Here is the thing about Higher Ground: it is one of those rooms that earns its reputation every single time. The Ballroom in South Burlington — industrial-chic, high ceilings, concrete floor, art on the walls — has been Vermont’s go-to mid-sized concert hall since 1998, and the sound system does not let you forget why. Those bass bins up front hit clean and full, whether the room is holding a folk act or something with a lot more weight to it. When a show is right for that space, it is really right.
Morgan Wade is right for that space.
The Floyd, Virginia singer is out on the Love’s Insane Tour, and the Higher Ground date on Sunday, August 23 lands in the thick of a Northeast run — she plays Portland, ME the night before and Albany, NY three days later. If you have been following this tour or just been meaning to catch her live, this is a rare window for the North Country region.
Wade is the kind of artist who writes like she has nothing to protect. She grew up going to bluegrass events with her grandparents in Floyd and eventually built her sound around that honesty — songs about addiction, recovery, and resilience that do not flinch. Her 2021 album Reckless and the single “Wilder Days” turned a lot of heads and earned her the 2022 Americana Music Award for Emerging Act of the Year. Her 2024 follow-up Obsessed, released on RCA Nashville and entirely self-written across 14 originals, pushed further. No Depression called it her best record yet, and that is not a publication that throws compliments around. She wrapped the album cycle with the deluxe edition The Party Is Over (Recovered) in 2025, and this year she made her acting debut as Carol the bartender in Dutton Ranch, the Yellowstone spinoff from Taylor Sheridan — which means she is suddenly everywhere at once.
Higher Ground is located at 1214 Williston Rd in South Burlington, VT. The Ballroom holds 750 and is an all-ages room. Doors open at 7:00 PM, show at 8:00 PM. Check the Higher Ground website for full details.
Tickets are available through the link below. This is a room worth the drive into Vermont, and Wade is an artist who fills it the right way.