ZZ Ward was in great form recently playing the Maryland Hall in Annapolis while on tour promoting her latest album, Liberation. This album is very personal to Ward and perfectly brings her into the mix of playing blues music and sticking to her musical and familial roots.
At Maryland Hall on March 18, Liam St. John, a dynamic blues singer, opened the show with a great set on the heels of releasing his EP Believer last year. St. James is outstanding on acoustic guitar, having a Dylan-esque style on stage with great vocals and stage presence. He opened the show with a stellar set before Ward took the stage to a very receptive audience as one of the best music halls in the state.
Ward was very reflective and talkative during this show, reflecting on family and her upbringing in blues music. She discussed her 1- and 4-year-old sons with the audience expressing her total love for them and telling the audience that she knew how difficult it is to be a parent now with her own family. You could feel her compassion for other mothers, and this reflects well in her new album as heard during her singing the song “Mother” from her new album. Not only does this song have great lyrics, but the electric guitar piece in the song is outstanding.
Watch the official music video for “Mother” by ZZ Ward on YouTube:
Ward expressed how good it was to tour the new album, a collection of covers and new songs, and that she was pleased with especially with the cover songs. One of her best moments of the evening was when Ward covered “Grinning in Your Face” by Son House.
Some of the highlights of the evening was Ward reflecting on growing up playing blues songs with her dad who use to take her along to practice sessions in the garage band and when she mentioned the song “Ride” that she did with Gary Clark Jr. for the movie Cars 3.
Ward’s band were tight throughout the show with inspirational bits of bluesy guitar, which the audience enjoyed greatly as well. Another great blues track played was “Cannonball” a great blues song that was very energetic as Ward mentioned her desire to play a lot of shows at different venues. Ward also featured throughout the duration of the show select moments of playing harmonica which she is expert at, and which is used to highlight the bluesy effect of the more integrated blues approach in her music now.
Overall, the show was fantastic highlighting the new album with great songs and great interaction by Ward and band, and the great vocals always heard during a Ward performance.
Here are some photos of ZZ Ward performing at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts on March 18, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
Here are some photos of Liam St. John opening ZZ Ward at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts on March 18, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
