Not many artists can sell out a Huntington Bank Field concert. Fewer can do that multiple nights in a row.
But Morgan Wallen did. His sold-out, two-night “I’m The Problem” tour brings thousands upon thousands of fans to Downtown this weekend. It’s Cleveland’s biggest concert event of the year.
That’s the big reason to be here, I kept reminding myself, as we shuffled to our seats in the crowded stadium on Friday.
I already felt out of place, as a casual country music listener who hasn't engaged much with Wallen's whole thing — but this was a big show, for a big release. The easy-listening, genre-bending I’m The Problem album catalogues love and heartbreak, mixed with gulps of whiskey and beer. It broke streaming and chart records, spawning many new country-pop hits.
But beyond his music skills — and he is an extremely talented songwriter and musician — Wallen has a reputation in the industry. He made sure you knew about that (or at least some of that) on Friday night.
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Wearing a Jim Thome Cleveland Indians jersey and cap featuring a Chief Wahoo mascot (a choice), Wallen belted out the biting, twangy tour title track, “I’m The Problem” as a pre-encore grand finale. Behind him, news headlines flashed across the LED stage screens, highlighting a handful of cringey and negative Wallen media moments.
There was the time he violated Saturday Night Live’s coronavirus policies and got cut from the show — then there was the time he returned to SNL, only to walk offstage early during goodbyes — and then, from New York, he posted a photo of his private jet with the caption “get me to God’s country.” So goofy. There were headlines of reviews that called him “too country for pop and too pop for country” and that said his new 37-track new album is too long. (It kinda is.)
Notably, one of the biggest news headlines seemed to be missing from the anti-Wallen collage: the one that flooded the internet after he was caught shouting a racist slur while out drinking with friends.
While singing “I’m The Problem,” Wallen emphatically splashed a gas canister filled with water on the stage’s walkway. Then, he fake-threw a lighter into the fake gas. Planned fire balls burst up from the stage, as the images of all those headlines and newspapers smoldered in digital flames overhead.
He is clearly unhappy about the negative coverage, using the relationship song to tell that story (“If I'm the problem / You might be the reason”). It’s also clear that he doesn’t want people to forget about any of it, in this strange doubling down.
Wallen has been messy. He makes mistakes. He donates money. He apologizes in videos and statements to his millions of followers on social media.
And those followers only seem to grow.
On Friday, folks started lining up outside of the stadium at 3 a.m. to get the perfect view of the country star, according to Fox 8 reports. Those fans — many wearing cowboy boots, trucker hats and denim — crowded Huntington Bank Field on Friday and clogged the Wallen merchandise booths ahead of the show.
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But first, Miranda Lambert put on a peppy performance, complete with a delightful country cover of The Champs’ “Tequila.” Even earlier, Gavin Adcock and Zach John King played twangy sets for a half-empty stadium.
The crowd showed up in force for the headliner as he made his way to the stage, escorted by none other than ... Kid Rock. Children held up signs proclaiming their love for the star. Some kids knew every lyric; a young girl seated behind us loudly sang along to songs about chain smoking (“20 Cigarettes”) and getting extremely drunk (“Whiskey Glasses”).
I didn’t sing. I did bob along to some of the lighter songs, especially those about his Tennessee hometown or about drinking beer (hell yeah). His acoustic set of “I’m A Little Crazy,” “Sand In My Boots” and his cover of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up” was inspired and intimate, showcasing Wallen’s vocal range, plus his piano and guitar skills. He played to every corner of the stadium, and occasionally, when he held his microphone down too low near the crowd, it picked up the high-pitched screams of audience members nearby. He wasn’t over-the-top; a simple, brusque “thank you” tied up each song and he shared short stories about his son and his rise to success.
Paired with a solid backing band — guitarist and pedal steel player Tony Aichele, drummer Mark “Taco” Annino, bassist Luke Rice, keyboardist Chris Gladden and guitarists Dominic Frost and Tyler Tomlinson — Wallen’s songs of yearning, brokenness, love and home effectively got the stadium treatment while still feeling close to heart.
But I still felt as out-of-place as I ever did, as we left the stadium after the last round of firecrackers blasted off. The vibes were simply off. Questions of acknowledgement versus accountability swirled in my mind after that statement-making closer. “If I'm the problem / You might be the reason.”
This, along with Saturday’s show, will be Cleveland’s biggest concert of the season. And that is kind of a bummer.
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Morgan Wallen, Aug. 15 Cleveland Set List:
1. “Ain't That Some”
2. “Kick Myself”
3. “I Got Better”
4. “Love Somebody”
5. “You Proof”
6. “20 Cigarettes”
7. “Dark Til Daylight”
8. “Kiss Her in Front of You”
9. “Don't We”
10. “Cover Me Up” (Jason Isbell cover)
11. “I'm a Little Crazy”
12. “Sand in My Boots”
13. “Up Down”
14. “I Had Some Help” (Post Malone cover)
15. “Superman”
16. “TN”
17. “What I Want”
18. “Thinkin' Bout Me”
19. “This Bar”
20. “More Than My Hometown”
21. “Whiskey Glasses”
22. “I'm the Problem”
Encore:
23. “Last Night”
24. “Just in Case”
25. “The Way I Talk”
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