Kelly Clarkson Covers The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You” (VIDEO)

By On 08/20/2012 · 21 Comments · In American Idol, Kelly Clarkson

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I LOVE me some Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, so imagine my delight when Kelly Clarkson chose the fan-requested classic “I’ll Stand by You” to cover  in Bethel, NY last night.

Aw. I may have shed a tear.

Watch:

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  • s k

    flawless as usual.

  • fuzzywuzzy

    Just lovely!

  • Anonymous

    I have avoided Kelly’s covers, until this one.  Now I know why.  She sounds like she just ran a race…out of breath, effortful, choppy.  But it’s Kelly, so it must be good, right?  No, I cannot lie.    

  • Chris Bishop

    I don’t know what you were listening to but this was quite the opposite of any of those adjectives you used. She could’ve belted the end of each of the phrases out like most singers do, but her retreat into her head voice was what was most impressive. Powerful, controlled, and overall entertaining. But to each their own, I guess. Not everyone can like Kelly.

  • http://twitter.com/dam744 Damien Roberts

    You have to keep a few things in mind; Kelly has always had a raspy voice and this was a recorded version. You can hardly judge her on a performance like this, simply because any imperfections that you might here could be due to something else entirely.

  • RockiDreams

    Kelly was perfect on that song.   Wish I could have been at that concert.   

  • heartly

    I thoroughly enjoyed this.  I’ll Stand By You has been on my short list of songs that I’ve wanted her to cover for years now and she didn’t disappoint me.

    Here’s a much clearer version in both video and audio.  The singing starts at 1:40ish.

    http://youtu.be/mIeRv0UpcO8 

  • Anonymous

    I was there last night, and the place went wild for this song. Perhaps durbesque’s volume is distorted, for that is the only way one could glean such ridiculous observations from such stunning perfection.

    The whole concert was awesome. She sounded and looked amazing.

  • fuzzywuzzy

    Cool that you were at the show! How are Kelly and The Fray handling the “co-headlining” aspect of the tour? Are they taking turns performing first?

  • fuzzywuzzy

    Thanks! That is a much better video and audio.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SYFK77IYLRQIVATQ2MJKSW2J7Y Pam

    That was just beautiful.  Thanks mj!

  • Anonymous

    That’s exactly right. They are alternating closing the show at each tour stop. You can tell who’s closing if you look at ticketmaster. Whoever is listed first is closing…at least, that’s how it is supposed to be.

  • heartly

     

    How are Kelly and The Fray handling the “co-headlining” aspect of the tour? Are they taking turns performing first?

    It’s not every other night, but they are alternating just about every stop.  The consensus has been that it’s made for a better overall concert with Kelly closing but The Fray put on a good show themselves.  Lately whoever has gone on last has incorporated the other in the set most of the time with Issac joining Kelly for DYWS or Kelly joining Issac on The Fray’s song Be Still.  And both sets are the same length give or take a few minutes.

  • fuzzywuzzy

    Thanks, MikeyJ7 and heartly! 

  • http://twitter.com/KariannHart Kariann Hart

    Awesome!  Just awesome!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/CYKIVKKKICHTPLNV7WSASGUP6I Sam

    Kelly is a master interpreter of music. You can feel emotions oozing out of her skin with every breath, every lyric. It’s very rare for someone with great vocal abilities to also be good at interpreting songs. I’m a fan for life.

  • abbysee

    She just slays me. She interprets songs with her heart and soul. Ugh…..I am awed as usual.

  • Emmy

    wow, just gorgeous.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/7LS7KC5AHEOV5R27XD7GCWBHFU J

    Truth be told…It’s Kelly, so yes, it was perfection.

  • windmills

    This is one of my favorites she’s done all tour! The dynamics were perfect, especially that she never really went big for the climax or any part of the song. Really, really beautiful version. I love the vulnerability in Kelly’s performance.

  • http://twitter.com/lufflyness Jenna

    I don’t know why you have avoided her other covers, she always does them justice, and this was no exception. It’s a song that has been covered to death yet I think she still managed to bring something unique to it.

    Plus, these covers are only picked and rehearsed right before the show… She and her band were still working out the arrangement for it when they were in soundcheck.