Sam Hunt and Maren Morris are undoubtedly two of the hottest young-and-rising stars on country radio today. Each artist only has one major label album to his or her credit – Hunt released “Montevallo” in 2014 and Morris put out “Hero” in 2016 – however, between them they’ve had nearly a dozen radio hits.
Out on the 15 in a 30 Tour, a nod to a line from Hunt’s latest track, “Body Like a Back Road,” the duo turned a Tuesday night, their first of two evenings at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, into a massive sing-along. It seemed that these loyal devotees weren’t just paying attention to mainstream radio and plucking the singles from iTunes, they’re devouring the entire record and showing up ready to sing back even the deepest of cuts.
It was an obvious phenomenon that Morris made note of as she belted out her sassy, reggae-infused song “Rich.”
“Even though it’s not on the radio, it’s beautiful that you know it,” she said with a smile as she let the crowd take over on the rest of the track.
The last time Morris was in town, she was attending the 59th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center back in February where she won a Grammy for best country solo performance with her debut single, “My Church.”
“Never in my dreams did I think I’d win a Grammy for this song,” the 27-year-old Texas native said. She strapped on an acoustic guitar and a bright light lit up behind her, giving her an appropriate angelic glow as she delivered the song with everyone roaring along.
Morris has a powerful and impressive vocal range that blurs the lines between country and pop. Her set opener, “Sugar” is a bouncy, fun track and “Just Another Thing” is about some of her “bad decisions.” She showed some true vulnerability and showcased her vocal chops with the heartbreaking ballad, “Once” and admitted that it was difficult to release a ballad as a single in the dead of summer before she sang her latest, “I Could Use a Love Song.”
Things picked back up with the more rockin’ “80s Mercedes” and she closed her turn with the song “Second Wind” with just a touch of Beyoncé’s “Halo” mixed in.
Hunt, a 32-year-old singer-songwriter from Georgia, has drastically improved his live performance. In the last couple of years, he’s served as a supporting act for artists such as Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney, but the 15 in a 30 Tour is his very first headlining run. It seems he’s turned what once seemed like a musical identity crisis into a cohesive set, filled with big moments that give fans a better understanding about who he is as an artist.
He came out strong and ready to rage with his hit, “Leave the Night On,” which received a huge response from the audience. Without skipping a beat, he launched into “House Party” and got everyone on their feet and dancing along. Though those first two tracks are far more pop leaning, he then hit the audience with the more country-sounding “Raised on It.”
He followed it with “Saturday Night,” though his voice seemed to give out a bit as he soared through the chorus. He slowed down a bit with “Cop Car,” a song he wrote that was recorded and released by Keith Urban. Hunt talked about how he and his current wife, Hannah Fowler, had actually been put in handcuffs and thrown into the back of a cop car for breaking into an airport to sit in their truck and watch the planes take off and land directly over them. He also impressed and got couples holding hands and slow dancing along with the sweet ballad, “I Met a Girl.”
Hunt told the crowd that four years ago, he and his band were traveling around in a van “eating gas station pizza and sleeping four or five deep at the Red Roof Inn,” until country star Billy Currington decided to cut Hunt’s track, “We Are Tonight.”
“It helped put change in my pocket to help keep this thing alive and going,” he said as he delivered his version of the hit song.
Back in the day, Hunt said he didn’t care much about music genres, he just knew he loved both country and R&B music. Growing up, he said, “I couldn’t tell you the difference between Nirvana and Madonna, but I knew every single Alan Jackson song.”
Wearing an acoustic guitar and sitting on a bar stool, Hunt launched into Jackson’s “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” and transitioned into Travis Tritt’s “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares).” As he got older and expanded his musical palate, he said he found R&B music and in a similar style he launched into Usher’s “Nice and Slow” and R. Kelly’s “Ignition.” All of the executives in Nashville told him blending those genres wouldn’t work, however Kenny Chesney believed in him enough to pick up his song, “Come Over,” and make it a hit.
While it was still quiet, Hunt took a minute to talk about what was going on in the United States.
“You don’t pay attention to genres of music and genres of people,” he said, letting the crowd know that he appreciates that they all listen to what sounds good and hang out with whoever they like regardless of race.
“When this generation takes over, you’re all gonna tear down some of the walls that have been built,” he continued.
The remainder of the set was solid as he brought back up the energy with “Body Like a Back Road,” one of his biggest hits, “Take Your Time,” and the sultry cut, “Ex to See.” For the encore, Hunt came out on the piano for “Make You Miss Me,” his voice much smoother than it had been during previous ballads and he ended the night with a mash-up of “Break Up in a Small Town” and “Drinkin’ Too Much.”
Sam Hunt’s 15 In a 30 Tour
With: Maren Morris, Chris Janson and Ryan Follese
When: Tuesday, Aug. 15
Where: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
Also: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16 at the Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. Tickets start at $65 at 800-745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com.
