wife.

From there, McEntire performed a medley of five terrific tearjerkers, including "Somebody Should Leave," "Tammy Wynette Kind of Pain" and "The Last One to Know," although I would have preferred it if Reba had opted for full song versions, even if that meant cutting out a few of them. Performed as snippets Friday, it was hard for the performer and the audience to really bask in the tragedies of their tales.

But it's also likely McEntire, perpetually smiling Friday and in Nashville-gone-Vegas entertainer mode, didn't want to stall in sadness too long.

And with that mindset, fans Friday also got a bit of Bombastic Reba.

During the delicious murder ballad "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," fireworks suddenly erupted after McEntire delivered the literally killer line, "You see little sister doesn't miss when she aims her gun," causing the guy next to me to jump terrified in his seat before he burst out laughing.

And following a dramatic instrumental warmup from her eight-piece band, there was a slick trick for show finale "Fancy," with McEntire emerging in a seemingly silver dress, which changed into a red one following a blinding flash of fireworks.

And amid all the explosions, the hairspray naturally held up.

6 takeaways from Reba McEntire's Milwaukee concert, including openers Terri Clark and the Isaacs

• Terri Clark seemed jazzed to be in “the beer capital of the United States on St. Patrick’s Day.” She peppered her 65-minute opening set with a Bucks shout-out, a bit about loving the Packers and seeing them at Lambeau and praise for the 45-year-old Hodag Country Festival in Rhinelander. Beyond the Dairy State flattery, Clark had amusing banter, too, including how troubles in her first marriage (she called her husband at the time “starter kit”) inspired the song “If I Were You,” which helped her land a record deal (and pay for her divorce). But it was her catalog of ‘90s and 2000s country gems that captivated the crowd most.

• Bluegrass gospel group and family band the Isaacs turned Fiserv Forum into church with the night’s first set, the a cappella chorus of mother Lily with her children Becky, Ben and Sonya especially heavenly with their rendition of 19th century hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” Not that the band was too devout to refrain from showing off. During a cover of “He Ain’t Done Me Nothing But Good,” Sonya Isaacs spun around as her voice soared, prompting Josh Swift to spin around, and shake his butt, for his own dobro solo (which included a touch of “The Imperial March,” aka Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars”). The set ended with Lily speaking about how her parents were liberated by American troops from a concentration camp during the Holocaust, expressing American pride despite the country feeling a bit “broken” right now. That prompted uplifting original “America Face,” which had people on their feet, cellphone lights waving, when it segued to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

• In a nice gesture you don’t often see at an arena show, McEntire encouraged her crowd to cheer on her crew and the local crew that worked hard to put the concert together and called for applause for the arena’s “over-the-top” hospitality team.

• Ultimately, Clark was the top storyteller between songs Friday. My favorite was her recollection of joining the Reba McEntire Fan Club when she was 14, and her excitement getting a McEntire shirt on Christmas. But McEntire wasn’t a household name yet, Clark explained, so when she wore it to school, her biology teacher asked her, “What is a Reba?”

• Being St. Patrick’s Day, there were a whole lot of green shirts among the cowboy hats in the crowd, plus some novelty hats and glow-in-the-dark green shamrock necklaces. Clark’s roadie even had a green necklace, and McEntire wore a shimmering, flowing green top at the start of her set.

• We may be more than halfway through March, but this is Wisconsin, and spring is technically a couple days away. After the show, I saw one fan completely wipe out on a patch of ice outside Fiserv Forum. Thankfully, she was laughing and seemed fine, but consider it an unfortunate reminder to continue to be careful walking around out there.

Reba McEntire's Fiserv Forum setlist

1. "Can't Even Get the Blues"

2. "Turn On the Radio"

3. "I'd Rather Ride Around With You"

4. "Little Rock"

5. "Whoever's in New England"

6. "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia"

7. "Somebody"

8. "Oklahoma Swing"

9. "And Still"

10. "You Lie"/"Tammy Wynette Kind of Pain"/"Somebody Should Leave"/"What Am I Gonna Do Without You"/"The Last One to Know"

11. "Going Out Like That"

12. "Consider Me Gone"

13. "You're No Good"/"When Will I Be Loved"/"Heat Wave"

14. "I'm a Survivor"

15. "The Greatest Man I Never Knew"

16. "The Heart Won't Lie"

17. "Back to God"/"Swing Low Sweet Chariot"/"Oh Happy Day"

18. "Is There Life Out There"

19. "Take It Back"/"Why Haven't I Heard From You"

20. "Fancy"

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

THANK YOU: Subscribers' support makes this work possible. Help us share the knowledge by buying a gift subscription.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Reba McEntire encapsulates singular career at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum