Maren Morris brought her own unique "flavor" to the House of Blues, Anaheim, Thursday night, for a sold-out show that was a showcase for not only her debut album Hero, but also her latest collection, GIRL, and even though that project has only been out for a few weeks, the majority of the mostly-female audience already knew every word.
In a pre-show Q&A session, Maren revealed that one item she always has to have on tour is Grether's Pastilles (to preserve her voice), that her New Year's resolution has been to get better at making cocktails, that her husband Ryan Hurd is a great cook, and that the best advice she ever got came from singer-songwriter Natalie Hemby, who told her, "Don't be a *jerk* on the way up, and don't be a *jerk* on the way down," except "jerk" wasn't exactly the word used.
She also shared high praise for her bass player, Annie Clements, who has also played with Sugarland and with her own female trio, "Kitty Hawk."
Maren described "Song for Everything" as a tribute to the "nostalgia bands from high school" and how she always aims to write songs to listen to while driving. "To Hell and Back" is a "sentimental thank you" to her husband, written in the early days of their relationship, and her performance of "I Could Use a Love Song" managed to be underated, elegant, and haunting, all at the same time.
When an audience member in the front of the pit had an unfortunate incident, perhaps due to the heat and too much alcohol, Maren displayed sensitivity toward her, but also the audience, requesting some incense sticks be brought out to mask the smell.
The most moving part of the concert was her introduction to "My Church," for which she noted, "I love [this song] so much; I get emotional when I sing it." She recalled that as her debut single, thinking, "If I only get one shot, I'd pin it on this one." And as we all know....it worked.
Maren wrapped up her set with "The Middle" as bubbles floated out over the audience.
Opening act Cassadee Pope (who returned to the stage for a fun version of "All My Favorite People" with Maren) was a delight, with her powerhouse vocals, nailing her cover of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," along with her own hits ("Think of You" and "Wasting All These Tears"). Physical copies of her latest EP, including "One More Red Light" and "If My Heart Had a Heart" sold out at the merch table.
GIRL, the World Tour, continues tonight and tomorrow, at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Setlist:
1. Girl
2. The Feels
3. 80s Mercedes
4. A Song for Everything
5. Common
6. To Hell & Back
7. All My Favorite People (with Cassadee Pope)
8. I Could Use a Love Song
9. Make Out With Me
10. Gold Love
11. Flavor
12. Great Ones
13. Once
14. Rich
15. RSVP
16. The Bones
17. My Church
18. Shade
19. The Middle
1. Take You Home
2. How I Feel Right Now
3. Bring Me Down Town
4. If My Heart Had A Heart
5. Think of You
6. Wasting All These Tears
7. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (Whitney Houston cover)
8. One More Red Light