Photo: Daniel Cavazos for iHeartRadio
Maren Morris returned to her home state to perform some of her biggest hits, both new and old, at the 2022 iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One in Austin, Texas, on Saturday (May 7).
Hitting the stage at the new Moody Center in Austin in a sparkly crop top and leather pants, the Texas native opened her set with one of her biggest new hits "Circles Around This Town," which chronicled her journey from the Lone Star State to Tennessee.
She then traded her guitar for a tambourine for "I Can't Love You Anymore," the duet she penned with husband Ryan Hurd. The set then slowed down as the band moved into the longing "I Could Use A Love Song" as Morris croons, "I haven't lost all hope yet and yeah it's hurtin' but it ain't dead."
Morris took the crowd to church for the next track. A keyboard organ solo lead into her drawn-out first verse of "My Church," before the song picked up speed and the crowd joined in, clapping, dancing and singing along as she sings, "Can I get a hallelujah, can I get an amen."
She ended her set with a performance of one of her biggest hits, "The Bones," which she said has become "so much sweeter" over the last few years. Walking around the stage, she sang out: "I know any storm we're facing will play right over while we stay put. The house don't fall when the bones are good."
Morris dropped her latest album Humble Quest in March, which she said was a new "era" that featured some of her "happiest work." She described the personal album as "the stories of my rises, my overshares, my appreciation of Midwestern guys who stand at least a foot taller than me, my lullabies, my wine-soaked conversations with a dear friend and my final goodbye to one."
In addition to her new music, Morris is also trying to manifest a dream role on Broadway. She recently tweeted that she was going to take her shot at auditioning for a part in Wicked, one of the most popular musicals on Broadway.
"Gonna send an audition tape in for Wicked on Broadway. What the hell. Let's see what happens. 💚"
She's no stranger to chasing her "weird dreams down." In a follow-up tweet, she listed some of the other major roles she has added to her resume, such as hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live, singing with Dolly Parton and flying with the Thunderbirds.
Photo: Daniel Cavazos for iHeartRadio