Lightning 100’s Nashville Sunday Night is always a one of a kind experience. All too many times, I have discovered my next favorite band inside these walls. Tonight is rainy and cold, but the growing crowd is all smiles. By the time John Moreland takes the stage at 9pm, the room is full.
His new single “Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars” is spinning constantly on Lightning 100. Every time he plays Nashville, the crowd grows exponentially.
It is not unusual to hear a minimal amount of bar chatter at a singer/songwriter show, but not tonight. The sound of a pin dropping would have been obtrusive. Every word, every resonation of the strings, every moment was received with the foremost attention. 3rd and Lindsley has never been so reverent.
Moreland’s music has been called sad, which is an oversimplification. It is introspective. It cuts past the external and dives straight into the deepest parts of all of us. His website describes it as, “Some days, being John Moreland has to hurt. As others bury experiences and stifle regrets, Moreland pokes old wounds until you’re sure they’ve got to be bleeding again. It’s painful. But in Moreland’s care, it is also breathtakingly beautiful.”
There is no way to fully convey the beauty that happened around us this evening. In one hour, Moreland full exposed every facet that one tries to keep hidden. “Blacklist” was the second song of the night and easily my favorite.
“So I’m trying not to think about home, and all that I miss
I swallowed my pride, and I cried, cause we didn’t exist
You said it’s now or never, well I never stop feeling that way
We get turned around, our spirits break down, we just lie and say we’re ok”
And here is his newest single, “Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars”
Update: John will be performing at Bonnaroo 2016 as part of Ed Helms‘ The Bluegrass Situation.
