Review | Sunday with Maren Is My Kind Of Church

While she’s still a Texas girl at heart, the Maren Morris who performed at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sunday night is a much more sophisticated and stronger woman than the one we saw here back in 2022. Those hard-earned life lessons that inevitably punch us all in the gut can leave scar tissue, but also wisdom and perspective, all of which were evident in her performance that night.

In a sparkly, sexy black gown and heels that emphasized every movement, Morris struck a confident pose as she sauntered center stage and opened the show with “cry in the car” from the spring 2025 album D R E A M S I C L E. The poignant lyrics, “I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay/Just stay out, just stay out, just stay out of the way,” set the powerful tone for the night that this is a woman in charge, who’s not to be messed with.

The 2016 song “80s Mercedes,” was up next, showing a captivated audience that she wasn’t just there to promote the new album, but to also take us on a trip down the memory lane of her songbook, which was a happy surprise. For this fourth show of the Dreamsicle Tour, Morris told us, “We’ve got [the] kinks out now, and we’re fully warmed up.” The sound seemed to click a little better at that point too, and the lyrics to “people still show up” (from D R E A M S I C L E), “Girl” (title song from the 2019 album), “cut!,” and “i hope i never fall in love,” (both from D R E A M S I C L E) came in loud and lovely and clear as a bell.

Referring to her recent divorce from singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd, Morris shared, “the only positive of modern dating is getting to write about it.” That was the perfect lead-in to her next song, “bed no breakfast,” a hilarious new track that starts out: “Hey, that was great / We should do this again soon / Hey, by the way / Weren’t those your keys and your pants on the floor in the other room?” ‘Nuf said — but it did give my colleague’s 5-year-old daughter’s choice of a Maren Morris hotel-style keychain as concert swag another layer of humor.

“The first time I ever played here was opening for Willie Nelson. I think it was in 2017 [it was, April 30, 2017, to be exact],” said Morris, as she sat down to chat with the audience a bit. “This is the least nervous I’ve ever been for a tour. … I’m entering my ‘not give a shit’ era!”

 

“too good,” as in “Too good to leave, too bored to stay” was up next, followed by more edgy humor in “be a bitch” (both new songs from D R E A M S I C L E) — with the hard to resist lines “I’ve been a peach / But you want an apple / I’m worth the reach / But you hate a hassle, asshole” — followed by her 2016 song “Rich.”

“grand bouquet,” and the title song for “dreamsicle” were up next, and Morris shared a bit about what a tough album this has been to make, but “I needed to write on those days,” and, “friends really glued me back together. Songs glued me back together, too.”

She continued, “I love to laugh and sass, but I think showing your pain is the bravest thing you can do.”

Morris showed all of those facets of herself and more as she slowed down the pace and played her guitar under the fiery moon on “The Tree” (from 2023’s The Bridge) and “holy smoke” (from D R E A M S I C L E). Her 2018 hit “The Middle” was once an ode to her very tall husband, but it hits differently now that they’ve split, still an easy-to-sing-along country-pop mashup, but with a bit more gravitas, like Morris herself. 

Probably the highlight of a really good evening of music was “My Church,” when Morris brought out her talented opening band Trousdale to harmonize with her. Can I get a hallelujah for established artists using their fame to help pull up young artists like this trio, who met through the music program at USC. Keep an eye on this group, whose melodic harmonies and Power Rangers meets I Dream of Jeannie outfits amplified some excellent songs. (Check out their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” here.)

That would have been a great finale, but Morris had a few more songs up her sleeve, including “carry me through” and “because, of course” from D R E A M S I C L E, before ending the night with the 2019 song “The Bones.” The uplifting chorus — “Baby, I know any storm we’re facing / Will blow right over while we stay put / The house don’t fall when the bones are good” — was a fitting capper for this grown-ass woman who knows she can weather a storm, and a Bowl full of fans who will happily weather it with her.