Perhaps it’s his ten years in the Army and shows at military bases from Iraq and Afghanistan and across the United States. Or, maybe his love of hunting and everything outdoors. Or, maybe just his easy going demeanor. Whatever it is Craig Morgan comes off as a mild-mannered good ‘ole boy who loves to perform his music. For the crowd at Thirsty Cowboy last Saturday night (2/25), that’s exactly what they got.
Morgan hit the stage and the sold out crowd went wild. When he sang the first word of this opening song “International Harvester,” it got even louder. The crowd sang along and you could tell that Morgan was enjoying every second, playing to the crowd in a way that up and coming singers could take notes from. No big lights or fancy stage set-up, just good Country music sung by a guy who sings every song as though he has lived them.
Morgan followed with his hit “Little Bit Of Life,” and the #1 song “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” which had the crowd glued to every word. He went on to include the top twenty song from his That’s Why album, “This Ain’t Nothing,” and the title track from his latest album A Whole Lot More To Me, which gave him a chance to show a different side.
At one point during the show Morgan fulfilled a promise that he made to service men when he played in Iraq and Afghanistan. He had told those military men that if they ever came to see his show when they were back in the states that he would buy them a beer. Morgan found one of those men in the crowd and shook his hand and handed him a beer from a cooler he had on stage and followed with his version of Gavin DeGraw’s “Soldier.”
The 52-year-old singer went on to perform the first single released from his A Whole Lot More To Me album, “I’m That Country.” The song is pure Country and filled with the lyrics that were co-written by Morgan – “Like a homegrown tomato, fresh off the vine. Pimentos and cornbread and dandelion wine. Square bales and white tales and coffee by the pound … “A mason jar full of sweet tea, I’m that country.” The song made me feel like I was back in a time when Country music was real and every song told a story.
His first Top Ten hit “Almost Home” was followed by one of his biggest hits, “Redneck Yacht Club.” That song was not only a crowd pleaser, but was probably sung louder by the packed house than any other of Morgan’s standards all night.
The night ended with another of songs from Morgan’s arsenal. The Top 5 song “Bonfire,” which again was sung along by almost everyone in the sold out Thirsty Cowboy crowd. The folks made up of every age from teenagers to retirees were lost in the music all night and Morgan definitely made his first show ever at the Medina club one to remember.
Opening the show on the evening was Green, Ohio’s own Kyle Thomas. The up and coming singer and songwriter has been splitting his time between Nashville and Ohio since last year. His acoustic set was a perfect addition on the night and I am sure we will be hearing a lot more from him soon.
Photos: Craig Morgan performing at Thirsty Cowboy in Medina last Saturday, February 25, 2017. (Photos by Charlie Kriak/CCM)