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By EMILY CHRISTENSEN, Courier Staff Writer

CEDAR FALLS --- The excitement began to build weeks ago.

At least for 11-year-olds Danielle Bilidt and Desarae Heying. The friends, from Lourdes and New Hampton respectively, worked diligently to create T-shirts that would let their idol, Martina McBride, know just how much they liked her.

When Heying's mother, Judy Mai, pointed out the Alan Jackson tour semis, Bilidt was quick to remind her who she was here to see.

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"We want to see Martina. She's my idol," she said. "Martina is a great person to be an idol. She thinks about other people around her and really cares about children. She doesn't just whine about her makeup or hair or how she looks."

Fans of all ages, about 10,000 to 12,000, packed the UNI-Dome Sunday night to watch the country superstars perform their greatest hits. McBride was the first to take the stage and received an ovation that belied her opening act status. She quickly got the crowd going with "When God Fearin' Women Get the Blues."

Some of McBride's songs were a little more personal for Lisa Thormann of Dubuque. Thormann is a child abuse investigator, and McBride's work with the issue has touched many. She was hoping to hear "Concrete Angel," a song about a little girl that dies in the hands of her abusive mother.

"I really like that she sings songs with such meaning," Thormann said. "But even still, she has such an incredible voice, how can you not like her?"

Her set moved quickly, though it lasted an hour, keeping a nice mix of moving ballads and up tempo hits. As a tribute to her hometown of Sharon, Kan., "population 200," she said, she belted out "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The original singer of that tune Judy Garland, inspired her.

"She planted that seed in my head that I wanted to sing beautiful songs like that," McBride told the crowd. "And I am living proof that dreams come true."

Just when the audience thought it couldn't get any better, Jackson finally took the stage, opening with a crowd-pleasing "Gone Country" from his 1994 "Who I Am" album.

And Jackson is just that. Decked out in his trademark hat, jacket and ripped jeans, he was country inside and out. His stage was simple. His attitude even simpler.

"Grab something to drink and dance or whatever it is you want to do," he said early on. "We're just gonna be up here playin' some music."

That's exactly what Jackson fans David Rohde and Joe Archer of Des Moines were hoping for. They were impressed by McBride, but admittedly in Cedar Falls to see Alan. And by the end of the night they were satisfied, after hearing hits like "Chattahoochee," "Remember When" and "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)."

But few could match the excitement of 8-year-old Rachel Perry of Marion. Between sets she, her mother Michelle and their friends, Terri and Sophia Spencer of Atlanta, Ga., were ushered backstage to meet Jackson and McBride as part of a series of VIP promotions by local businesses.

It was her first encounter with a celebrity and judging by the awestruck look on her face during Jackson's set, it was a night to remember.

Emily Christensen can be contacted at (319) 291-1482 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.

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