Maren Morris Makes Herself at Home at Bridgestone Arena

To say Maren Morris’ headlining debut at Bridgestone Arena was many years in the making would be an understatement. The Texas native has diligently pursued a music career for almost all of her 32 years, performing just about anywhere she could find a stage and facing rejection from nearly every popular TV singing competition. Partially on the advice of her pal Kacey Musgraves, she eventually moved to Nashville and found success as a songwriter, with tracks cut by big-league artists like Tim McGraw and Kelly Clarkson.

In 2015, Morris took another risk, making her first recordings in several years. With encouragement from hit songwriter and producer busbee — a close collaborator until his death in 2019 from an aggressive form of brain cancer at age 43 — she released a self-titled EP that exploded on Spotify and led to a major label deal for her follow-up album Hero in 2016.

As Morris’ career has continued its upward trajectory, one constant has been her determination to foster a tightly knit, welcoming community of fans, fellow musicians and anyone simply searching for their own seat at the table. Friday night’s show, a homecoming following a lengthy tour for her latest LP Humble Quest, was a shining example of her talent and determination as a genre-bending artist and a champion of radical acceptance.

The memorable evening began with a short but sweet, high-energy set from country badass Brittney Spencer, who just released an EP called If I Ever Get There: A Day at Blackbird Studio. In addition to a sampling of her original songs, she offered up an electrifying performance of The Chicks' contemporary classic “Cowboy Take Me Away,” to the sheer delight of the eager crowd.

Ruston Kelly gave the assembled faithful an enticing sneak preview of his third studio album, expected to be released sometime in 2023, with a pummeling, rock-infused tune called “The Weakness.” His set list leaned heavily on his breakout 2018 LP Dying Star, as he powered through “Mercury,” “Cover My Tracks” and “Mockingbird.” Following in Spencer's footsteps, Kelly threw in two fan-pleasing covers into the mix: his take on Wheatus’ Aughts anthem “Teenage Dirtbag” and Taylor Swift's shortened-for-radio version of “All Too Well,” both of which he recorded for his much-loved 2019 EP Dirt Emo Vol. 1.

When it was finally time for Morris to make her triumphant entrance, the venue erupted in a deafening wave of screams and applause. She and her band eased into their 22-song set with the slow-rolling Humble Quest song “The Furthest Thing,” but rapidly shifted into high gear for the album’s infectious lead single, “Circles Around This Town.” It was the spark that lit a veritable fireworks display of joy that kept going through the whole night.

Morris’ husband, fellow country talent and resident tall guy Ryan Hurd, trotted onstage to join in on the pure country tune “I Can't Love You Anymore,” marking his first of many appearances throughout the show. He’d be back a few songs later, after Morris blazed through “80s Mercedes” and “The Middle,” her 2018 hit pop crossover with Zedd and Grey.

Fans were also treated to a rare appearance from The Highwomen, sans founding member Brandi Carlile, who had a prior engagement. This time, the country supergroup’s ever-rotating lineup included Spencer, Natalie Hemby, Amanda Shires and musical powerhouse Sheryl Crow. The five stalwart songsmiths gathered gleefully to sing the country outfit's anthemic originals “Redesigning Women” and “Crowded Table.”

Following another run of older songs, including her 2018 No. 1 hit “I Could Use a Love Song” and the feisty, sing-along-inducing “Rich,” Morris shared details of her recent audition for the part of Elphaba in the beloved Broadway musical Wicked. The ’Stone exploded with excited screams for Kristin Chenoweth, known for many roles but most especially to Wicked fans as the original Glinda. Whether or not Morris ultimately gets to play the Wicked Witch of the West, the pair's surprise rendition of the musical’s “For Good” was proof that she can hold her own with one of the genre’s biggest talents.

Swooning fans didn’t have much time to recover. After the groovy Humble Quest tune “Good Friends,” there was another curveball: Hozier appeared for the pair’s richly soulful 2020 duet version of “The Bones.” Fittingly, Morris saved her breakout hit “My Church” for the final song of the main set. It would have been a fine way to conclude the whole shebang, but her soul-stirring encore acknowledged a particularly painful loss that came alongside her rise to fame.

The stage crew rolled a grand piano to center stage and Morris reemerged with a remembrance of busbee. She explained how she hadn't been able to perform her lyrical tribute “What Would This World Do?” since his passing. Joined by Hurd and Jon Green, her co-writers on the song, Morris fought back the tears, acknowledging a pivotal career moment that her friend should have been there to see.

Ahead of the concert, there was speculation as to whether Morris would address Jason Aldean’s attempt to rile fans against her during his show at the arena in October. His ill-intentioned joke about inviting her onstage as a special guest, which elicited boos from the crowd, was sparked by Morris’ vocal criticism of Aldean’s wife Brittany after the pair posted transphobic comments on social media. Skirting the subject of the Aldeans like you thwart a schoolyard bully, Morris approached the topic with class and humility.

“I've learned when to and when to not shut the fuck up,” she noted midway through the set, garnering a lengthy round of applause. “This is a place of love, and I don't need to say anything else.”