Underwood raises a tempest

April 13, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

YOUNGSTOWN

Country-pop superstar Carrie Underwood doesn’t just bring her dazzling looks, hit songs and “Idol”-worthy pipes to a concert.

No, there’s way more. Like a stage whose parts move around in modular precision as the show unfolds. And the angular, ever-shifting electronic screens suspended overhead that create an icy blue abstract vibe, like a modern art museum.

Not to mention the “balloon ride,” where Underwood and some bandmates “sail” over the audience.

It’s a show designed for large, modern arenas that have the necessary infrastructure. Covelli Centre isn’t that large (which is a good thing), but it definitely passed the Underwood test.

The Oklahoma native brought her massive tour to Youngstown on Thursday, but it never would have happened without the pint-sized but competitive downtown arena. As pop-music concerts increasingly include such spectacles, Covelli proved it can compete at the highest level. Underwood brought more mechanized wizardry to the 8-year-old arena than any other concert to date.

A steel roller-coaster track suspended from the ceiling moved the balloon and its basket from the stage to the other end and back, slowly turning, while Underwood belted out “All-American Girl” and “One-Way Ticket,” which turned the hall into a reggae-tinged party, with giant beach balls and confetti. Yes, it was cool.

But don’t think the 29-year-old singer, who is a tad north of Juliette in style but quite a ways south of Rayna (you don’t watch “Nashville”?), is upstaged by the theatrics. She emerged on stage amid a “storm” wearing a sparkling, short in front, long in back gown (does that make it a mullet dress?), just the first of five outfits she’d wear.

The “Blown Away” tour concert ended with a floor-to-ceiling tornado raging behind her as she sang the powerful title cut from her current album.

At another point, she sang “Remind Me” as a duet with a virtual Brad Paisley.

Even though she’s in the midst of a 114-date tour, Underwood showed no reserve. She displayed the vocal wallop of a twister in songs such as the ballad “I Know You Won’t.”

Underwood sang from the heart on “Temporary Home” and “Jesus Take the Wheel,” her eight-member band silhouetted in the wings. The nearly two-hour concert began with the single “Good Girl,” and also included “Two Black Cadillacs” and “Before He Cheats.”

Opening act Hunter Hayes, who was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy, joined Underwood on stage for “Can’t Leave Love Alone.”