Maren Morris Brings an Elton John Cover to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall [Watch]
Maren Morris' 2022 Humble Quest tour took her all the way to New York City on Friday night (July 29), where she played a show at the city's famed Radio City Music Hall. During her set, she treated the crowd to her version of Elton John's 1972 hit, "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters."
With trees silhouetted in the backdrop and and dazzling purple, blue and orange lights behind her, Morris belted out her sweeping take on the pop classic, glittering in a mermaid-esque blue ensemble with feathered sleeves.
It was an appropriate choice of cover for a New York City performance: Together with his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, John sought to convey a complex and loving relationship with New York in the song's lyrics. In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, John even chose "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" for his contribution to The Concert for New York City, a benefit show supporting first responders and tributing the victims of the attack.
John has described the song as "one of my all-time favorites," and Morris agrees: After her Friday night performance at Radio City, she posted a clip of her rendition of the song to social. "Forever one of my favorite [Elton John] songs," she wrote in the caption of her post.
It's not the first time that Morris has performed the song: Her rendition of "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" appears on Restoration, a collection of covers of John's material by country music artists. Others featured on the track list include Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson and more. Restoration is one disc of a two-part project: Another, Revamp, features covers from pop, rock and R&B artists. Both albums came out as one complete set in 2018.
Morris' Humble Quest tour is in full swing this summer. The fun continues through Dec. 2.