Maren Morris Celebrates 10 Years of ‘Hero’ With Sold Out Ryman Show, Surprises Crowd With Michelle Branch and Cassadee Pope Duets

Maren Morris is celebrating the album that started it all. To mark 10 years since the release of Hero, her major label debut, the country singer took the stage at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for a special anniversary show.

The sold out crowd was rapt as Morris played through the entire 16-track LP from front to back. After getting things started with “Sugar” and “Rich,” Morris took time to address the crowd.

“It’s good to be home,” she said. “Thank you for being here tonight. This is a very special show. We’re celebrating 10 whole years of the album that changed my life.”

Morris went on to note that the night also came 10 years after she made her performance debut at the Ryman, where she opened up for Chris Stapleton in 2016.

She continued her speech by praising Busbee, the late songwriter with whom she wrote her first hit, “My Church.” Though Morris admitted it felt odd to play such a huge song so early in her set, she said she was committed to playing the LP in order.

Before the opening notes of the celebrated song rang out, Morris reflected on her debut album once more.

“The songs are eternal, the memories are eternal,” she said. “Thank you for making this one of mine.”

After a group singalong of “My Church,” a barefoot Morris zipped through the rest of the album, playing everything from “Drunk Girls Don’t Cry” to “Second Wind.”

When she got to the bonus track “Company You Keep,” Morris dedicated the performance to her mom, who was in the house for the special show.

Also present was Ryan Hurd, Morris’ ex-husband with whom she shares a 6-year-old son, Hayes.

As she was introducing “We Can’t Be Friends,” a song she and Hurd wrote together, Morris expressed gratitude for the state of their relationship and their ability to co-parent effectively.

“I’m glad that we made it this far. I appreciate you showing up tonight,” she said. “I love the s**t we wrote together and I stand by it.”

The Hero performances came to an end with “Hard Liquor and Soft Rock,” but the show continued on.

Maren Morris Plays Her Biggest Hits, Welcomes Out Special Guests

“We just blew through a whole album, but we’re not done,” Morris assured the crowd. After Morris performed her 2018 hit “The Middle,” she welcomed out her first guest of the night, Michelle Branch.

“If you had told me in my room watching MTV or TRL that we would be here tonight and you would be playing my childhood guitar, this is nuts!” Morris marveled.

The women teamed up for a special version of “Goodbye to You,” which Morris said they “may have recorded” together.

After that show-stopping performance, Morris delighted the crowd by singing her 2019 hit, “Girl.”

Before playing her last song of the night, Morris addressed the crowd one last time, delivering a message to both her son and her younger self.

“You are going to grow so much in very uncomfortable ways, because that’s how growth works. You’re not always going to do it gracefully, but you know your heart,” she said. “You matter. You don’t have to be productive to matter.”

“I’m proud of you. I think we’re gonna go so far. Sometimes you’re gonna f**k up… but life’s never given you more than you can handle,” Morris added. “The fact that you’re still here, you’re still questioning things, you’re having tantrums, you’re having forgiveness, I’m proud of you and I love you.”

With that, the opening notes to “Bones” rang out, and Morris joyfully performed the 2019 hit. Just when fans thought the show was over, Morris brought out Cassadee Pope to sing one more verse of the song as the crowd sang and danced along.

Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images

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