Maren Morris Saves Best for Last on Final Show of Hero Tour in Nashville
"Though she be but little, she is fierce" seemed to be the running theme of the night, as Morris’ dominant vocals roared over her backing band.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane—no, it’s just Maren Morris soaring high above the crowd’s expectations at her final U.S. show of the Hero Tour in Nashville.
For several weeks, Morris has been traveling around the country for her first-ever headlining tour and bringing her soulful sound along with her. Striking gold with her adopted hometown audience, the Cannery Ballroom venue sold out two nights in a row to give her a welcome and a celebratory send-off for the end of the stateside leg of tour.
Getting the action started was country newcomer Devin Dawson, a Belmont University graduate whose music infuses the guitar riffs of John Mayer with the authentic lyrics like that of Matchbox Twenty. Dawson encouraged the crowd to get funky as he and his band, which have been with him from day one at college, rocked out through the set. Performing his soon-to-be radio single, “All on Me,” listeners got familiar with the groove and felt the spirit rising for Dawson.
Creating quite the buzz, Morris destroyed the first track in her setlist by exploding through the riffs of “Sugar.” With a breeze in her new bob, the country singer looked effortless as she ran the stage despite the heavy rock sounds flowing from her band. Not needing a cape to prove her superhuman abilities on stage, Morris sported a black crop top with gold studded high-waisted pants and a sparkling choker for the perfect touch of glam.
Morris bopped straight into her tongue-in-cheek tune, “Drunk Girls Don’t Cry,” and performed “Just Another Thing,” before welcoming the audience for a night they (and she) will never forget. Admitting that she and the band were still hydrating from the ACM chaos over the weekend, in which Morris took home the New Female Vocalist of the Year trophy, she brought back nostalgic vibes with her neon rendition of “80s Mercedes.”
After revving up the crowd, Morris set aside the fierce action to acknowledge her emotions as she sang her latest radio single, “I Could Use a Love Song.” Morris told the crowd that throughout the tour, this love ballad grew on her as one of her favorites of the set after writing it out of skepticism toward romance.
“Though she be but little, she is fierce” seemed to be the running theme of the night, as Morris’ dominant vocals roared over her backing band. Establishing her superpower as her voice, the country singer didn’t disappoint while rolling through “How It’s Done.”
She stripped things down for a raw version of “Bumming Cigarettes,” a track she revealed came from her days at Belcourt Taps when she focused mainly on songwriting. While she cooed over the tune with ease, Morris proved she lacks any form of kryptonite in her stage presence even without a band behind her. Playing another new track from her deluxe edition of her debut record, Morris got her hardcore fans singing along to “Space,” as if everyone was transported to another orbit with her profound lyrics.
The song “Company You Keep” brought up Dawson once again to join Morris for a last hurrah and as a thank you for his hard work throughout the tour for getting things started. Not being shy about her friends all around her, Morris even sent a shout-out to boyfriend and fellow country artist, Ryan Hurd, before performing a song they wrote together called “I Wish I Was.”
Arguably enough, Morris’ apex of the night was throughout her commanding vocals in “Once.” She laid her entire soul on the stage throughout every high note, proving the strength once again in her vocal abilities. Fans wooed over the heartfelt dedication Morris put into the emotional track as she took charge in every chorus.
The tides turned quick as Morris’ playfully jittered along “Rich,” getting the audience to scream the last chorus at the top of their lungs. The country star joked that she’d never heard s**t said so loudly before conducting the audience to give the last chorus another go with the hoots and hollering.
“My Church” followed suit with the audience participation as everyone around turned into a gospel choir and made the floor move with the echoing harmonies. Morris praised fans for giving their souls up for new artists like her and giving the industry a reason to keep believing in their craft day after day. But her sermon wasn’t over quite yet as she graced the stage for an encore of a Tim McGraw cut she wrote with Hurd called “Last Turn Home.” Bringing him up for a meaningful duet of the track, the two seemed inseparable through their intertwining melodies.
Hurd wasn’t the only surprise of the night, though, as Morris shocked everyone by inviting pals Brothers Osborne to perform as a last night of the tour treat. The pals joined together to sing “Greener Pastures,” a track Morris co-wrote that appears on Brothers Osborne’s debut album, Pawn Shop. Having a real hoedown with her crew, Morris looked happier than ever to be surrounded by the people that supported her through her biggest year yet.
With one last hurrah, Morris proved once again she truly is a hero and star with her performance of “Second Wind,” featuring Beyoncé’s “Halo” as a creative bridge. Emotionally thanking everyone for how much they’ve changed her life, Morris waved goodbye to her headlining tour but still came out stronger by rescuing the soul in country music.
