Concert review: Morgan Wallen finds God's country in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium

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Morgan Wallen relishes the drama.

The country megastar is well aware of the controversies that have marked his career. Wallen has fully embraced his “bad boy” label, even naming his album and tour “I’m the Problem,” which is half “whaddayagonna do about it?” and half “ain’t I a stinker?” If any of his fans had difficulties separating the art from the artist, it certainly wasn’t the case for the thousands who turned up Friday night as Wallen kicked off the first of two sold-out concerts at Commonwealth Stadium. 

Beginning the show was his customary “boxer ring walk” video showing Wallen strolling through the venue’s bowels and up to the stage with a local celebrity, in Edmonton’s case, it was Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Wearing a simple orange tank top and a backwards ballcap, the Sneedville, Tennessee-native had a down-to-earth demeanour, echoed by the throngs of men in the Commonwealth audience with a similar look. It was a sweltering September evening before Wallen took the stage, which produced the sweatiest mullets this side of a Billy Ray Cyrus lookalike concert in Yuma.

Starting with “Ain’t That Some,” Wallen and his crackerjack band brought an intensity to Commonwealth that didn’t let up for two hours. He ran to every corner of the stage with a microphone in hand, including the lengthy catwalk, singing and mugging for the rapturous audience. Songs “Kick Myself” and “I Got Better” reinforced the tour’s theme of unrepentance, especially in the latter’s refrain of “‘Cause I got better since you got gone.” 

It was a night of hits, with an emphasis on his latest still-topping-the-charts album, “I’m The Problem” and 2023’s “One Thing At A Time.” With 73 songs between those two albums, Wallen could perform a marathon four-hour concert pulled exclusively from the two lengthy collections, perhaps the most minor of his criticisms.

Despite being billed as country music, the songs Wallen records stray far from the traditional Nashville trappings. Throughout the night, fans heard trap drums and Wallen slipping into a cadence more akin to hip-hop than Hank Williams. This is part of his success — the ability to make music that you’d hear on a contemporary country music station, but also appeals to the non-country music fan. When you hear the skittering high-hats and the sighing guitar line of “Cowgirls,” you’re listening to the future of country music. Silence the sound on the Commonwealth stage, you might think you were watching a rock band the way the guitarists thrashed, legs splayed out in power stances as pyrotechnics erupted around them, while Wallen crouches on the stage, howling into the mic.

Make no mistake, this was primarily a country music concert, reinforced by videos of farm equipment and trucks driving down dirt roads played on the giant screens above the stage. The only questionable moment of the night was the unrolling of a giant American flag for one song, but then again, Wallen loves drama.

Some songs benefited from a stripped-down approach, such as the gorgeous, shimmering “Dark Til Daylight,” which had Wallen strapping on an acoustic guitar and crooning about finding solace from heartbreak through whiskey and getting stoned. As is customary for many arena shows, Wallen moseyed on down to a smaller “b-stage” for a short set, paying homage to his earlier touring days in small venues where he could “make eye contact with everyone in the building.” The mini set included his cover of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” and a piano rendition of “Sand In My Boots.” Prior to “I’m A Little Crazy,” Wallen said he was sending prayers to the wife of assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Being a large touring show complete with scheduled fireworks, accompanying videos, and a fancy light show from the blinking wristbands handed out to attendees, there was no room for the musicians to noodle or improvise, with each song ending succinctly and Wallen’s drill-sergeant yelping of “thank yew!” He spent a little time speaking to the audience and adding commentary to some of his songs, but mostly stuck to the script.

The second half of the show found another gear, with Wallen returning to the stage decked out in an Edmonton Oilers’ Wayne Gretzky jersey, launching into the energetic hit he had last year with Post Malone, “I Had Some Help” and the see-sawing “Up Down,” which had him joined by opener Zach John King. Ella Langley, who was also on the bill and led the crowd earlier in its first singalong of the night with her “You Look Like You Love Me,” came out to take Calgary’s Tate McRae’s part in the duet “What I Want.”

The one opener who did not join Wallen on stage was Miranda Lambert, whose subdued set ran counter to his high-octane performance. Lambert, the consummate country songsmith, ran through a tight set of her hits, but other than her exuberant smile and the best T-shirt of the night (Danny Hooper’s Stockyard), didn’t connect with the audience’s outdoor party vibe. 

Wallen’s classic drunken heartbreak epic “Whiskey Glasses” generated the loudest response towards the end of his set. His band pogoed and duckwalked behind him as he sang his upbeat tale of woe, even slipping in some semi-guttural heavy metal shouting. The show climaxed with the song, “I’m the Problem,” with a video montage of headlines and social media posts highlighting Wallen’s past indiscretions, all while he pours out fake gasoline from a jerry can on stage, eventually lighting it up in a wall of fire. Oh, the drama.

The encore saw Wallen return to sing his inescapable 2023 hit “Last Night,” before launching into “Just in Case” and “The Way I Talk.” After a few final “thank yews,” Wallen ended the night by providing autographs for fans.

It’s no wonder Wallen’s tour ends in Edmonton, with Toronto being the only other Canadian stop. As long as the party keeps going, Albertans are willing to overlook bad behaviour. Could Alberta be Wallen’s God’s country? The Edmonton audience likely would enthusiastically agree.

Wallen performs again Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium, with Brooks & Dunn taking over for Lambert.

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