By “Tampa” Earl Burton
Live Review: Maren Morris with Slimdan – Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa, FL – April 21, 2026
Concertgoers in Tampa got a second opportunity to check out vocalist Maren Morris on Tuesday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa’s Event Center. After a November stop at Benchmark International Arena for her Dreamsicle Tour, Morris decided to make a second stop at a more intimate venue. She was greeted by an appreciative crowd, delighting them with a pleasant, entertaining show… save for one instance.
There’s a Reason it Was “SRO”
One of the surprises about walking into the Event Center on Tuesday night was the reason for the “SRO” crowd. Normally, when you see “SRO,” it means all the seats are sold, and the only way to get in is to stand for the entire show. For this particular show, the entirety of the Event Center was bereft of seating – no risers that usually allow people to sit down for the show, no floor seating, NADA.
This was rather strange in the 21st-century world of concerts. My sources at the Hard Rock stated that it was the Morris tour personnel who requested the rather unique setup for the show and would not have been their normal SOP. Whether there were seats or not did not seem to dull the anticipation of the fans, as they came ready for a show – and Morris provided a pleasant evening of entertainment.
The dry ice was thicker than the smoke floating across the lake in Montreux in 1971 to start the show, but Morris came out of the gate with some of her biggest songs. “cry in the car” was her opener from the Dreamsicle album, followed up by one of the first songs that put her name on the lips of music fans. “80s Mercedes,” going back to her 2016 album Hero, brought cheers from the fans.
In the intimate setting, however, Morris seemed a bit subdued. She has been on the Dreamsicle Tour since early last year, and this was the second show of the final leg of that journey. “It’s good to be ending (the tour), but it’s also sad,” Morris noted during the performance.
It was also difficult to pin down what direction Morris is taking musically in her career. At 36, Morris eschewed the conventional “country” music format in 2023, and her music, while still tinged with a country feel, took on a much more poppy mood. Her biggest songs, her collaboration with Zedd and Gray on “The Middle” and “The Bones,” have been extremely successful, but it is tough for an artist to segue into a new musical genre after performing in one arena for so long (unless your name is Taylor Swift).
Two songs brought out the fiery spirit of Morris throughout her Tuesday Night Music Club in Tampa, and both were a part of the new (relatively, released in 2025) Dreamsicle album. One was an intentional throwdown called “bed no breakfast,” in which Morris said, “I’ve made my mistakes, and I’ve learned from them…never let ‘em (men) stay over! Call them an Uber!” The other was a track that gets its point across well, “be a bitch,” that Morris explained by saying, “Sometimes nice just don’t cut it.”
Whether standing for her independence (or standing alongside the audience there to see her), Morris brought a pleasant, entertaining show to the fans at the Event Center on Tuesday. There weren’t any pyrotechnics, there was a sparse setting on the stage, and it all seemed to work. As Morris continues her journey of discovery, it promises to be interesting what she can produce in the future.
Slimdan Serves as Indie Opener
Opening the night for Morris was an alternative artist who balanced a comedic approach with some quality music. Slimdan, otherwise known as Danny Silberstein, entertained the early audience with tongue-in-cheek jokes about his journey through the music industry and his Jewish identity, among other things. In introducing his biggest song, “Same Vine,” Slimdan joshed that the tune had received “a bazillion views,” but that it had “probably cost me money!”
Silberstein’s easygoing approach relaxed the crowd and allowed them to enjoy his well-written music (he has been a songwriter since he was fifteen) while he flirted with sounding like Train. There was even a trumpet employed, which gave the music a different feeling, and perhaps an even more enjoyable one. In his entirely too quick thirty minutes on the Event Center stage, Slimdan had people on their cellphones looking up more songs from his catalog.
For a Tuesday night show, Maren Morris and Slimdan didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but they provided an enjoyable evening of entertainment. I am highly interested in what both will be doing in the future, as Morris dallies with a pop-country infused sound (if country radio will have her) and Slimdan tries to find his way in the alt-rock world. For this Tuesday night, however, it was nice to relax and listen to the music – just wish there had been something to lean against for a rest!
I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
