I had the lucky opportunity to go to Carrie's show in Nashville during her Play On tour in 2010 (thanks to my awesome roommate that won tickets and meet and greet passes), and through that experience, I knew that Blown Away was going to be as awe inspiring as ever. The Blown Away show is by far one of the most impressive live events I've ever been to and solidified my love for Carrie and belief that she is one of the strongest female figures to ever enter country music. 

From the opening act to the encore, I was captivated by each song and each moment. Hunter Hayes was the perfect choice of a tour partner. He started the show with an energy that I have never experienced from an opening act before. His talent and stage presence made me question why he was an opener instead of headlining his own tour (which I think we can expect in the near future). His original material from his album Hunter Hayes was exciting enough, but he also brought the crowd (especially the girls) to their feet with his rendition of "Just the Way You Are." Hunter proved to me that we can expect a lot more from him in the next few years. 

The rest of the show was just incredible. Indeed, I say, epic. The opening video teasers of the "Blown Away" video created a tension and excitement that had me waiting in anticipation for Carrie to come on stage. The entire show thereafter felt like a story or movie with the stage design, the background videos, the costumes, and of course, the music. Carrie always tries to add a surprising element to her shows. During Play On, she circled the arena in a flying truck. This time, she took it a step further with a flying stage, joking that the designers "humored her" on that one. Carrie not only proved how she is one of the rightful queens of country, but also the she can be just as much rock with her cover of "Sweet Emotion." To much of my amazement (and judging by the looks around me, everyone else's) Carrie didn't perform the tour title song "Blown Away" until the very end of the show. Before the song even began, the audience around me knew what was coming and rose to their feet in excitement, thankful the new single hadn't been left off the set list. With this song, she truly did end up blowing the audience away in the end.

While I was watching the show, I found it so hard to believe that just a few years ago this was the shy, small-town girl that was told she needed to work on stage presence when auditioning for American Idol. Stage presence isn't much a problem for her anymore. She never fails to connect with the fans, peppering the show with humor and talk about hometowns, her roots, and her American Idol days. She doesn't let the audience for a second forget where she came from.   

I have never been more inspired than by seeing one of my favorite artists perform live. Although I have a mile-long list of artists that I still need to see, I would attend a Carrie Underwood show as many times as the opportunity arises. I have looked up to her since I saw her first audition on American Idol and she has never failed to inspire and amaze me with her talent and music.

I don't want to give too much of the show away, but I urge anyone that hasn't seen it yet and is thinking about it to go! Carrie and Hunter will not disappoint. Trust me.

To see a few photos from the show, check out the Photos tab.