Fans at Friday’s sold-out Meijer Gardens show got a special treat when the Kalamazoo-bred Hurd joined the country/pop singer on stage. The review and photos at Local Spins.
‘Nothing Like a Michigan Summer Night’: Maren Morris at Meijer Gardens. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
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When Maren Morris delivered the opening lines to “I Can’t Love You Anymore” early on during Friday’s sold-out concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, it resonated in a special way with the West Michigan audience.
“Shoulda known what I was getting into, fallin’ for a boy from Michigan,” the Texas native sang to wild applause from her ardent fans.
That “boy from Michigan,” of course, is Morris’ husband, Ryan Hurd, a rising country star in his own right who was raised in Kalamazoo and brought a contingent of family and friends – including his mom, dad and sister – to the top row of the amphitheater near the soundboard.
The performance of that song from Morris’ 2022 album, “Humble Quest,” also served as a GREAT BIG HINT that Hurd himself might be in the house – especially considering he was in Michigan anyway to play a Saturday benefit show in Allegan.
Crowd-Inspiring Duet: Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris at Meijer Gardens. (Fan Photo/Local Spins)
Sure enough, Hurd joined Morris midway through the show for a duet during a rendition of her 2019 single, “All My Favorite People,” inducing another monster sing-along, dancing and fervent cheers from the 1,900 fans on board.
(Hurd plays Allegan’s Griswold Auditorium at 7 p.m. Saturday as part of benefit for the Lake Allegan Association, with Friday night’s Meijer Gardens opener Carter Faith also on that bill. Only a few tickets were left as of Friday online here.)
Morris’ first-ever appearance at the Meijer Gardens amphitheater amid an admiring crowd and picture-perfect 70-degree weather clearly touched the 33-year-old singer who described it as “a magical night” in “a gorgeous venue.”
“If you’ve been a fan of mine for any length of time, you know I feel like an honorary Michigander,” she said. “It always feels so good to be here. There’s nothing like a Michigan summer night.”
Indeed, there was nothing quite like the ardorous fan reaction to songs such as Morris’ monster hits “The Middle,” “The Bones” and the final song of the night, “The Church,” which had much of the crowd singing, “Hallelujah.”
(Some of those fans weren’t singing happily early on due to unexpected, long lines to enter the amphitheater after Morris required searches and metal-detection wanding; the artist has experienced backlash from some of her comments about gun reform and supporting the LGBTQ community.)
The evening began with a half-hour performance by country singer Carter Faith – who included a Willie Nelson classic in her set – but belonged to Morris, whose soaring voice and five-piece backing band ruled the evening, especially on set standouts such as the rock-driven “Girl” and the fetching ballad, “Detour,” which Morris described as one of her favorite songs.
“I don’t want to leave,” Morris said near the end of her set. “Thank you for such a beautiful night.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Maren Morris, Carter Faith at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek
SET LIST: Maren Morris at Meijer Gardens
1. Circles Around This Town
2. I Can’t Love You Anymore
3. 80s Mercedes
4. I Wish I Was
5. Girl
6. The Middle
7. RSVP
8. Detour
9. Drunk Girls Don’t Cry
10. I Could Use a Love Song
11. All My Favorite People
12. Sugar
13. Once
14. Bummin’ Cigarettes
15. Second Wind
16. Rich
17. The Bones
18. My Church
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