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Dear Charlie Daniels: I\u2019m 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\u2019re kind of proud of her here in Alberta because she\u2019s one of us.<\/p>\n
She was born and raised in a province that doesn\u2019t have a lot of massive pop stars to boast about, and it\u2019s always nice to see someone from the city just a few hours south of you get ahead.<\/p>\n
Now, you\u2019re probably asking me why I\u2019m wanting to talk about pop music with a deceased country star? Valid question. You probably don\u2019t 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\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m paraphrasing here, but I remember you saying \u201cshe\u2019s not writing for you and me, she\u2019s writing for fans who are her own age\u201d while you expressed admiration for her hard work. Now, I\u2019m not bringing up Swift to compare her to McRae; they both approach their jobs quite differently.<\/p>\n
But if you and I had been together in that extremely packed hockey arena on Thursday night for McRae\u2019s Miss Possessive Tour, overlooking a sea of young girls, I\u2019m sure you would have turned and reminded me that this wasn\u2019t necessarily meant for us.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s songwriting team has hooks to burn on tunes like Guilty Conscience, Greedy and She\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a fan of the low bass frequency, and if we\u2019d 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?<\/p>\n
Charlie, I\u2019m 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\u2019m not sure what you would have made of the stage show.<\/p>\n
I personally enjoyed it for what it was, but that\u2019s because I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
Pop singer Tate McRae brings her Miss Possessive Tour to Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB, on Thursday, Aug.7, 2025.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s not the stagecraft that we grew up on, but it is very good stagecraft.<\/p>\n
There really isn\u2019t much more I can add to this, Charlie. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
I know that your politics ran much more to the right, but I guarantee you\u2019d have a fascinating conversation about pop music and spectacle.<\/p>\n
Just please don\u2019t bring up the Illuminati again; that\u2019s a conversation killer right there.<\/p>\n
Tate McRae<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n With<\/strong>: Zara Larsson<\/p>\n Where<\/strong>: Rogers Place<\/p>\n When<\/strong>: Thursday night<\/p>\n Bookmark our website and support our journalism:<\/strong> Don\u2019t miss the news you need to know \u2014 add EdmontonJournal.com<\/a> and EdmontonSun.com<\/a> to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.<\/a><\/p>\n You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal<\/a> | The Edmonton Sun.<\/a><\/p>\nRelated<\/span><\/h2>\n
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