Kip Moore has long been hailed as one of country music’s most compelling live performers, and his new album ‘Solitary Tracks' only deepens the emotional intensity fans have come to expect from his shows. Released earlier this year, ‘Solitary Tracks' is a raw, introspective project that strips away the polish to reveal Moore at his most vulnerable and reflective. Written entirely by Moore and recorded largely on his own while traveling, the album captures the solitude, grit, and soul-searching that have defined his journey as an artist. With sparse acoustic arrangements and vivid lyricism, it stands in contrast to the anthemic swagger of earlier records like ‘Wild Ones' and ‘Slowheart,' instead offering a quiet but powerful meditation on life, heartbreak, and self-discovery, interspersed with some trademark foot-stomping anthems. Read our review of the album here.
Known for pouring every ounce of himself into his performances, Moore brings ‘Solitary Tracks' to the stage with the same passion that has built his reputation as a road warrior. Whether he’s headlining arenas or playing stripped-down solo sets, his ability to connect with a crowd is unmatched. The new songs, with their bare-bones honesty, translate beautifully in a live setting, giving his shows a sense of intimacy even in the largest venues. Paired with fan favourites and deep cuts from his catalog, Moore’s latest tour serves as both a celebration of his artistic evolution and a testament to why his live performances continue to be among the most magnetic in modern country music.
Kip Moore has always had a connection in Birmingham, all the way back to 2015 and it was clear that he was well and truly home as the lights went down at 8.59pm and Billy Joel's ‘Piano Man' come on the PA. The crowd swayed, sang and waved their hands in the air and we all knew we were going to be in for a great night.
Opening with three consecutive songs from new album ‘Solitary Tracks' was a ballsy move but it was obvious from the get-go what Kip Moore was doing. When the drums in ‘High Hopes' kicked in they went straight through you, the lights set an atmospheric tone and the band and stage set up were all designed to point to Moore as the focal point on stage. It was a steady, deliberate and meticulously planned opening designed to draw the crowd in and lay the foundations for the raucous, frenetic set ahead – ‘Solitary Tracks' 2025 tour finds Kip Moore in full rock-out mode but he wasn't going to play all his cards too early in what turned out to be a full two hour set – he's going to tease you, he's going to manipulate you and walk you to where he wants you to be via a carefully and cleverly designed set list.
‘This is going to be a good night,' Moore confirmed after the completion of ‘Solitary Tracks' before the pace picked up a little with a very rock-leaning ‘Fire and Flame.' ‘Damn Love' increased the energy even further and we caught sight of the first instance of the players in the band beginning to jump around and use the onstage equipment, like the risers, as playthings – whipping the eager crowd up into a frenzy alongside Moore: still the calm, centred focal point of the action with his strong, gruff vocals and playful stage presence. He must have mentioned ‘Birmingham' in the songs at least five times over the course of the evening, the first reference coming in ‘Red, White and Blue Jean American Dream.'
The fan favourites and classics were greeted like homecoming heroes by the Birmingham choir. ‘Wild Ones. saw the first instance of the crowd crossing that line into being a choir as they sang the coda of the song and ‘Beer Money' and ‘Plead the Fifth' saw them leaping around, fists punching the air in delight. Moore slowed the latter down for a more impactful, quieter ending, something he did in numerous songs throughout the evening, the spotlight returning back to the ringmaster after everyone on stage has had a chance to show off a little.
Kudos must go to Moore's band who worked hard alongside and behind him to bring the energy to the room that transferred itself to the crowd and back again, in that symbiotic kind of way that happens at great live shows where all concerned feed of the energy going backwards and forwards to create an almost living, breathing beast. “Give us your heart, Birmingham….' Moore implored at one point, ‘… and we'll give it right back to you!” Each member of the band got to show off a little all through the night with extended solos, elongated outros and mid-song breakdowns but it was the vocal focus on ‘Sweet Virginia' and ‘Flowers in December' that were the real highlight – each band member got their moment at the microphone in both songs before a six part harmony wrapped up each chorus, much to the crowds' rapturous delight!
‘Come and Get It' was probably the peak ‘whole band' performance as each member got to play their instruments individually alongside the crowd who clapped in time with the music on a near 5 minute song that seemed to last at least double that length once the solos had all finished! There's a reason guitarist Dave Nassie has one whole side of the stage to himself – he's a whirling dervish of jumps, leg kicks and Angus Young-style stomps – grinning at his band leader throughout and asking the crowd to give just that little bit more! (pun intended) He brings such energy to this band and continues to be Kip's ‘ace in the hole.'
“I'm having such a good time I'm adding songs into the setlist right here,” Moore said at one point, taking a break from the action. He was a man of his word as we then got the tour debut of ‘Runnin' For You' (“I feel like playing a song we haven't played on this run yet but I feel like there is a fanbase here that will know and enjoy it” was the introduction to that song) before we were also treated to a verse and chorus of debut album song ‘Faith When I Fall,' a song Moore declared he hadn't played in over two years but wanted to in response to something a person told him at the VIP meet and greet earlier in the evening.
The rock-leaning focus was even evident on songs like ‘That Was Us,' which played out its final couple of minutes as this huge rock beast with an elongated outro and the guitars wailing away like a Guns ‘n' Roses concert! In fact things got so hot up on stage that Moore had to towel himself down before a raucous and very Southern rock sounding ‘Something ‘Bout a Truck' delighted the crowd and gave them yet another chance to become both a choir and lead vocalist all at the same time.
A quieter encore brought the double shot closer of ‘Last Shot' and ‘Flowers in December' at the expense of the often played ‘Micky's Bar.' Ending with ‘Flowers……' is a clever move given its references to saying goodbye and with each member of the band taking a turn on lead vocals it seemed like a fitting way to end this carefully planned and perfectly executed two hour show, leaving all involved suitably exhausted, both on and off the stage, by the end.
Kip Moore is a unique performer. He's out of the Springsteen mould of frontman – where he somehow manages to turn the stage into a church and he delivers each song as a little sermon all of its own. There's a chest-beating, hypnotic aurora about him that engenders an authenticity often lacking in modern performers. He has the ability to hold a crowd in the palm of his hand and shape them, bend them as if they were a pliable, tangible thing. He brought his A game to Birmingham tonight and the crowd went on the frenzied journey with him – each entity feeding the other until the curfew loomed and time had to be called. Whether it was delivering balls to the wall rock or quieter, more measured moments, the whole gaze of the room was on Moore the whole time and he revelled in it, using it to fuel the fire inside him. From the moment he opened his infamous C2C debut set with a then-yet-to-be-released ‘Wild Ones' back in 2015 to this triumphant show a decade later the UK has always been in this southpaw's corner – he knows it and we know – it's a beautiful relationship. Long may it continue.
Setlist: 1. High Hopes 2. Only Me 3. Solitary Tracks 4. Fire and Flame 5. Damn Love 6. Crazy One More Time 7. Wild Ones 8. Plead the Fifth 9. Beer Money 10. Red, White and Blue Jean American Dream 11. She's Mine 12. Wildfire 13. More Girls Like You 14. Half Full Cup 15. That Was Us 16. Live Here to Work 17. Love and War 18. 18. Livin' Side 19. Runnin' For You 20. Faith When I Fall 21. Sweet Virginia 22. Heart on Fire 23. The Bull 24. Heart's Desire 25. Somethin' Bout a Truck 26. Come and Get It 27. Last Shot 28. Flowers In December Venue: Birmingham O2 Academy Date: May 30th 2025
