Sheryl, one of 20 artists in 20 days, played the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ to an audience just short of 50,000 people on Wednesday Mar 7th. It was something of a landmark for Sheryl to be able to comeback and make good the very first engagement she had to cancel after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The show which took place in the middle of Reliant Stadium which itself was turned into a dirt floored rodeo ring, was a set of all the hits played from a stage which turned around like one of those old fashion birthday cake stands-so giving everyone in the stadium a view at some point, no matter where they were sitting.

However the real unique part of the show was how Sheryl entered the stage, and that was on her horse. Lady C had been trailered in from Nashville via Imagine A Horse at Red Horse Ranch near Austin, TX for the event. At the strike of 9pm the lights dimmed, pyro went off and Sheryl and Lady C entered the ring, did a loop around the edge of the arena and stopped near the edge of the stage. Lady C, with encouragement from Sheryl and trainer Sue De Laurentis reared up, pawed or should I say 'hooved' the air, and then took a modest bow.

It wasn't a slam dunk that Lady C wouldn't take matters into her own hooves and bolt at the sound of 50,000 people cheering or the first close range disposable camera flash, so when Sheryl swung her leg over the saddle and slid off Lady C to head to the stage, there was a collective sigh of relief from those of us 'in the wings' so to speak.

With all the lights off, and the spotlights blinding her from all angles, Lady C did well, especially considering that in those conditions she could hardly see and was stepping into the virtual unknown.

Ironically it was about the same experience for the rest of us.

Set List:
CHANGE
STEVE MCQUEEN
REAL GONE
PICTURE
FIRST CUT
HAPPY
STRONG
DO
SOAK
WINDING ROAD
ROCK AND ROLL

Many thanks to Graeme Langden and Nancy Davis-Langden who's help in coordinating not only our usual logitics but also everything horsey related was entirely invaluble and made a potential alien environment for us humans most acceptable- those two individuals and our drivers and security on site did Houston proud.

Thanks also to Suzanne Brack who was instumental in acquiring and allowing us to use the accompanying pictures.

And finally a mention must go out to Sue De Laurentis and Allen Pogue from Imagine A Horse  based at Red Horse Ranch in Austin, TX. They put theory into action when it comes to building a "truly outstanding relationship" between the owner and the horse. Without them Lady C would not have been there and most certainly would not have been any where near as unique compared to every other animal in the building.

CH