JOHN MORGAN

Opry Plaza Summer Concert Series Powered by Whiskey Jam

Friday August 18, 2023

@ Grand Ole Opry House Plaza in Nashville, TN

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis)

When the very popular Opry Plaza Summer Concert Series announced that they had partnered with Whisky Jam, there was a different type of buzz that circulated town then in previous years; An unbridled excitement that saw the two famous entities combining a stellar lineup of the fresh and new with the aura of the most legendary name in all of country music. 

The plaza has continually drawn slews of country music lovers to hot performances since Memorial Day weekend with featured names such as Emily Ann Roberts, Brit Taylor, Taylor Austin Dye, Haley Mae Campbell, Lauren Watkins, Georgia Webster, and many more!

As Labor Day weekend now quickly draws near - the closing weekend of this year’s season - this past Friday night welcomed hitmaking songwriter/artist John Morgan to the plaza stage just weeks after making his Grand Ole Opry debut.

As a songwriter, the BBR/Night Train Records signed Morgan hit big with two #1 smashes from country superstar Jason Aldean (“Trouble With A Heartbreak” and “If I Didn’t Love You), while he’s conquered the festival circuit as an artist all summer long, attracting high praise for his performances and garnering strong recognition for his songs “Friends Like That,” “Sorry Not Sorry,” “Man of Few Words,” and his latest release, “Cold Summer in San Antone.”

As a stacked Opry lineup, which featured Carrie Underwood, Dustin Lynch, Jenna Paulette, and Connie Smith, was fixin’ to take the stage inside the Opry House, to say then that plaza was buzzing with excitement would be a massive understatement. The gathering crowd started to fill the front of the plaza stage well before the doors to the Opry House officially opened, which only worked to the benefit of Morgan as he pulled them in one note at a time.

Opening with “Sorry Not Sorry,” he quickly drew in the crowd with his blue collar, country boy edge as the plaza’s partygoers instantly bopped along with the rock kissed country strike though his unapologetic ode to the country branded lifestyle he lives and loves.

“We’re gonna play y’all the very first song that we put out,” Morgan enthusiastically told as he brought us straight to the heartbroken bar side stool with the tempo kicked “Coldest Beer In Town,” lamenting on the memories of her leaving that are sticking with him, likening her ways to being colder than even the coldest beer.

Dedicating “Man of Few Words” to his wife, who happened to be in the crowd, John softened the pace as he autobiographically told though the verses of usually being the quiet type, before then expertly flipping the script to hit the ultra-catchy chorus where he confessed that he becomes over talkative when gushing about how amazing she is.

Staying the realm of moments with he and his wife, “Memories in the Moonlight” continued pumping sway along rhythms over the crowd as the feel-good melody wrapped around lyrics that painted small town pictures of a night out in the country together, dancing in the headlights as “Desperado” played on the radio.

After gratefully thanking everyone for coming to hang out with him before an incredible night at the Grand Ole Opry, he continued into his set with “Good With Goodbye,” enticing a sing along with his diehard fans while excitedly asking through a smile, “So, some of y’all have heard that one?”

Sharing a bit of his backstory of moving to town to chase the songwriting dream while talking about the influence that Keith Whitley has had on him, he then praised Jason Aldean for championing him and making his dream come true, immediately earning another sing along with his acoustic rendition of “If I Didn’t Love You” as phones popped to record the “Only in Nashville” moment while couples slid closer into one another to sway along in perfect rhythm.

Keeping it acoustic to allow the songwriter side of the Nashville music community to shine in the spotlight, Morgan brought us straight into the writing room with an amazingly raw version of “Trouble With A Heartbreak,” allowing the edges of his vocal to really carry the grit and power of the lyrics as the crowd showered him with a sing back moment through the chorus of the #1 smash.

“Do we have any Tom Petty fans out there today?” he asked to a rousing cheer as he delivered a softly, tender version of “Free Fallin’,” giving the plaza a truly memorable snapshot as everyone raised their voices through the chorus of the American classic in a proof showing moment of how music can provide total unity.

After an incredible, mid-set run of a few acoustic songs that turned the Opry Plaza into a songwriter round experience, Morgan switched back over to his electric and picked things back up with the ultra-swampy “Way I Would,” pounding through the pure freedom that only a back road escape can give to the soul when you’re feeling trapped in a concrete jungle, taking us on a ride to the holler, through the moonshine hills, and out to where the feel good dirt lays underneath his boots.

Keeping the crowd bopping along with his breakthrough single “Friends Like That,” his diehards once again sang along with every word as they soaked in the moment while the casual passerby who stopped in for only a song or two instantly search his social pages to give him a like, putting a winning mark on a very strong performance that had now earned him several new fans.

Bringing a feel-good, sunshiny groove to his set with “Raised Right Here,” Morgan stayed squarely in his blue collar, country boy charm as he gratefully praised the way that his mama and daddy raised him in a familiar, down-home type of setting where the moon still shines brightly, Sundays were for churching, and boots were meant to be worn for hard work.

Pushing the gritter edge of his voice into the introspective “One More Sunset,” he once again hushed the crowd and gripped them with his heartfelt look at what he’d do if he only had one day left, painting the perfect visuals of a dropped down tailgate night he’d spend with his wife saturated in what matters most.

“I’m assuming that we got some country music fans here tonight, and that’s the whole reason I put out this next song,” explained John. “I’ve always loved the 90’s and early 2000’s country music, and this song is my representation of that,” he finished as “Cold Summer In San Antone” brought a traditional kissed flare to his set, while his country version of Three Doors Down’s “Here Without You” expertly showed just how easily the song lends itself to the country vibe.

I got to write this one with David Lee Murphy, and it holds a really special place in my heart. We’ll be putting it out in a month or so, so y’all stay tuned,” he teased as he closed his set with “Ain’t Been There Yet,” leaving a strong lasting impression on the exuberant crowd with a heightened anticipation of what’s still to come from him, perfectly striking its final notes just as the doors for the Opry show officially opened.

FULL SET LIST
1) Sorry Not Sorry
2) Coldest Beer In Town
3) Man of Few Words
4) Memories in the Moonlight
5) Good With Goodbye
6) If I Didn't Love You
7) Trouble With A Heartbreak
8) Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)
9) Way I Would
10) Friends Like That
11) Raised Right Here
12) One More Sunset
13) Cold Summer in San Antone
14) Here Without You (Three Doors Down cover)
15) Ain't Been There Yet

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