WINNIPEG - Hilary Duff became the answer to some local trivia yesterday when she became the first artist to headline two concerts at the MTS Centre.
And two sold-out ones at that.
Last night's concert came almost exactly a year to the day she was last in town on Jan. 10, 2005. In that time the 18-year-old music, television and film star released the "greatest hits" album Most Wanted (even though she only has two albums worth of material to choose from), starred in two movies, expanded her clothing line and developed a new perfume.
It seems her endeavours have expanded her fan base, with 12,500 young glowstick-waving fans and their parents packing the arena yesterday -- 1,000 more than last year.
"It's so nice to be back here. Thank you all for coming to the show. I'm very grateful," she said sincerely to ear-piercing screams, which were constant throughout her 80-minute set.
The superstar has only been on the pop-culture radar a few years, but is already a seasoned performer and shows no signs of stage fright.
As a teen idol, Duff seems to be a safe bet. She's nowhere near as skanky as Britney and doesn't have the bad girl reputation her rival Lindsay Lohan has.
Her wholesome image extends to her wardrobe, which last night consisted of a white shirt, black vest, green camouflaged pants and knee-high black boots.
Duff's songs are mostly positive and inoffensive enough for parents to get behind. Her material deals with basic teen issues: self-empowerment, believing in yourself and young love, which can be great when the boy you like feels the same, but heartbreaking when he doesn't.
Yup, growing up can be tough.
Whatever she's singing about, all the pop-rock ditties feature big hooks and soaring choruses. She didn't appear to be lip-synching like some of her peers.
She took the stage singing her new single Wake Up, which follows the same formula as the rest of her material: a catchy number about getting out and having fun on a Saturday night. Duff returned to the theme later in the night with the dance number Party Up.
She recreated her slick albums with the help of a five-piece band and two backup vocalists. Also on stage were three male dancers she routinely flirted with.
Duff plucked the best material from her two proper albums with the biggest crowd pleasers Fly, Beat of My Heart and Come Clean all appearing in the main 65-minute set, which had the tendency to drag at times for the adults in the crowd.
She returned for a three-song encore, ending the night with So Yesterday and Rock This World.
Now getting back to the trivia question: why would Duff return to Canada only a year later? Because she can make a bundle of cash, that's why.
The tickets were $35 and $50, while her booths sold about 2,000 glowsticks for $5 each. Fans could also take home a $60 Hilary hoodie, $40 shirt, $25 program, $20 mittens, signed posters for $10 and signed pictures in a frame for $8.
