Australia has always been a nation that loves country music. From the CMC Rocks Country Music festival to the Golden Guitar Awards, the genre holds a steady place in the Australian music psyche. With Kip Moore returning for his fifth set of shows in Australia, the ICC Sydney Theatre crowd was brimming with excitement as he hit the stage with his excellent band in tow. 

Before Moore performed his headlining set, the crowd was treated to opening sets by Sons of the East and James Johnston. Johnston in particular was superb, stunning the crowd with a high-octane set of Australian country music hits. His vivacious performance of “Same Songs” was especially noteworthy, with the near-capacity crowd responding to the incredible energy on stage. Given the quality of his set, it would be great to see Johnston headlining his own full-length show in Sydney sometime soon. 

When Moore hit the stage amid an introductory “Piano Man” soundtrack, the crowd went absolutely wild. Moore did not speak a great deal during his set, instead filling his time with a huge amount of songs back-to-back, which really allowed him and his band to work through his catalogue and allowed the audience to appreciate his musical style and journey.

Moore’s style of music is a very typical contemporary country sound but throughout the show, he backed this up with superb musicianship, in conjunction with his fabulous band. The ensemble played in tight harmony, with the opening songs “Fire and Flame” and “Damn Love” showing off the scope of their skills. 

As the night moved on, Moore transitioned into some of his biggest hits. The catchy anthem “Beer Money” had the crowd singing along as Moore really started to come into his own. This was followed up by “She’s Mine” and “More Girls Like You” which provided a change of pace, whilst still allowing the audience to connect with some of Moore’s biggest hits. 

Interspersed within the setlist was some short narrative about Moore’s love for Sydney and for Australia. While this is a prerequisite of any touring artist’s set, Moore’s words about the nation felt very genuine, especially in circumstances where he had returned so many times over the last decade. The love he showed the crowd felt very mutual as his loyal audience clearly appreciated the depth of the show he was putting on. 

While the musicianship displayed during the show was top-notch throughout, after some time, the pacing of the show began to slow slightly, with the songs building into a familiar rhythm. Some diversification of the set, perhaps through some covers, would have been welcome through the middle of the performance to break up the flow a little. 

However, it was not too long before Moore launched into his biggest hit, “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck.” As the quintessential country anthem, the song had the crowd on their feet, singing and dancing along as Moore and his band immersed themselves in the raucous atmosphere of those singing along. It was a fantastic moment which it was clear that everyone in the room more than appreciated. 

When Moore came back for an encore, the crowd went wild as he treated the audience to a story about the end of his relationship with his first love which led into the somewhat rarely played “Guitar Man”. It was a great segue into the song and a fabulous way to close out the night. 

Overall, this was a very strong concert, with Moore playing exactly what his fanbase came to see. This was an extremely professional set, with all the hits played with feel and gusto. While the set could have used some diversification through its middle, it was a top-notch showcase of the country genre at its best and for that, the audience came away extremely satisfied with a great night of music.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Kip Moore – 28^th September, 2024 – ICC Sydney Theatre