Maren Morris played some of her best songs — from her brand new single to fan-favorite staples — when she took the stage at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night (September 24) for the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her set even included Ryan Hurd for an adorable husband-and-wife moment on stage.
Morris, now an award-winning trailblazer, reflected on the earlier days of her career with the first single to release from her Humble Quest record, “Circles Around This Town.” The autobiographical track delves into Morris’ story of paving her path to success in the music industry when she moved to Nashville, Tennessee. The Texas-born artist even includes recognizable references that her longtime fans can pick up on, including “name-dropping” her songs “80s Mercedes” and “My Church” — both from her 2016 album HERO — which “makes me emotional when I sing it.” Her iHeartRadio Music Festival set closed with a powerful rendition of “My Church,” (and included “The Bones,” another one of Morris’ biggest hits, which appeared on Morris’ GIRL album in 2019).
Speaking with iHeartCountry earlier this year, Morris reflected on writing the song with a few co-writers, including Hurd. She and Hurd had a “late-night porch hang” that inspired the idea for “Circles Around This Town,” Morris remembered, and “we wrote it the next day.”
It should come as no surprise that Morris’ album included a tribute to her husband, a Michigan boy who likes driving to Texas and brings her coffee every morning: “I can't love you anymore/ I can't love you anymore/ I can't love you any more than I do now/ You can try to talk me down/ But I can say without a doubt/ I can't love you any more than I do now.” Hurd, who performed in the scorching Las Vegas heat on the Daytime Stage on Saturday afternoon, joined Morris on stage for the song on Saturday night.
Morris also pushed genre boundaries to perform “Make You Say,” Morris’ latest dance-worthy pop collaboration with Zedd and BEAUZ. It’s the latest time Morris and Zedd have joined forces since releasing their smash-hit song “The Middle” in 2018. Fans freaked out when Morris and Zedd started teasing “Make You Say,” a heartbreak anthem that dives into every emotion as Morris replays a breakup in her head and vows that her ex will have regrets: “You’ll learn one day/ I’m one in a million/ Maybe in a billion/ And when it’s too late/ Oh I got a feelin/ You’ll be in your feelings/ Go ahead, Walk away/ You’re gonna miss the way/ I used to make you say/ Oh my god, Night and day/ You’re gonna miss the way/ I used to make you say.”
The powerhouse singer-songwriter closed her set by taking the whole audience to church. Morris delivered a soulful performance of her 2016 smash-hit “My Church,” earning tons of praise from the T-Mobile arena crowd.
In case you missed it, or just want to re-live all of the amazing performances, The CW will air a two-night television special on October 7th and October 8th from 8pm-10pm ET.