Less than a month after it’s grand opening, Sara Evans performs her greatest hits to a sold out crowd inside the new center at Bay Harbor, MI.  

Perched along the breathtaking and scenic shoreline of Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay, Bay Harbor is located between Charlevoix and Petoskey on the north-western tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan.   Bay Harbor has become an ideal destination for vacationing visitors and the area residents for its shopping and fine dining along the lakefront. 

Now adding to the beauty of the village is the newly constructed Great Lakes Center For The Arts, a 500 seat theater for entertainment and conferencing purposes.  Opening its doors for the first time to the public on July 7th, the center has held only a handful of events before Sara takes the stage to a sold-out performance on Saturday evening.

Twenty years after releasing her debut album Three Chords And The Truth, Sara sets out to independently launch her eighth studio album Words on her own Born To Fly Records back in July of 2017.  In those twenty years and eight albums, Sara has accumulated 29 singles resulting in five #1 hits for an extensive library to pull from for her nightly performances.   Since the album release, she has continued to tour to entertain her fans with her well-known hits along with promoting the new music. 

The show begins with the lead off song “Long Way Down” from the Words album.  An unfamiliar sound to Sara’s faithful followers, the song includes a mix of fiddle and banjos for a new bluegrass sound that this crowd seems to enjoy as they immediately begin to sway back and forth with the beat of the music. 

After the new music introduction, Sara settles in with some older tunes including the 2005 hit “A Real Fine Place To Start” and the Gavin Degraw cover “Not Over You.” 

Taking a moment to introduce herself and thanking the crowds for coming and supporting her, Sara makes a claim that she rarely ever gets off the bus before showtime and usually sleeps in late after a late night of business dealings taking place after shows the night before.  Although not getting off the bus, she was still able to take in the local beauty of the landscape through her band’s postings on social media as they explore the area before she even awakens to start her day. 

Growing up in a large family has kept her from being alone much during her life.  Keeping the closeness of the family near, Sara is joined on stage every night by her brother Matt (bass player and band leader) and sister Lesley (back up vocal and harmony).  As of recent, also joining the family on stage is Sara’s oldest son Avery on acoustic guitar. 

While continuously making jokes about growing up inside her family or her own self-doubts, Sara switches gears from happy songs to tunes that reflect a little more pain and hurt.  Songs include her current single “All The Love You Left Me,” “Marquee Sign” and “A Little Bit Stronger” helps tell a story of past experiences in the artist’s personal life that have caused her to grow and become stronger in her own life personally and professionally.  

Sara uplifts the crowd when she returns back to her early years when her songs were centered around fun and innocence.  As the crowd joins in and sings along with Sara, she performs her well-known hits the crowds have come to hear.  Songs include her 2004 single “Suds In The Bucket,” “I Could Not Ask For More” and her show ending signature tune “Born To Fly.”  As the song ends, Sara walks off stage allowing her band to show off their musicianship with a long musical conclusion.  

When the music stops, the crowd applauds and cheers Sara back to the stage for an encore that includes her sensitive title track to her newest album Words. 

Continuing on with a set of cover tunes, Sara begins with her own rendition of “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” by the legendary rock band Chicago.  The crowd approves the mesmerizing performance by saluting Sara with a standing ovation.

Before putting a close to the evening’s show, Sara puts on her dancing face with two happy dance tunes “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and “Shut Up And Dance.”  Not wanting to feel left out, the crowd jumps back to their feet and joins Sara with dancing at their seats and in the isle ways for a perfect way to end the evening.

When the stage lights drift down to darkness and the theater lights rise, the evening has proven to be a success for Sara Evans and the Great Lakes Center For The Arts’ first major event as the concert attendees exit with gleaming smiles on their happy faces. 

In order to capture the same magic at your own Sara Evans show or to make a date to visit the newest event center in the northern tip of lower Michigan, be sure to click on one of the links below for more information on Sara Evans or the Great Lakes Center For The Arts.    

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Sara Evans
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Great Lakes Center For The Arts
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Sara Evans setlist:

  1. Long Way Down     2. A Real Fine Place To Start     3. Not Over You     4. Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus     5. Diving In Deep     6. All The Love You Left Me     7. Nightlight     8. Marquee Sign     9. A Little Bit Stronger     10. Slow Me Down     11. Suds In The Bucket     12. I Could Not Ask For More     13. Born To Fly     Encore: 14. Words     15. Hard To Say I’m Sorry (Chicago cover)     16. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Robert Hazard cover)     17. Shut Up And Dance (Walk The Moon cover) 

Event Date: 28-JUL-2018