Review: Kelly Clarkson crafts fine Riverbend show

It was the worst day of Kelly Clarksons life.

It was the greatest crowd for which Kelly Clarkson has ever performed.

On a night when Clarkson seemed to be speaking in hyperbole, the pop singer put on a show that was, without a doubt, absolutely positively OK.

Clarkson is touring with the pop-rock band the Fray on a co-headlining tour. It was Clarksons turn to close the concert at Riverbend Tuesday night. Ten years removed from winning the first season of American Idol, the singer has a big-enough catalog of hits to put on a hour-plus show that can hold an audiences attention, and, in some cases, cause the audience to respond with loud clapping noises.

Seriously, I had the worst day ever, said Clarkson, 30, at the end of her set. Thanks for being the best audience ever.

Photos: Kelly Clarkson at Riverbend

She gave no reason as to why it was a bad day. But she was quick to point out every time the audience made up for it. She commended the crowd which she repeatedly addressed as yall for knowing and singing the words to I Forgive You, pointing out that it was not a single, just an album track on her last release, Stronger.

That makes me feel good, yall, she said.

There was no polish to her stage act between songs. She chatted with the audience as if shes a brand-new country singer on her first tour, not a pop veteran. The chattin contrasted with the music she played: finely crafted pop that ranged from high-energy hybrids of rock and dance music to sing-along mid-tempo anthems and emotionally charged power ballads.

The first half of her set was very good. She kicked it off with her 2009 chart-topping single My Life Would Suck Without You, and it was immediately evident that she had a solid band behind her, three guitars and three backup singers deep. The band left plenty of room f! or her, and there were several occasions when she sang a particular note or phrase in a way that got an immediate reaction out of the crowd.

The best showcase for her vocals was a cover of fun.s We Are Young.

An acoustic rendition of Lisa Loebs Stay slowed down things a bit, and Clarkson worked to regain momentum at the end with Since U Been Gone and Stronger (What Doesnt Kill You).

The Fray might have entered into this tour with a concern that pairing with a pop act like Clarkson would be harmful to the bands image as rockers. What the band probably didnt count on was getting out-rocked by Clarkson and her crew, as was what happened Tuesday.

The Fray uses rock instrumentation, and each of the guys wore black to show they meant business, presumably. But the songs were too wistful to rock. They just sort of lay there, like slabs of sad sound.

Lead singer Isaac Slade gave the sadness some context at one point. He noted that the band is from Denver, and he dedicated two songs to the victims of the killings in Aurora, Colo.

We were all pretty affected by that shooting a couple weeks ago, he said. Were still trying to make sense of it.