Reba McEntire with Kelly Clarkson
Conseco Fieldhouse
Friday, Feb. 8, 8 p.m., $36-$56, all-ages

It’s no secret that Kelly Clarkson has been a fan of Reba McEntire for a long time. A few years after winning the inaugural “American Idol” competition in 2002, Clarkson performed McEntire’s hits “Why Haven’t I Heard From You” and “Does He Love You?” for the Country Music Television program “Giants: Reba McEntire.”

McEntire, who first appeared on the country music scene in the mid ’70s, has garnered dozens of awards and platinum albums and has performed in front of millions of fans around the world during her storied career. She has been cited as the inspiration for many of today’s female country performers, and has expanded her career into the fields of television, movies, the Broadway stage, artist management (with her husband Narvel Blackstock) and a clothing line.

Shortly after winning on “Idol,” Clarkson released her first album, “Thankful,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in April 2003. The following year Clarkson came out with “Breakaway,” an album whose title could be interpreted as the young lady’s desire to break from her “American Idol” image.

Last year, Clarkson’s third album. “My December,” was released amidst some controversy: Clive Davis, the head of Clarkson’s record label, was said to be less than impressed with the album, and poor ticket sales prompted the cancellation of a scheduled tour. Nonetheless, “My December” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart on June 26, 2007. 

In 2007, Clarkson sang a duet version of her own hit “Because of You” with her music idol McEntire during the Academy of Country Music Awards show. The duo later recorded the song for McEntire’s “Reba: Duets” CD, and it was released as the first single from the album.

The pairing of a country music superstar and the talented “American Idol” alum has grown into a 15-city tour, “2 Worlds 2 Voices,” which kicked off in Dayton, Ohio on Jan. 17 and winds up on Feb. 16 in Kansas City, Miss.