The Daily Toreador - Student Newspaper of Texas Tech

Country singer Shania Twain entertains a large audience at the United Spirit Arena on Saturday night.

Once again, the cheering, clapping and screaming in the United Spirit Arena was for Texas Tech No. 14.

But this time, it wasn't for Andre Emmett.

Country superstar Shania Twain, who walked onto the stage for her encore sporting the red and black jersey, sang to a crowd of thousands at the arena Saturday night, getting people of all ages from all around the South Plains and beyond onto their feet and singing as loud as they could.

"I loved it. It was so bright," said Cydnee Anderson of Lubbock. "I liked just watching it."

Her cousin, Kaylee Snedden of Kansas City, Kans., nodded along.

"I thought it was the best concert ever," she said.

Twain sang for about an hour and a half, mixing her performance with a plug for her charity, the Second Harvest Food Bank, taking pictures with audience members and joking with fans about her messy signature. She even pulled a couple of people on stage to sing with her.

"It was a nice family thing, something you can bring your kids," Lubbock resident Andy Anderson said, adding he was impressed with how nice Twain was to her fans and how many autographs she signed.

Tech student Josh Harper, a sophomore architecture major from Lubbock, said his favorite parts were the encore and how much she interacted with the audience.

"I liked how she let that little girl go up and sing with her," he said of Twain's impromptu duet with a local 7-year-old. "It was good, probably one of the best concerts I've been to."

Tech also sent some of its own onstage to perform. During the performance of "If You're Not In It For Love," several members of Zeta Iota Tau, Tech's drumline, joined Twain on stage, earning plenty of cheers of their own.

"It was fun," Jon Thornhill, a senior music education major from Albuquerque, N.M., and one of the drummers said. "It was a great performing opportunity."

Twain's representative contacted the School of Music and asked if 12 drummers could come, he said, and the members and alumni of the drumline were contacted to play.

Val Medellin, a junior special education major from Lubbock, said seeing Twain live was even better after previously seeing a televised concert.

"It's awesome," she said. "You can feel the music in your heart."

Ali Carrizales, 17, of Lubbock was impressed by the sound of the music.

"It was powerful," she said. "You could feel the drumbeat."

Sarah Duke, 12, of Wolfforth, and her mother, Rawleme Duke, spent the time between the opening act and Twain's entrance playing guessing games.

"We were trying to decide how she was going to come in," Rawleme said.

Sarah said she was excited just to be there.

"This is my first time to come to a real concert, where there's no screwups," she said, adding her family came to the Britney Spears concert two years ago when thepower went out after a few songs.

While Twain was the headlining performer, her opening act had fans plenty geared up as well. Emerson Drive spent the hour before her entrance pumping the crowd up with energetic hits of their own and a few old favorites.

Bralie Coleman and Lauren Stewart, both 17-year-olds from Lamesa, said they were excited to see Twain but also really enjoyed Emerson Drive's performance.

"The first act was awesome," Stewart said. "It's better than what usually comes."

But regardless, the reason the girls were singing and dancing in their seats Saturday night was the main event.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance," Stewart said. "I've been a big fan of Shania for so long."

"Yeah," Coleman added. "Shania don't come to Lubbock every day."

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