A powerful, angelic voice filled the air at the Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) for a dazzling Holiday opening at MPAC, and that voice belonged to astoundingly beautiful singer and songwriter LeAnn Rimes, as she entered from stage right.

A Stunning Entrance and Festive Opening Number

Dressed in a long red dress highlighting her fit body and with long blond hair accentuating her ageless face, Rimes opened with We Need a Little Christmas, the perfect starting song to her first stop on her 2025 Christmas Tour. The musicians who accompanied her performed on drums, piano, and various guitars.

Classic Christmas Hits Delivered with Power and Style

Rimes’ voice was a powerhouse mix of sultry and sexy as she sang All I Want for Christmas Is You, and had the audience clapping in sync during Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.

Revisiting “Blue”—The Hit That Started It All

Rimes belted out the tune Blue, released in June 1996, shortly before her 14th birthday, which was featured on her first album, also titled Blue. She crooned a sassy, vampy version, which, when first released, was number one on the Top Country Albums Chart. As a single, Blue reached the top 10 on The Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Quite an accomplishment for a young teenager.

Rimes won the Academy of Country Music Awards for Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and, as a performer, she also snagged Top New Female Vocalist.

Country-Pop Favorites from Coyote Ugly

Rimes performed the soulful song “Right Kind of Wrong,” which explored the complexities of love and desire. That smash hit was featured alongside another chart topper during the evening, Can’t Fight the Moonlight. Both major hits were part of the musical score for the 2000 Jerry Bruckheimer movie Coyote Ugly.

A Haunting Tribute: Joni Mitchell’s “River”

Playing a piano solo, Rimes performed a hauntingly emotional rendition of Joni Mitchell’s River. It is a song that ties the festive Christmas season with emotional escape and the pain of a recent breakup. Relationships can be complex, and Mitchell wrote this song as a tribute to those who are lonely at this time of year. Mitchell’s recording is worth listening to as well.

A Timeless Ballad Before the Encore

Rimes’s last song before her encore was How Do I Live Without You, nominated for Song of the Year in 1997, exuding the same impact of losing someone like Mitchell’s River.

Celebrating 30 Years of Music: Rimes Reflects on Her Journey

At 43, Rimes noted that she is celebrating 30 years of performing, which began with her first hit, “Blue.” Her dedication to her career and her family is nothing short of spectacular. If you have time to see her in concert, you will not leave the auditorium disappointed.

Tour Information

LeAnn Rimes: Greatest Hits Christmas Tour through December 2025, then on tour throughout 2026, celebrating 30 Years of Blue.
MPAC, 100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960.