Show Review: John Moreland Brings Sad Songs and Quiet Salvation to the Ram’s Head
From Americana Highways
“We’ll open up old wounds in celebration / If we don’t bleed, it don’t feel like a song,” John Moreland sang midway through his stunning set at the Ram’s Head in Annapolis. The crowd didn’t wince—they nodded. That line felt like a thesis statement, a reminder of why so many of us turn to sad songs in the first place. Not to wallow but to witness.
Moreland’s music has always been rooted in sorrow, but it’s never maudlin. On stage, he transforms pain into something sacred. His voice—rough-edged, ragged with grace—wrapped around each lyric like a prayer.
Touring in support of his new album Visitor, Moreland delivered a set that was equal parts hushed and harrowing. These aren’t songs designed to uplift in the conventional sense. But make no mistake—they offer comfort, too. As science has started to show, shared sadness can be a salve. And on this night, in a nearly full room on a Wednesday night it absolutely was.
He opened with “The More You Say the Less It Means,” a slow burn that set the tone: stripped-down, sincere, and unrelentingly honest. Moreland is a big man with a modest stage presence—until he sings. Then, he commands the room. His voice fills every corner, not by force, but by feeling.
His songs explore the aftermath of heartbreak, the erosion of faith, and the quiet wreckage of identity. “I Need You to Tell Me Who I Am” feels more like a cry for help than a performance (“I was born with a bomb inside”), while “Cherokee” is both confession and surrender: “I guess I’ve got a taste for poison / I’ve given up on ever being well.”
Even the more upbeat tracks carry weight. “Losing Sleep Tonight” featured a standout guitar solo and the kind of lyric that stops you mid-sip: “Bury me in a box with my mistakes / ‘Cause this lonely room’s a prison.”
Moreland’s setlist spanned his career, from longtime fan favorite “You Don’t Care for Me Enough to Cry” to the quietly devastating “Blacklist” (“Maybe I don’t have it in me / Maybe it doesn’t have me in it”). “Visitor,” the title track from his new album, was a highlight: “Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been a visitor.”
Opener Ramsey Thornton delivered an intriguing set of ambient acoustic ballads, backed by guitarist and harmony vocalist Isaac Stalling. The duo’s sound—spare, poetic, and slightly eerie—felt like emo slam poetry filtered through a Southern gothic lens. “Dripping Coffee” stood out as a high point.
https://ramseythorntonmusic.com
Miranda Lambert once said that discovering Moreland’s music during a rough patch “taught me it’s okay to be honest about your feelings.” That spirit ran through the whole night.
As Lambert knows, and as Moreland masterly demonstrated, Sad songs aren’t just for sad people. They’re for anyone who’s ever needed a little darkness to better appreciate the light.
John Moreland’s tour continues through September. If your soul could use a little tending, don’t miss him. Find tour dates here:
Enjoy our review here: REVIEW: John Moreland “Visitor”