Kelly Clarkson’s 2019 Meaning of Life arena tour was definitely a stand-out from all the country singer’s past tours. Aside from performing the original tracks from her same-titled 2018 album, she decided to do a unique spin by covering all the artists that inspired her to make music and some newly released songs that kept her going. In an interview with the French-British magazine Marie Claire, she said, “It’s really about inspiration this year. My point with that is that I’m going to be covering songs that I probably shouldn’t, but I’m going to do it anyway!”
The tour opened on January 24th at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, and ran for 26 more dates before it concluded on March 30th at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Team Kelly members Kelsea Ballerini and Bryan Cartelli performed as the tour’s openers.
“The Joke”
Despite Kelly Clarkson‘s fears, she killed every song cover she did on stage, including Brandi Carlile‘s Grammy-winning hit anthem for the ‘under-represented, unloved, or illegal’ titled “The Joke.” She pulled out her heart-stomping rendition in Detroit, Michigan at Little Caesars Arena on February 21.
Standing barefoot behind the microphone, Clarkson said, “I hope I do it justice, Brandi” before delivering a stunning, tender intro. The singer’s smoky voice rose up over the sound of the spare keyboard and blended seamlessly with the jazzy arrangement. And then her hands gripped the microphone stand as if her life depended on it as she hit the series of high notes. When it finally ended, Clarkson gushed over the well-written song.
And all the while, the audience was left stunned by her performance.
Though of course, there were a few fans who just had to comment negatively on anything. One Twitter user by the name of Fran accused the singer of jumping on bandwagon. And Kelly didn’t back down from clapping back and replied that if Fran had done a little research before taking a jab, then she would know that she had been covering Carlile’s song for years. In fact, a quick google search revealed that Clarkson covered “Turpentine” back in 2012.
“In My Blood”
After Brandi Carlile, Kelly Clarkson went on to pay tribute to fellow music superstar Shawn Mendes with a cover of his massive hit “In My Blood.” Before she started the song, the singer confessed something to the crowd at the Allstate Arena. She told them that every time that song came on the radio in the car, she would just wail. And she knew she should be embarrassed by what was happening, but she wasn’t at all.
Well, to be honest, we don’t think Kelly’s alone on this one. The song just got that vibe that needed a full expression of feelings.
And then after the performance, Clarkson praised Mendes for the song and also remarked how she had previously met him at the Grammy Awards and how sweet and adorable he was, just like she thought he would be.
Check out Kelly Clarkson’s covers of the songs in the videos below.
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Kelly Clarkson, Tour Updates