New mother. One-half of a celebrity romance. Anti-war protester. One-half of a celebrity break-up. Cancer survivor.

These are all labels Sheryl Crow has publicly worn during the past few years.

So, after releasing the very personal "Detours" album earlier this year, it was fitting that Crow confronted and embraced all of those labels in words and song Wednesday night at the Dane County Coliseum.

Dressed in black jeans and a sleeveless vest, the 46-year-old singer opened the show alone onstage with an acoustic guitar to perform the Bush administration-criticizing "God Bless This Mess."

While a contemporary set list with titles like "Gasoline" and "Shine Over Babylon" has the potential of becoming preachy, Crow nimbly shuffled the politically charged tunes with her pop work. Actually, it was some of the older hits, including "A Change Would Do You Good," that created a few awkward moments early in the set. During the first half of the show, there was an apparent disconnect between the stage production which was designed for the larger amphitheaters of other tour dates and the relatively small crowd in Madison that was apprehensive about standing up. Even an attempt at appeasing the Wisconsin fans with call-outs to the Badgers, bratwurst and Leinenkugels fell flat.

But, when Crow led her eight-piece ensemble into an acoustic, bluegrass-inspired mid-set collection of the new album's title track, "Drunk With the Thought of You" and "Strong Enough" from Crow's 1993 debut "Tuesday Night Music Club," the band and the audience seemed to finally click. The three songs showcased the sweet country-tinged nuances of Crow's voice.

The calypso-infused "Out of Our Heads" featured an intense percussion breakdown from Beloit-native Wally Ingram that was paired with a conga line of fans who danced from the cheap seats to rouse the crowd on the floor. Opener Brandi Carlile joined Crow on the vocals of "If It Makes You Happy." The poppy "Soak Up the Sun" was followed by a surprise guest appearance from Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen. As Nielsen riffed on "I Want You to Want Me," Crow danced and rocked joyfully around the stage.

An encore of "All I Wanna Do" and "Everyday Is a Winding Road" found the band playfully dancing as the crowd sang along.

During a charming 50-minute set, folk-rock singer-songwriter Carlile accomplished an unusual feat of audience participation for an opening act. Bucking the usual call-and-response during "Turpentine," she managed to lead the crowd in an impressive three-part harmony. Moments later, there was silence during an emotional version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."