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Dec. 22--It's only three days 'til Christmas, and maybe you still have gifts to buy and tons more to wrap. And you need to get a turkey for Christmas dinner. And then clean the house for when the family stops by. And you have to make time to pick up your cousin at the airport. And it's all overwhelming, and maybe you wonder why you do it all.
Well, Martina McBride is stopping on Long Island to serve up a musical reminder. The country music star is bringing her show, "The Joy of Christmas," to Nassau Coliseum tonight, and she says the production touches on every aspect of the holiday -- from Santa to the importance of family to the very reason for the celebration, the birth of Jesus.
"We've devoted a large part of the show to the true meaning of Christmas," McBride says. "It's become very commercialized, but it's become important to me, because of my three daughters, to talk about what Christmas is really about."
The multimedia show features a 90-foot-wide film backdrop, set changes and a cast of actors to tell the stories of Christmas. And naturally, McBride is the centerpiece, using her powerhouse vocals to deliver traditional Christmas songs such as "O Holy Night," along with a couple of her secular hits.
And for McBride, the show is literally a family affair. Two of her daughters (Delaney, 12, and Emma, 8) are part of the ensemble. "They enjoy it," she says. "And it's good for them to learn how to work with a group and to be responsible for their part of the show. They take it seriously but have a lot of fun. It's great to see them onstage. I enjoy it so much."
As for having a more prominent role in the show, McBride says they're not keen on the idea. "I ask them if they want to come out and sing a solo, and they look at me like I'm from outer space," she says with a laugh.
Between shows on the Christmas tour, McBride has been working on a new album. The four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year has even written some of her own songs for the first time, including the ballad "Anyway," which currently resides on the country charts. She said friends have pushed her for years to try songwriting, but she was always reluctant.
"The fear of writing something that isn't very good kept me from really diving in and trying it," she says. "But now that I've done it, it is fun. I'll certainly do a little more of it, but it's not going to be a focus of my career. I'm not going to be a Bob Dylan, you know."
Right now, her focus is on "The Joy of Christmas" tour. So even if you still have lots of shopping to do, McBride says it's worth taking a few hours to head to Nassau Coliseum for the show.
"It's so much fun," McBride says. "I really believe that people leave in more of a Christmas spirit than they came there with."
WHEN&WHERE
Martina McBride's "The Joy of Christmas" concert, Friday night at 7:30, Nassau Coliseum, $58-$88, Ticketmaster, 631-888-9000 or 212-307-7171, or online at ticketmaster.com.
TOY DRIVE: McBride is also involved with "Toys of Hope," a nonprofit children's charity that collects toys and other essentials for underprivileged kids. Concertgoers can bring items such as small toys, department store gift cards, and gloves, hats or scarves. All items should be new and unwrapped. For more information, go to toysofhope.org.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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