A packed venue, made up mostly of women, lots of cowboy boots and a few cowboy hats were found to be awaiting Maren Morris for her sold-out show on May 9.  She came with energy to spare as she rocked out on stage. She was surely noted with her bright yellow shirt and bedazzled denim shorts as she rose from the stage.

Morris is touring her latest album, “GIRL,” which was just released on March 8. This album continues her country roots but also explores a bit more pop and rock elements within it, helping Morris break free from the solely country label. 

Morris tried to make her concert experience on par with an arena. She had a full band, a small set of risers/stairs, loads of lights and a huge screen behind her that would project different images depending on what song was playing. This was an interesting choice because she is playing smaller venues that are not made to hold all the aspects that Morris brought with her. The stage itself looked amazing but the band look cluttered and squished on the wings of the stage. 

The performances Morris hosted were spectacular in themselves. She demonstrated her vocal talents on multiple songs such as “A Song for Everything,” “80s Mercedes” and “I Could Use a Love Song.” Morris was also a bit of a storyteller every couple of songs, stopping to talk to the audience and explain the meaning behind them. One that stood out being “To Hell and Back” that she wrote multiple years ago for her now husband but saved it for herself instead of giving it to another artist. 

Morris not only demonstrated great vocal abilities, but she also showed off her musical abilities by playing guitar from time to time on a couple of her songs. This showed off Morris’ diverse talent and truly showed off her singer and songwriter persona that allowed her to truly jam out with her bandmates. 

One thing I noted was Morris was there to encourage others. She had a great group of six band members, and she made sure to highlight each one of them. It was interesting to see her only have one female band member who was on bass, even though Morris aligns with a female power angle. She did bring out her opener, Raelynn, to help her duet on the song “All My Favorite People” which is originally done with Brothers Osborn.  

Morris definitely had songs where she let loose a little bit more than normal like on “Make Out with Me” where she went as far to lay down on the risers as she sang, getting a bit saucy. “RSVP” is another song where Morris showed off her fun energy dancing around on stage even bringing out a fold-up chair as a prop to compliment her dancing. Morris did have some songs where she looked a bit more awkward on stage just pacing the stage or staying very stationary. 

Morris ended her set with “My Church,” the song that launched her into fame within the country charts. This song got stripped down to a more acoustic sound and made the audience sign louder than possible. Morris swiftly left the stage and returned for her encore ending her show with “Shade” and what was the song of the summer for 2018, “The Middle.” 

Overall, the show was a fun experience that was filled with many different lighting effects and even a bubble machine. Morris wanted to make sure her audience was enjoying themselves and made sure to know they were appreciated after almost every song. Morris is a nice ease into country for those who typically do not like country and bringing some pop/rock to the country atmosphere.