As the "2 Worlds 2 Voices" co-star with 31 years of recording on her resume, Reba McEntire brought several things to Conseco Fieldhouse Friday night.

Beyond a wealth of story songs and a knack for professional entertainment, country music's McEntire provided an opportunity for pop music's Kelly Clarkson to shine.

Clarkson, still six years shy of her 31st birthday, repeatedly brought down the house during the duo's performance -- one of just 15 dates on a smartly produced tour.

In a stress-free setting of shared songs and shared responsibilities, the original "American Idol" delivered one of the best vocal performances in the basketball arena's nine-year history.

Clarkson first wowed the estimated audience of 10,000 when she added sky-scraping runs to "Why Haven't I Heard from You?" -- a slice of honky-tonk bliss that arrived second on the program.

While acrobatic stunt vocals are a lowlight of "Idol's" legacy, Clarkson's range and resilience are too mighty to dismiss.

McEntire's voice is no liability, as evidenced by more than 50 million albums sold. But a waver and a helium tone become defining characteristics when placed in contrast to Clarkson for two hours.

The younger artist sounded ferocious during "Miss Independent," which careened far from Nashville when featuring a guitar quote of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man."

Clarkson's tone was full and robust on "The Greatest Man I Never Knew," McEntire's emotional tribute to her father.

And fans in the first 20 rows fanned their arms in "we're not worthy" reverence of Clarkson when she sang Patty Griffin's gospel-tinged "Up to the Mountain."

Thirteen backing musicians gave the show an equation of powerful singing plus powerful instrumentation. The players were equally adept at twang and soul, most notably when steel guitar and fiddle added accents to Clarkson's "Beautiful Disaster."

McEntire, dressed in blue jeans and a sleeveless top to match Clarkson's wardrobe, did her best work during a version of 1993 hit "Does He Love You?"

She and Clarkson portrayed a wife and a mistress who traded lines to transform a duet into a duel.

The "2 Worlds 2 Voices" tour seems to be succeeding in distancing Clarkson from last year's true-life verbal sparring with record label executive Clive Davis.

Her voice has far more staying power than that particular inside-the-industry squabble.