Lori McKenna Celebrates '1988' at the CMA Theater

Songwriter Lori McKenna is best known for her hits written for artists like Tim McGraw, Little Big Town, The Highwomen, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Swift. Still, the Massachusetts native creates records of her own every now and again, the latest being 1988 which taps into a bit more of the edgier side of McKenna with standout guitars and drums complimenting her storytelling. McKenna celebrated the record in Nashville at the CMA Theater inside the Country Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 5th.

McKenna kicked off the evening with the title track dedicated to her husband; 1988 was the year the two got married. At the end of each chorus, McKenna pointed to the crowd while singing "I hope you understand / I've been your biggest fan / Since 1988."

After the opening, McKenna spoke on playing in the city of Nashville, describing the city as a "home away from home." The singer also told the crowd the inspiration for the new LP was rock music and big-sounding guitars. 1988 is the fourth project McKenna worked on with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. Even though the essence strays a bit away from the typical singer-songwriter folk sound, McKenna assured the audience, "I'm still obsessed with getting old and drinking too much wine."

Throughout the show, McKenna shared stories with her crowd. She spoke a little about her dad whose turning 80 this fall as she dedicated"People Get Old" to him. She also tapped into her older catalog and sang the tune "The Bird & The Rifle" from her 2016 record. During "Happy People," which was co-written by rising star Hailey Whitters and cut by Little Big Town, she noted that it was "one of the happiest songs I've written in my whole life."

When it came time for McKenna to sing newer tracks "Growing Up" and "Wonder Drug" it was as if she was holding the audience in the palm of her hand. Even though the songs are typically somber in nature, after each one was done, McKenna had a big smile on her face while thanking the audience. The most evident thing about McKenna and her live shows is the intimacy. Of course, she's performing in a venue with a big crowd, but she makes it feel small. Each song feels like a story being passed down from an old friend.

When it came time for McKenna to sing "Letting People Down" she discussed the house she lived in, hockey trophies, working at the local hospital when she was 16, and driving in blizzards after gigging in Northampton, Massachusetts. Possibly the most personal anecdote came when McKenna talked about "The Tunnel" in which she discussed a pipe that was at the end of the road that she grew up on. Kids used to dare each other to trek inside of it and McKenna never did. "It was one of those childhood memories that I just couldn't ever shake." "The Tunnel" was inspired by those memories and the children she grew up with who all ended up on vastly different paths.

McKenna ended her show with performances of "Humble & Kind," one of her biggest hits that she wrote also, and the upbeat track "Crowded Table" which won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2021. The most stunning of the encore tracks wasn't one that she wrote for another artist or one that was critically acclaimed, but one that came from her Christmas EP. McKenna sang the heartfelt tune "Grateful" on stage by herself with just an acoustic guitar in hand. She exclaimed the lines, "And all the love that I've been given / Wish I could return tenfold at least / Cause there isn't one ungrateful bone in my body." As she crooned those words in that moment, they never felt more true.

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