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Dear Charlie Daniels: I’m writing you this letter hoping that it somehow gets to you in the beyond. Last night I went to see one of the bigger names in pop music. Her name is Tate McRae and we’re kind of proud of her here in Alberta because she’s one of us.
She was born and raised in a province that doesn’t have a lot of massive pop stars to boast about, and it’s always nice to see someone from the city just a few hours south of you get ahead.
Now, you’re probably asking me why I’m wanting to talk about pop music with a deceased country star? Valid question. You probably don’t remember, but almost 15 years ago you and I had a conversation written up in this very newspaper where as an aside we discussed the young phenom that is Taylor Swift. It was a thoughtful chat where we talked about many things, including the question of Swift’s audience.
I’m paraphrasing here, but I remember you saying “she’s not writing for you and me, she’s writing for fans who are her own age” while you expressed admiration for her hard work. Now, I’m not bringing up Swift to compare her to McRae; they both approach their jobs quite differently.
But if you and I had been together in that extremely packed hockey arena on Thursday night for McRae’s Miss Possessive Tour, overlooking a sea of young girls, I’m sure you would have turned and reminded me that this wasn’t necessarily meant for us.
I would have agreed, but I also would have reminded you that pop music, as disposable as it is, will always have elements that appeal to all. Hooks, for one, and McRae’s songwriting team has hooks to burn on tunes like Guilty Conscience, Greedy and She’s All I Wanna Be. Much of the rest swam in a swamp in my head, one long song that fans could easily parse but I could not, except for pleasurable elements like the occasional low bass frequency.
I’m a fan of the low bass frequency, and if we’d had another interview I probably would have advised you to try it yourself on a song. Perhaps a remix of The Devil Went Down to Georgia?
Charlie, I’m guessing that we would have agreed that the arc of the concert was perfectly designed with the audience in mind, pop bangers giving way to mid set ballads like Nostalgia and then up again. A true musical rollercoaster. But I’m not sure what you would have made of the stage show.
I personally enjoyed it for what it was, but that’s because I’ve always thought that pop spectacle should be reviewed differently than a musical performance. For instance, If I was to review an early Charlie Daniels performance I might make note of the exceptional work of pedal steel player Ben Keith. Reviewing Tate McRae I would focus on her very tight and energetic dance routines, the smoke and fireworks, the relentless pacing.
Pop singer Tate McRae brings her Miss Possessive Tour to Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB, on Thursday, Aug.7, 2025.
The strictly designed moves that make for perfect Instagram or TikTok moments. Charlie, I have to say that McRae works just as hard as Swift at perfecting her stagecraft. It’s not the stagecraft that we grew up on, but it is very good stagecraft.
There really isn’t much more I can add to this, Charlie. It’s pretty evident that McRae is only going to get bigger and better at her work, likely branching out into other areas to keep her brand going. If I was going to suggest anything it would be to look around the afterlife for a Marxist philosopher named Guy Debord.
I know that your politics ran much more to the right, but I guarantee you’d have a fascinating conversation about pop music and spectacle.
Just please don’t bring up the Illuminati again; that’s a conversation killer right there.
Tate McRae
With: Zara Larsson
Where: Rogers Place
When: Thursday night
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