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Maren Morris’ second major-label album, “Girl,” has been out only a little more than two weeks. Yet, you couldn’t tell that by the way the crowd reacted to the material on Tuesday, March 26, at The Masonic.
“You guys haven’t had very long to live with this record,” Morris commented to the overjoyed, capacity crowd. “But I see you already know all the words.”
And they’d prove it, starting with the anthemic title track that opened the 19-song set, which marked the first time Morris had headlined a show in San Francisco.
The crowd sang along with gusto throughout the roughly 90-minute show, backing up Morris at times and nearly drowning her out at others. It was an impressive display of enthusiasm and support for the country-pop artist, who released her major-label debut, “Hero,” in 2016 and has continued to climb in popularity ever since.
Morris showcased both her versatility and ambition as she moved through a variety of different musical genres and styles, from Top 40 pop to Americana rock to sophisticated love ballads.
This is how @MarenMorris starts show at @sfmasonic pic.twitter.com/hkq4MicpoE
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 27, 2019
The loser in all this, however, may be country. Sure, that’s still the aisle where you’ll find her music at the record store. But she’s now tasted crossover success — in the form of the smash hit “The Middle” — and everything about “Girl” shouts that she wants more.
It’s highly conceivable that Morris will someday follow in Taylor Swift’s footsteps. But let’s hope that she sticks with country music as long as possible, since that is still her greatest strength.
The show also served as a testament to Morris’ ability as a songwriter. It’s impressive how many excellent songs she’s been able to craft (or co-craft) in the space of two albums. Probably 15 of the 19 songs played were first-rate.
80s Mercedes @MarenMorris pic.twitter.com/Q6rcognj1Y
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 27, 2019
One of the best of the night was the new album’s “A Song for Everything,” which, like Eric Church’s “Springsteen,” celebrates the connection between music and memories.
“What’s your time machine?” she sang. “Is it Springsteen or ‘Teenage Dream’?”
But then she adds another layer of meaning to the song, addressing what it’s like to find a song that somehow sums up how you feel about someone special.
“When you were looking for the words / Somebody said it first so you didn’t have to / It was looking right at you”
Anyone who has ever made a mixtape or playlist for someone, or even dedicated a song on the radio, can certainly identify with those lyrics.
. @MarenMorris joined onstage by @CassadeePope pic.twitter.com/0h4Meye8od
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 27, 2019
She’d continue on to deliver “Common,” which is a sophisticated Adele-style pop number, and later the country-rocker “All My Favorite People,” which brought opening act Cassadee Pope back out to the stage. And Morris and her five-piece band sounded great on pretty much every song.
She also did a fine job connecting with the crowd, as she chatted during several breaks in the action and gave her fans glimpses into her life. In one instance, she talked about how she and her husband had just celebrated their one year anniversary in San Francisco. She sounded very much in love.
“If you have someone who loves you and is not judgmental and is not trying to dim your light, hold onto that person,” Morris shared.
She also gave the crowd a pat on the collective back for its enthusiasm.
“You are a really loud and bad ass crowd.”
"Make Out With Me" by @MarenMorris pic.twitter.com/iTmMe52cVS
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 27, 2019
And, as the show drew to a close, Morris made a commitment that likely every fan in the building hopes she’ll keep.
“I’ll just make a promise: If you keep showing up, then we’ll keep showing up.”
Here’s the set list, based on my notes and information from setlist.fm:
“Girl”
“The Feels”
“80s Mercedes”
“A Song for Everything”
“Common”
“To Hell & Back”
“All My Favorite People”
“I Could Use a Love Song”
I'm Could Use a Love Song @MarenMorris pic.twitter.com/SvViSeIBlo
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 27, 2019
“Make Out With Me”
“Gold Love”
“Flavor”
“Great Ones”
“Once”
“Rich”
“RSVP”
“The Bones”
“My Church”
Encore:
“Shade”
“The Middle”
