| Concert Review: Craig Morgan | |
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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
Craig Morgan was the third act of the night and he certainly kept up the pace of Dierks set with a lively set of uptempo songs. Coming out onstage in a Manuel styled shirt and cowboy hat, Craig was moving nonstop throughout the whole show. Craig opened the set with "You Never Know" which tells the true story of three fateful decisions of three different people and the consequences of those actions. "Something To Write Home About" was next and it tells the story of a man who's found the one he loves while away from home. When introducing the next song, Craig askes the audience if they like country music and "I don't mean that bubble gum, soda pop stuff" that radio seems to like. after loud cheers, Craig sings the stone country ballad written by Bill Anderson, "When A Man Can't Get A Woman Off His Mind"
Craig introduced "Look At Us" as a response to the disparaging remarks his in-laws said about him when his wife took him home. It's a song with lyrics that everyone can relate to: "I was Superman, Tarzan, thought I was the star of a rock 'n roll band, you were Lois Lane, Lady Jane, I wasn't very good but you were the biggest fan that your mama warned you not to trust, baby look at us."
Placing his two ballads in the middle of his set, Craig says that "we don't slow it down that often" but that the lyrics of "Every Friday Afternoon" moved him to record the song. As his current single, the song is rapidly rising the charts. Craig performed it with so much passion it's as if he lived the lyrics of the song (about a father torn by the news of his ex moving cross country). Craig thanked the audience for taking "Almost Home" to the upper part of the charts. A moving story of a homeless man who wants to be left alone, the ballad was an unexpected hit at radio. The crowd loved the song so-much and knew all of the words that they were able to sing the last verse for Craig, a neat way to be part of the show.
When Craig introduced "Money" by saying that his label called it a "ditty" that wasn't substantial, Craig said he replied with "that may be but it's TRUE!" And was he ever right, with lyrics about how many people chase the all-mighty dollar or anything worth something, the song hit home for me and probably most everyone else there (Craig walked down the main aisle of the front rows during this song). Craig then sang the song "Rollin' On" before he talked about being a "redneck" and how it inspired him to write a new song called "My Redneck of the Woods." a fun song, I imagine it'll be on his next record.
Craig closed out his set with three different songs, only one of which he's previously recorded. The first one was a new cut he wrote for Joe Diffie's next record. Called "I Am Country," the song sounded like a hit and one perfectly suited for Joe Diffie. Covering James Taylor's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," Craig was thanking everyone for coming out to see him. The final song was the show-stopper "Paradise." Craig was very patriotic throughout the whole set and as he told about being in the army for many years, the Military packed crowd (Ft. Lewis and McChord AFB are but two of the local military installations in the Seattle area) cheered heavily. Craig then dedicated his performance to a long-time friend who had just passed away a couple days before in Iraq.
With an even more impressive stage presence than Dierks Bentley, Craig Morgan showed the crowd who he is and that whenever you go to one of his shows, you're gonna have a great time.
Set List:
- You Never Know
- Something To Write Home About
- When A Man Can't Get A Woman Off His Mind
- Look At Us
- Every Friday Afternoon
- Almost Home
- Money
- Rollin' On
- My Redneck Of The Woods
- I Am Country
- How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
- Paradise