You know you have some loyal fans when people are waiting for hours out in the cold just to get into the venue and save a spot close to the stage. William Michael Morgan has those type of fans, many because he reminds them of country music of days gone by and others are swooning, ready to take in all of the singer with their ears and their eyes.
Morgan made a stop at Thirsty Cowboy in Medina last Friday and after a little time off was definitely ready to perform. The Mississippi native hit the stage wearing his cowboy hat and jeans with an intro of some Johnny Cash, he then kicked right into “Somethin’ to Drink About” from his debut album Vinyl. The song set the tone for the evening with the lyrics and the vibe that lends itself to a little pure country while featuring some rocking guitar licks.
With his debut album Morgan quickly distinguished himself from what was on the radio at the time. He stated that he stays true to the music he grew up on and then proved it by playing covers by Mark Chesnutt (“A Little Too Late”), Merle Haggard (“Ramblin’ Fever”) and George Strait (“Check Yes Or No”).
He covered most of the songs from Vinyl during his set including “People Like Me,” “Cheap Cologne,” “Backseat Driver” and crowd favorites. “Beer Drinker” and the title track. With the latter he had all of the women in the crowd in the palm of his hand and while he has been performing for over a decade, his confidence and stage persona has really grown since the last time I saw him only 9 months ago.
Aside from all of his hits and traditional country covers, Morgan performed the Train hit “Drops of Jupiter” which has become a mainstay in his live show arsenal. While not deviating too much from the original, the little twang in his voice and just the way he presents himself made it a fitting addition to a country show.
Morgan has been working on new material for his next project and had said that he might slip in a song during the show. He stayed true to his word when he performed “Talking to a Girl,” a song that he wrote and will be included on his next album. He followed up with a rousing rendition of the Georgia Satellites “Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” which had the crowd dancing and singing along.
The show wouldn’t be complete with him singing two of his biggest hits…so far. He brought out his top 30 song “Missing” and his No. 1 hit “I Met A Girl.” Both songs were like a big sing along for the crowd and again he had his female fans in awe of his performance.
The show at Thirsty Cowboy was Morgan’s third there and he and his band always seem to enjoy it. He left the stage on another high note with his cover of “I Pulled A Hank Last Night” which again let his band cut loose on what was a perfect ending to another great show.
Opening up the show for Morgan was Arizona native Austin Burke, who has been creating quite a buzz in Nashville since he released his self titled EP over a year ago. His music is not as traditional as Morgan’s, but he definitely made a good call by adding a song like Garth Brooks’ “Rodeo” into his set. His stage presence was definitely that of a high energy performer who shined on his songs “Sleepin’ Around” and “Whole Lot in Love.” Keep an eye on this guy, we are pretty sure we will be hearing a lot more from him in the not so distant future.
