Cam’s return to O2 Institute Birmingham last night felt less like a standard tour stop and more like a carefully constructed emotional experience. Playing to a busy, attentive crowd while touring her 2025 album ‘All Things Light,' Cam delivered a show built around intention, healing and connection. The first half leaned heavily on the new record — twelve songs in total — and from the outset it was clear this wasn’t designed as a nostalgia-heavy country set, but as a narrative arc meant to challenge, unsettle and ultimately restore its audience.
Opening with ‘Slow Down,' Cam appeared alongside just a guitarist and two backing singers, immediately grounding the evening in intimacy. The song’s retro country styling evoked echoes of Patsy Cline and Peggy Lee, its wistful plea for mindfulness wrapped in soft harmonies and gentle whistling that conjured a dreamy 1950s innocence. As the backing vocalists moved behind keyboards and drums for ‘Turns Out That I Am God,' Cam outlined the night’s mission statement: “This is what we are doing tonight — getting weird… we’re going to heal each other.” It proved no throwaway comment; the performance unfolded as a deliberate emotional journey.
That sense of purpose continued through ‘Alchemy,' introduced as an intentional burst of energy despite its inclusion of a Buddhist death meditation — a perfect example of how Cam balances accessibility with philosophical depth. Before the haunting ‘Everblue,' she proudly showed the audience her first-ever tattoo, inked days earlier in Edinburgh and based on the album’s central visual motif, underlining how personally invested she remains in this era. The song itself became one of the evening’s quiet emotional peaks, stripped back and vulnerable as she sang of surrendering pursuits that were never meant to be.
‘Canyon,' arguably one of the standout moments of the new material, expanded the sonic palette as a second guitar entered the arrangement, bathing the room in Laurel Canyon warmth. Encouraging the crowd to howl like coyotes, Cam reinforced the recurring themes of belonging and mindfulness that ran through the show like lettering through a stick of rock. She then guided the audience into darker territory with ‘Hallelujah,' describing it as a visit to “dark church.” Discordant keys, thunderous percussion, and a swirling psychedelic climax produced the loudest and most overwhelming moment of the night but it was a cathartic ending rather than chaotic one.
The emotional intensity softened beautifully with ‘Meet You by the River,' originally written as a lullaby for her daughter but now adopted by listeners for life’s most profound moments. Performed with minimal guitar accompaniment, its gospel undertones felt almost sacred. ‘Just For You,' written for her sister, followed as a hushed piano ballad that allowed Cam’s remarkable vocal control to shine and a seamless segue into Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline's ‘Crazy' brought a roaring response from the Birmingham crowd. Closing the album-focused first half with ‘We Always Do,' Cam reaffirmed her faith in humanity, ending amid swelling instrumentation and returning birdsong that mirrored the show’s opening providing a full-circle moment and very intentional bookend.
The second half pivoted dramatically. ‘Kill the Guru' introduced movement and playfulness, its unexpected blend of ABBA polish and classic country flair prompting dancing both onstage and in the audience. ‘Look At The Pretty Girls!' kept the momentum alive before a nostalgic detour into debut-album favourites ‘Hungover on Heartache' and ‘Mayday,' which triggered huge cheers and memories of Cam’s early breakthrough years and all those yellow dresses! The pop-country drama of ‘Til There’s Nothing Left' unleashed the night’s fiercest guitar solo, seamlessly flowing into ‘Diane,' her clever answer song to Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene,' delivered at galloping, breakneck pace with crowd-wide singalongs and a bombastic drum solo finale.
A stunning near-a cappella rendition of ‘American Requiem' — which Cam co-wrote for Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter' era — provided one final moment of stillness before the inevitable question: “Is it time for Burning House?” Her signature hit remains transformative, and the retelling of its origin story — dreaming of lying beside an ex in a burning home out of guilt — only heightened the emotional release when the crowd joined her in song. Returning for the encore, ‘Village' closed the night in simple acoustic fashion, a meditation on grief, growth and community. By the end, Cam had achieved exactly what she promised at the start: breaking the audience open and then sending them home replenished, guided by a performer operating with clarity, empathy and quiet majesty.
Set list: 1. Slow Down 2. Turns Out That I Am God 3. Alchemy 4. Everblue 5. Canyon 6. Hallelujah 7. Meet You by the River 8. Just For You 9. We Always Do 10. Kill the Guru 11. Look At The Pretty Girls! 12. Hungover on Heartache 13. Mayday 14. Til There’s Nothing Left 15. Diane 16. American Requiem 17. Burning House 18. Village (Encore) Venue: Birmingham O2 Institue Date: Sunday February 22nd
