Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet 2012 (PHOTOS)
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Josh Kelley kicked off the night with a 20 minute set, previewing songs from his upcoming country release, including his debut hit, the infectious 'Georgia Clay.' Eric Church followed with an energetic performance that had the audience singing along to every lyric. Accompanied by four guitarists and a drummer, Eric's animated stage presence coupled with minute-long guitar jams kept the crowd in good spirits as he sang hits like 'Love Your Love the Most,' 'Hell On the Heart' and powerful closer 'Smoke a Little Smoke.'
Shortly after 9:00 PM ET, Miranda took the stage clad in a black sequined dress, monster high heels and her pink acoustic guitar. Throughout her 90-minute set, Miranda performed many of her chart-topping hits as well as older fan favorites. Whether it was the energetic 'Gunpowder and Lead,' where she picked up her mic stand (shaped as a rifle) and pointed it at the crowd, or the emotional 'The House That Built Me,' which transformed Terminal 5 into a sing-along, Miranda proved she's one of the most powerful performers in today's country scene.
Miranda powered through her first two songs on the set-list, 'Only Prettier' and 'Kerosene,' before she addressed the audience. "Thanks so much for coming out tonight. This one's for all the small town people who moved here to be somebody," she said as she introduced 'Famous in a Small Town.'
The first day of the tour, Miranda confessed she missed sound check and instead spent the night in Nashville to celebrate fiancé Blake Shelton's induction into the Grand Ole Opry. She then introduced herself to the crowd.
"I grew up in eastern Texas singing in church choir and when I was 17, I joined a country music band. That was almost 10 years ago. It worked out pretty well I guess," she said. "Playing in bars, I discovered something called tattoos much to my daddy's dismay," she continued as she segued into 'Heart Like Mine.'
Towards the end of her set, Miranda kicked off her shoes and danced in circles around the stage during minute-long instrumental interludes and solid electric guitar solos between her band members.
"I know we're in New York City, but do we have any rednecks in the house?" Miranda asked before she began the slower, twangy 'Time to Get a Gun.' The audience screamed in unison as many threw their hats in the air.
After her 20 song set, Miranda came back onstage for a two song encore, which included one of her favorites by Merle Haggard.
"Thank you so much for coming tonight. I have to thank Josh Kelley and Eric Church for being here. I'm not stupid; I like to bring eye candy along," she said. "I don't know what it'd feel like to leave the stage without doing a Merle Haggard song. I don't know if y'all know this, but after Blake and I get married and divorced, I'm going to marry Merle. The only problem is he doesn't know yet."
David Nail and Lady Antebellum were spotted in the crowd, as was Josh's wife, actress Katherine Heigl, who danced along to most of Miranda's set. On the heels of their Beacon Theater performance, Lady A and David opted to spend an extra night in New York to catch the show before flying to St. Louis to continue their current headlining tour.
After Miranda gave a shout out to Lady Antebellum, she transformed the New York venue into a southern bar while she performed a fitting cover of Merle's 'Misery and Gin' and J.J. Cale's 'Call Me the Breeze.' With a sold-out tour kickoff and nine CMA Awards nominations, Miranda shows no sign of slowing down.
