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Read the review: See Jerry Wofford’s review of the concert.
Ben Tripp was blown away when he saw Carrie Underwood in Nashville in September, but it was nothing like what he saw Wednesday.
He won a contest and got to meet the Oklahoma native and country music superstar before her show at the BOK Center.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm probably a 50 right now," Tripp said.
Although the show in Nashville was great, Tripp said seeing Underwood perform before a home crowd in Tulsa was amazing.
"I'm from here and grew up listening to her music," said the Tulsa native who goes to college in Nashville, where Underwood lives now. "It's cool to see her in our hometowns."
Underwood's raucous show in Tulsa was a stop on the "Blown Away" tour, named after her most recent album, which was deemed the best country album of 2012 at last weekend's American Music Association Awards.
"It's so good to be home," she said as the near-capacity crowd roared back a greeting. "This is always a date I look forward to so much."
The concert is a stop at home for Underwood, who is originally from Checotah, about 70 miles southeast of Tulsa along Interstate 40.
Underwood gained fame when she won the fourth season of "American Idol" in 2005. She has since gone on to win critical acclaim and a loyal fan following. She has sold millions of albums and received many accolades, including five Grammy Awards and 11 Academy of Country Music Awards.
One fan at Wednesday night's show was Kathy Welch of Owasso, who was at the front of the line before the doors opened that afternoon. She described herself as Underwood's biggest fan, a title many other in the line curving around the glowing BOK Center also claim.
Welch said she's followed Underwood since she first saw her on the television reality contest.
"That's the only year I ever voted," she said. "She's the coolest chick in the world. I love everything about her."
Welch said Underwood's honest, thoughtful, exciting and sometimes rowdy music had her hooked.
From the vengeful, jilted girlfriend in the hit "Before He Cheats," to her current smash hit "Blown Away," Underwood's relatable lyrics and catchy melodies keep her fans coming back.
"I wanna hear your Oklahoma voices sing with me right now," Underwood said before singing "Wasted."
And they did.
Linda Johnson and her daughter, Jennifer Hufford, both of Sand Springs, aren't big concertgoers, but they have seen all of Underwood's shows in Tulsa.
They said she's different from most entertainers.
"She's so down-to-earth, and she's an Oklahoma girl, and we just love her," Johnson said. "She's real."
Underwood has said she will donate $1 from every concert ticket to the American Red Cross' disaster relief efforts.
"We can have the whole storm theme going throughout the show, and the Red Cross has helped so many people in need, ... so we thought it would be a really good tie-in to do something for local communities all over the United States," Underwood said in a recent interview with the Tulsa World.
Her sincerity has drawn Tripp to Underwood since the beginning. It's something he has shared extensively with his grandmother, Carol Matz, who got a ticket from Tripp and was attending her first concert in 40 years.
Tripp was doing well to hide his level-50 excitement before meeting Underwood. He's met her before, but he was unsure what he would say to her Wednesday.
"I have no idea - something cheesy," he said, before turning sincere. "I'll obviously tell her welcome home."
Jerry Wofford 918-581-8310
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: BOK 'Blown Away'
