Country music star Maren Morris plays the Iowa State Fair on Thursday night

Julie Daugherty-Braun and Cynthia Curitti have an Iowa State Fair tradition.

The close friends of nearly 25 years from Omaha see one concert with their husbands and another as a duo. The pair were just at the Grandstand last Friday to watch Florida Georgia Line star Tyler Hubbard's solo set. They returned Thursday to see country star Maren Morris perform to a crowd of 6,183 audience members.

"We like her music, and she was a country artist that was far enough away from Friday for us to turn around and come back on Thursday," Daugherty-Brown said.

The former teacher duo come to the fair for the food: dill pickle cheese curds were a favorite. But the close friends stay for the concerts. After eating some curds, they walked into the Grandstand to enjoy the Grammy Award winner's set.

“Des Moines, how we feeling tonight?” Morris asked as she opened the show after special guest Lindsay Ell's show.

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The country superstar opened her set with “Circles Around This Town,” the folksy lead single off her latest record “Humble Quest” about trials and tribulations in the Ten-Year Town.

Morris followed “This Town” up with “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” a tambourine-tinged track about her marriage to fellow star in the genre Ryan Hurd, then “80s Mercedes,” which helped catapult Morris from Nashville newcomer to a globally recognized singer, came next.

“How we feeling, Iowa? Y’all are not playing around tonight! Oh my God, I’m already floored and so so so excited to entertain you tonight. I think you’re entertaining me too,” she said after “Mercedes.”

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'I'm really overwhelmed with the love here tonight'

A mid-20s breakup tune “I Wish I Was” showed the Texas native’s stage presence as Morris sang, “I’m not the hero in the story/ I’m not the girl who gets the glory.” “Girl,” the smash hit collaboration “The Middle” with German producer Zedd and the sultry, R&B tinted “RSVP” rounded out the first half of Morris’ set.

“I’m really overwhelmed with the love here tonight. I promise I don’t act like this every show,” she said.

Morris shined during a performance of “Detour,” which was written during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song was penned as Morris became a mom to her only child, Hayes.

“Alright Iowa, I know it’s Thursday but I’m gonna call it basically Friday and this one is dedicated to the drunk girls in the crowd,” she said before singing the aptly titled “Drunk Girls Don’t Cry.”

The crowd sang and cheered for “I Could Use A Love Song,” the Nashville transplant’s first No. 1 song on the charts from her debut effort. She called the tune “the first song I never wrote drunk.” Then, she performed a trio of fan favorites, “All My Favorite People,” “Nervous” and “Once.”

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'She was actually on the local news': bass guitarist wins blue ribbon

Later, Morris introduced her band, including bass guitarist Annie Clements, who won a State Fair yodeling contest earlier that day.

“She was actually on the local news about it,” Morris said referring to a KCCI news report about Clements, which she reposted on her Instagram story.

“We have two more shows this weekend and they’re going to have some hot competition after seeing this crowd,” Morris said.

Morris ended her set with “Rich” and roots-heavy “The Bones.” “My Church” had nearly the entire crowd on their feet during a spiritual rendition of the 2017 mega hit. Then, fireworks flew above the stage after the show ended.

“Thank you for an amazing crowd tonight, Iowa,” Morris wrote on Instagram.

The Chicks, who Morris opens for on tour next month, will be the Grandstand headliner Saturday night while Chris "Ludacris" Bridges brings "My Chick Bad" and "How Low" to Des Moines on Friday.

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Country star Maren Morris performs at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand