CALGARY - She's flirted with movies and television, but music is what made Reba McEntire a star in the first place.

When she stepped onto the Saddledome stage last night, it wasn't her role in the cult sci-fi flick Tremors or her starring turn in the prime-time sit-com Reba that made the crowd leap to their feet.

They were there to hear the flame-haired Queen of Country perform the biggest hits from her impressive 30 plus-year career.

McEntire's tight nine-piece backing band came out swinging, warming up the audience for a few minutes before the petite 54-year-old rose to the top of the three-tiered stage.

Kicking off with We're So Good Together from her 1999 album, So Good Together, McEntire was all smiles as she made her way down two flights of stairs.

She did touch upon her acting career, saying that even though she got her start singing Away in a Manger during a Grade 1 school show, she always wanted to be a movie star.

McEntire then went on to describe her dream film roles (either in a western with Kevin Costner or a romantic bodice-ripper co-starring George Clooney.)

Alas, it was not meant to be.

"Did that happen? Nope. My first co-stars were underground worms," she said, referring to the 1989 comedy-horror Tremors before playing the toe-tapping honky tonk ditty Why Not Tonight from the Tremors soundtrack.

McEntire also acknowledged her TV show by singing the theme song, I'm a Survivor.

While the band sounded crisp and tight, they often drowned out poor McEntire early on.

It was distracting to say the least, but thankfully the problem was rectified.

Whether it was because the sound guys improved what was being heard or because McEntire's vocal chords warmed up, her fierce voice came through loud and clear by the time she got to her classic cover of The Night the Lights Went Down in Georgia.

The one criticism of her performance of the song was her corny, melodramatic facial expressions.

The story tells itself and therefore 'acting' is not required.

As Taylor Swift connected with the teenage girls with her songs about growing pains and jerk ex-boyfriends the night before, McEntire appeals to a largely middle-aged female fanbase for whom such songs as The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and The Fear of Being Alone resonate deeply.

Her fans were on their feet several times, either giving McEntire a standing ovation or dancing to some of her more energetic numbers such as the barnstorming gospel, Love Revival.

With more than 50 Top 10 country hits (22 of them reaching No. 1) McEntire couldn't possibly get to all of them during her 80-minute set.

But she managed to squeeze quite a few in, even if it meant performing a medley of her earliest hits, including I'm Gonna Take That Mountain, Little Rock and Rumor Has It.

McEntire is not one to follow trends, which is why there isn't a lot of difference between her older tracks and newer songs such as Scream, the first single from her upcoming CD, Keep on Lovin' You, which drops on Aug. 18.

Though she didn't sell out the Saddledome, McEntire proved she is still top of the heap when it comes to the leading ladies of country music.

Sun Rating: 4 out of 5