Morgan Wallen @ Quodos Bank Arena

Review by Andrew Isaacson

Morgan Wallen turned Qudos Bank Arena into an Eastern Tennessee vibe on March 22, as part of his “One Night At A Time” World Tour along with HARDY, ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman. 

The East Tennessee native and popular American country singer performed two nights in a row to a sold out crowd and he put on an awesome show. He showed the city why his music has over 12.3 billion on-demand streams and The New Yorker called him “the most wanted man in country.” 

It once again felt like home getting to watch another American musician in Australia as part of my Sydney experience. Last night was also my first country music concert. 

All the songs were incredible and I loved seeing how personal Wallen and the other country singers got with the crowd. He was taking selfies on phones from some of the audience members, threw roses into the stands, shotgunned a beer and shared a lot of personal stories including how having a son helped changed his life mindset. 

HARDY performed Blake Shelton’s song “God’s Country” during his set and he said regardless of which country you live in, there will always be a special place for everyone to call home. That moment in the show made me think about growing up in New York City and how that will always be my first home. 

Back to Wallen, something else I enjoyed about his performance was how his songs varied from an upbeat tune to a calmer melody. The set started off with a bang and it included one of my personal favorite songs from him “One Thing at a Time,” which is also the name of his newest album.

The 36-song album is currently number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the second week in a row. It came out on March 3 and it was the third studio album he’s released. 

I also enjoyed seeing Wallen bring his best friends back on stage during the show when he performed “Flower Shops” with ERNEST and “He Went to Jared” with HARDY. 

Something else I admire about Wallen’s music is how personable and relatable they are to him and talk about the challenges he’s encountered throughout his life. Almost two hours into the show, he came back out for an encore and the songs he sang included “Last Night” and “Whiskey Glasses.” 

“Last Night” is another top Wallen song for me which is about him trying to maintain a complicated relationship. 

It was fitting that he ended the concert with “Whiskey Glasses” since that’s his go-to alcoholic drink, but it’s also helped him cope with heartbreak and move on from his sins. 

Wallen hasn’t let any controversies and past mistakes stop him from being on top in the country music world and from selling out two shows in Sydney. 

This was another special concert in Sydney and really made me feel like I was in Tennessee during the show. Wallen showed why he already is a country music star and his popularity extends all the way to the Down Under. Many more shows to come for Wallen in Sydney in the future.