Hulu’s “Carrie Underwood: Reflection” Lets Her Vocals Shine While the Staging Stays Dim

The filming of Underwood’s Vegas concert showcases her remarkable career over the past two decades.

Country artists are not normally known for their aesthetics. Spoken in a pure cliche, I can say that because I am a huge country music fan. As a frequenter of country concerts during their normal summer amphitheater season, they are known for fun times more than they are visuals. When I first heard that Carrie Underwood would be headlining in Vegas, I was excited at the thought of a country artist receiving a more cohesive concert vision. Vegas is known for storytelling, big setpieces, and budget. Why shouldn’t a country artist receive the same?


In the case of Carrie Underwood: Reflection, the upcoming Hulu recording of her Vegas show, the cohesiveness isn’t quite there. This is not to say the talent is lacking, as once Underwood starts to go through her remarkable catalog of hit after hit, you have to sit back and applaud. The fourth winner of American Idol, soon to be returning as a judge, has crafted a hefty discography of singles that anyone, in any genre, would chomp at the bit to call their own.

I’ve seen Underwood in person before and, again, the talent is unmatched. When you really think about it, American Idol has given us the vocal powerhouses of Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, and Kelly Clarkson (just to name a few, of course). Considering the whimpering returns current music-based reality programming has offered to viewers in recent years, it remains a triumph of reality television. The tour I attended had her performing in the round so, once again, the aesthetic was more in favor of rollickin’ time in the arena. This is, again, not a bad thing, Concerts are inherently for listening to music live. Yet, in the age of the technological advances we have, it’s a bummer to see the lack of effort put into Underwood’s show.

The set pieces, as minimal as they are, always seem out-of-place. Another general complaint could be made for the lack of dancers when country artists are on tour, but when placed in the context of Underwood’s music and on the rather massive stage at the Resorts World theater, they are immediately swallowed by the scale of what’s around them. Their presence is appreciated in two numbers: “Denim and Rhinestones”, an 80s throwback with a true groove, and the out-of-this-world finale.

For a concert where everything is ho-hum throughout, highlighting Underwood’s gift of a voice and not much else, the finale is tremendous. A wall of water, covered in acrobatic dancers on pegs, rises from the stage as Underwood begins to belt “Something in the Water” as she’s showered by a waterfall. This is exactly the use of scope of grandeur that is missing from the rest of the concert. While it’s still highlighting her voice, the feast is for all the senses, not just the ears.

It’s hard to go wrong with Carrie Underwood’s repertoire. She has mastered the country genre in a way few have before her. In the decades to come, it’s likely her name will be as synonymous with country music as Dolly or Reba. So, with someone so intrinsically connected to performance, it’s a shame the stage surrounding her during Reflection doesn’t live up to her vocal prowess. Now, to end with a crazy sentence: come for the songs, but feel free to be on your phone.

Carrie Underwood: Reflection is now streaming on Hulu.

Marshal Knight
Marshal Knight is a pop culture writer based in Orlando, FL. For some inexplicable reason, his most recent birthday party was themed to daytime television. He’d like to thank Sandra Oh.