Carrie Underwood opened the fall leg of her Blown Away Tour this past weekend, with two dates in New England–Friday in Manchester, New Hampshire and Saturday in Bridgeport, Connecticut. And if the photos from those two shows below are any indication, fans were treated to a high-energy, visually dazzling showcase of this young superstar’s on-stage talents.

“Underwood’s stage show was one of the most spectacular in recent memory,” wrote Nick Caito, in a review of Saturday’s show published in the Hartford Courant.

According to Caito, the show included, among other things, “a simulated balloon ride across the arena,” numerous costume changes, huge beach balls, Hawaiian-style leis, impressive images on massive video screens, and, at the end of the set, “a cyclone of paper leaves erupting from the center of the stage.”

Carrie’s album Blown Away was back on the top of the charts again last week, and it also achieved platinum status, selling over 1 million copies.

The title track from the album is Carrie’s current single (and, according to the Hartford Courant, the dramatic final encore during her live set). The song has been rising on the country singles charts for weeks now, and is currently in the Top Ten. It’s her 16th Top Ten single, in fact, which according to Billboard is a record for female country artists.

Carrie continues the 55-date North American leg of her Blown Away Tour throughout the fall (see the full tour schedule).

- Kurt Wolff, CBS Local