There was news of a Grammy nomination, a tribute duet to Michael Jackson, and there were many songs deserving of the random, wild "wooo!" from crazed rock and pop fans. These were just some of the highlights from the Kelly Clarkson concert Thursday night at the Pan American Center at New Mexico State University.

Plus, as an added bonus, once fans emerged at the conclusion of the concert they found their vehicles and the roads dusted with about a half inch of snow - a rarity in southern New Mexico.

Clarkson, the first American Idol in 2002, was a powerhouse in her performance for 4,002 attendees. Her stop in Las Cruces was part of the "All I Ever Wanted" tour which is the song that landed her, her most recent Grammy nomination of "Best Pop Vocal Album."

"It's the same category as Pink," she said to the crowd between songs as she shared the news. "Anytime I can make it into the same category as her, I feel like I've won." Other singers and bands such as Alanis Morissette, Kings of Leon, Patsy Cline and Black Keys are among Clarkson's favorites and some of the icons she covered in her performance in addition to her own songs - new and old.

Songs such as "Breakaway," "Never Again," and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" appeared to be crowd favorites and others such as "If I Can't Have You" turned into a surprising angry rock ballad showing off Clarkson's

versatility. She also turned a Patsy Cline country song "Walking After Midnight" into a blues number while one of her band members improvised on the trumpet.
Clarkson incorporated her openers into the show by performing a duet with Eric Hutchinson to "Rock With You" by Michael Jackson and plugging up-and-coming band Parachute. Both Hutchinson and Parachute are touring with Clarkson and show a lot of promise in the pop industry.

There were murmurs in the audience from those who had heard a couple songs from each of the openers on the radio and were anxious to hear more live.

Parachute got things started, and most of their music is driven by piano, tambourine and drums with the occasional saxophone slipped in. It's apparent these guys are all in it together, and it's likely that any teenage girl would fall in love with playful lyrics like those in "The Color of Love" or "Ghost."

Eric Hutchinson and his bandmates kept the energy up, and one word that definitely comes to mind when I hear Hutchinson's sound is "momentum." Their sound has soul with hints of jazz and blues mixed in and it's constantly moving forward.

Hutchinson joked with the crowd about the band's lesser known reputation and said, "We know you don't know the songs, but if you would cheer for the songs like you knew them, that would make us feel so much better."

The appropriately named song "Oh" had nearly everyone singing along to the chorus filled with "Oh-oh-ohhohwoahoh's" while swaying to the beat. Needless to say, both bands got the crowd ready for the headliner. And, one thing is for sure. There are no ear plugs in the world that could have prevented me from getting the happy ringing in my ears from crazed fans screaming endlessly for their Idol.