Morgan Evans has quietly established himself as one of Australia’s most successful country music exports, building a huge following across the United States and in Nashville in particular so it is always a pleasure when he returns to Australia where fans have more often seen him at CMC Rocks and other festival appearances than on a headline tour in recent years. This time, Evans brought his tour to the Enmore Theatre, which was nicely filled with country music fans eagerly awaiting his arrival.

Before the main event, the audience were treated to a support set from Evans’ partner, Laci Kaye Booth. With her throwback country sound and impressive vocals, Booth quickly won over the crowd and provided a strong opening to the evening, with her performance proving to be the ideal warm-up for what was to come. When Evans took to the stage, he immediately launched into the energetic “Beer Back Home” before following it with arguably his biggest hit, “Kiss Somebody”, which delighted the crowd. Playing one of your best-known songs so early in a set can be a risky move, but it paid off handsomely here as Evans immediately established the night’s atmosphere, bringing infectious energy and setting the crowd up for a strong start.

“I just wanted to say it’s good to be home,” he said.

Born and raised in Newcastle, Evans displayed an immediate connection with the Sydney audience which only strengthened when he began discussing the State of Origin match taking place at the same time. When news filtered through that New South Wales had secured the win, Evans celebrated enthusiastically, repeatedly targeting his Queensland-born bandmate with good-natured jokes that became a running theme throughout the night. There were also several veiled references to Evans’ personal life with his highly publicised split from Kelsea Ballerini which generated headlines around the world and while Evans has generally maintained a dignified silence on the subject, many of those emotions have found their way into his songwriting. This created some of the evening’s most affecting moments, particularly during “Over for You”, where Evans combined rich country vocals with the emotional weight of the track. Vocally, Evans remains one of the stronger singers in contemporary country music as his voice possesses both richness and warmth while still delivering power when required. Throughout the night he demonstrated impressive control, strong vocal runs and a natural ease on stage that kept the audience engaged from beginning to end. One of Evans’ greatest strengths as a performer is his ability to make even a larger venue feel intimate and so despite the size of the Enmore Theatre, his constant interaction with the audience created a sense of connection and community as the sea of cowboy hats packed into the venue responded enthusiastically, creating an atmosphere that felt extremely intimate despite the size of the venue.

“Sydney, this is about the most fun I’ve ever had playing music,” he said. 

There were some covers as well as Laci Kaye Booth returned to the stage for a duet on “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good”, which proved a charming addition to the set before Evans then led the crowd through “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Chicken Fried” and several Australian favourites, turning the theatre into a giant singalong. He closed the night with a spirited rendition of Garth Brooks’ “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)” before finishing with the smash hit “Day Drunk” and his ode to Australia, “Land I Love”.

Overall, this was a strong concert that highlighted both the quality of Evans’ songwriting and the strength of his live vocals, demonstrating why he has become such a successful international export for Australian country music. The crowd were with him every step of the way and if the reaction inside the Enmore Theatre was any indication, Sydney will be more than ready to welcome him back whenever he returns.

Rating: ★★★★

Morgan Evans – 27 May 2026 – Enmore Theatre