I had never attended a concert alone before arriving at Chicago’s United Center on Wednesday for Megan Moroney’s “The Cloud 9 Tour,” the country-pop phenom’s first arena-headlining tour. Three hours later, after finding an outlet to revive my perpetually dead or dying phone, I relayed a simple message to my sister and friends: “Lives were changed.”

After weaving through hordes of overjoyed, cowgirl boot-wearing fans, I arrived at my seat during opener JP Saxe’s performance. As showtime approached, I joined a semi-successful wave that rippled through the sold-out crowd and enjoyed Moroney’s eclectic pre-show playlist, which ranged from Eric Church’s “Springsteen” to Olivia Rodrigo’s “drop dead.”

Once the lights went down, Hannah Montana’s “The Best of Both Worlds” blared over the arena’s loudspeakers, underscoring Moroney’s status as an approachable, unnaturally-blonde superstar. Coming from an avid Disney Channel fan, this was the perfect way to kickstart the concert’s unabashed celebration of girlhood.

Moroney began her set with “Stupid” and “Medicine,” two high-energy tracks from “Cloud 9,” her third studio album released in February.

The album explores the emotional highs and lows of Moroney’s love life, shifting between soaring, rock-inflected tracks and her signature “emo-cowgirl” ballads. The concert successfully mirrored that juxtaposition, moving seamlessly from exuberant sing-alongs to more intimate, stripped-down moments.

The setlist was punctuated by several of what Moroney affectionately called “crash outs,” including the biting “Change of Heart.” But moments later, bathed in blue light, Moroney shifted gears for “No Caller ID,” my favorite song from her sophomore album. 

Truthfully, I would have welcomed more tracks from “Am I Okay?,” but that might reflect my lingering jealousy of fans who caught Moroney’s last tour. 

“It’s 3:00 a.m., no caller ID,” Moroney crooned before transitioning into her debut single, “Wonder,” which begins with the same phrase. I’m admittedly less familiar with the 2021 track, but its country-rock sensibilities felt right at home alongside her newest material.

Moroney appeared comfortable commanding her sprawling stage, and I appreciated how frequent costume changes created opportunities to spotlight her band.

The show’s first act concluded with the searing “Who Hurt You?,” which recounts how Moroney’s “devil went down to Georgia, then he crossed the ’Bama line.” 

Moments later, she rose from the stage to sing “Liars & Tigers & Bears,” criticizing the music industry for constantly pitting successful women against each other.

“Wedding Dress” documents Moroney’s “worst fear” that she’ll never quite move on from an ex-lover, representing the show’s emotional climax. This was easily my favorite track from “Cloud 9,” and Moroney surpassed my expectations Wednesday with an acoustic rendition that commanded the entire crowd’s attention.

After “Bells & Whistles,” Moroney flipped a bedazzled handheld mirror to reveal a special message: “Chicago! Make some Illinoise!!!!” This gimmick reminded me of Sabrina Carpenter’s viral “Nonsense” outros and injected some energy into an otherwise introspective stretch of the concert.

For the show’s third act, Moroney flew above the crowd in a suspended windowsill. In a full-circle moment, she performed two tracks from her first album “Lucky,” surprise song “Sleep on My Side” and breakout hit “Tennessee Orange,” before recounting her unlikely rise to fame and encouraging audience members to follow their dreams. 

She also performed “Beautiful Things,” an emotional song intended to warn her newborn niece about life’s hardships. Afterward, she sandwiched two “Cloud 9” bonus tracks between chart-topping hits. I especially enjoyed “Sorry… I Meant Tonight,” which marries Moroney’s witty lyricism with disco-inspired production à la “High Horse” by Kacey Musgraves. 

Finally, with the arena awash in pastel pink light, I found myself jumping up and down alongside thousands of others during “6 Months Later.” At that moment, attending Moroney’s concert alone didn’t feel lonely whatsoever.

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