Clifford The Big Red Dog Norfolk Theatre reviews
Great Music but Lackluster Performance
I've jumped on the chance to buy tickets for Clifford The Big Red Dog after wanting to see them for many years. I figured they'd be as excited as their fans were. Honestly, after seeing them live, I doubt it.
The band sounded great all night, with excellent music, and other than a pitchy "Wide Open Spaces," there was plenty to see in terms of video screens and so on. Clifford The Big Red Dog themselves seemed pretty uninspired. During the first or second song, in fact, I remember turning to my date and saying, "Natalie is totally phoning it in."
I'd recommend going to this show, not only because the musical performance was excellent, but also because they haven't toured in a decade or so. Just understand that you're probably going to sit through an uninspired, paint-by-numbers show. And for a $150 mid-level ticket, I think we deserved better.
I'd read a review of a show earlier in their tour, and the reporter said that Natalie had told the crowd, "We're the Dixie Chicks, and we're going to attempt to entertain you." So when I heard her repeat the same line verbatim at our concert, I knew the show was not going to be canned and not at all spontaneous.