The country starlet sold out two nights in our nation’s capital
Megan Moroney is one of—if not the singularly—most important country music crossover artist of the 2020s. She reaches the fan base that can scream Taylor Swift lyrics and Reba songs in equal measure. That much was obvious from the jump during night one on Wednesday (May 21st) of Moroney’s two-night stand at Washington, DC’s Anthem.
When Moroney burst on the scene just a few years ago with “Tennessee Orange,” she was compared favorably to Swift. But that’s reductive of the authenticity in her country music stylings. Instead, it’s her lyrics about growing up as an American Gen-Z female that appeals in the same way as Swift.
One such song, “Lucky,” is a two-stepping bar tune with a tongue-in-cheek message for the boys. “No Caller ID” had the crowd shouting overtop the steel guitar riff that acts as the backbone of the song.
Moroney is bringing an arena-sized stage show to six thousand seat seat general admission venues on her Am I Ok? Tour. A tall staircase lit up as it curled to the floor, framed by a velvet-blue upside down heart. Two abstract hearts signs flanked the upper platform, and behind that were three video screens. The quality of the stage set served to match the quality of Moroney’s twanged-up Georgia voice.
Another feature: the guitars Moroney played were as unabashedly girly as their strummer. There were pink ones, blue ones, and even sparkly ones. Moroney knows the lane she’s in as an artist speaking to—and for—women about the ups and downs of making most of life. And she revels in it.
Take “Hair Salon.” It describes how everyday life passes through beauty parlors, from victories to heartbreak. Moroney sang it softly yet emotively. The sold out crowd sang it back to her with the conviction of the young-yet-lived experience. *That* is the essence of real country music.
She’s also unafraid to sing about sexuality and double standards. One of the best country lyrics ever written have to to be, “I sleep on my side, you sleep with everyone.” That’s Megan: one part introspective, one part sassy, all original.
Moroney’s set concluded with the title track of her 2024 album, which is also the name of the tour. It asks, “Am I Okay?” And the answer is yes, Megan: you’ll be A-okay for quite some time.
