Morgan Wade leaves fans Obsessed at First Ave Show
The momentum surrounding Morgan Wade’s rise was on full display Friday night at First Avenue and the fans ensured she felt and heard their support the entire evening as they belted each song and were locked in.
Warming things up on the mainstage was Theo Kandel with his humor and charismatic set. Theo kicked it off by engaging the crowd with a few tales from home, NYC, sharing his most recent travels to the Twin Cities, and sharing his most recent food find while in town. Shout out to Our Kitchen. However, this busker-like approach was brilliantly coordinated to lead into a few of his first tracks including, Flight to JFK. An airport he passionately shared he despises, but inspired an opening track the crowd right away soaked up.
As a new comer to Theo’s music I was immediately drawn in by his stage presence and though he was quick to claim his act isn’t comedic, nor is he a comedian, I could’ve been convinced. The set played with different styles Theo has built up through his career and did a fantastic job energizing the crowd with an assortment of song choices and one brief cover song to break things up. I know Theo was just in Minneapolis twice in the last month or so but I hope to catch him again on his next pass through.
Then, out came Morgan. At the risk of sounding dramatic, fanboy, over the top I will say this. There is an energy when certain artists are about to come on stage, an energy that I can only summarize with my audible response to a couple of fans last night “Wow, you can FEEL the energy and passion in here” to which they agreed and proceeded to sing every song through the night. And as if that energy was not clearly evident, it wasn’t just the couple fans but majority of those in attendance singing along to EVERY song and with passion. And I can’t blame them, Morgan’s energy and voice are raw with lyrics that we all can relate to or the very least feel the story they’re telling.
If you’re just diving into Morgan’s career her rise has been steadily gaining steam for the last few years fueled heavily by albums; Reckless and Psychopath. Wilder Days, released in 2021 is still a fan favorite and one I usually suggest if you need a quick sample of her storytelling and sound. For her fans at First Ave you could tell many of them had been there since the Wilder Days, or day one, and tracks that in any other show would be filler, were yet another sing-along opportunity or moment for fans to soak in the moment and the nostalgia trip within the words. And that is perhaps what is most evident in Morgan’s music and Morgan the person, there is a rawness and journeyed spirit that comes with her words and voice that is hard to find and not to miss.
I would be mistaken if I didn’t make mention of Morgan’s band in covering this show. I will admit it was the one piece of the puzzle in this show I was unsure of as I had only known Morgan’s music via studio recordings and a few studio C style performances online. So naturally I wondered, how does it translate to a live show. Answer, it translates beautifully and they absolutely deliver with the fluidity of how they play off each other in different songs and allow space for one another to run with a song and share the stage. It was incredibly fun to watch and listen to each contribute.
Morgan’s set(full list below) was full of of songs ranging her whole career with an emphasis on her most recent album, Obsessed, and past album Psychopath. Later in the show even throwing in a cover of Jessie’s Girl, which I gotta say the band absolutely killed and the guitar riffs built in were SO smooth. Maybe there’s a live or jam album in the future?. The show appealed to all varieties of fans and after missing her Yach Club performance last year I got my fill of Morgan and her band’s live show, at least for now. If I were to recommend tracks for the newcomers reading along, I would suggest beginning with Wilder Days, Take Me Away, Last Cigarette, and Carry Me Home. Each captures her various eras and albums demonstrating her lyricism and captivating vocals.
This show was one I will be making sure to note for the future because I am certain Morgan’s rise is just getting started and I can’t wait to see her again and see what her future projects bring us.
