After back-to-back Coachella weekends, the Empire Polo Club courts were naturally a little different for Stagecoach. The annual country music festival (also promoted by Goldenvoice which started in 2007) took place April 26-28 and hosted headliners Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen.
Not only had the previously green grass turned to dust, but the entire layout had changed – revealing an alcove where the stages once sat and a whole new perspective for those more familiar with the Coachella layout (like me). The most notable change was the cleverly named 'Mane' stage, which spanned the entire north side field with four jumbotrons positioned throughout, ensuring a good view for everyone – even those sitting, yes sitting, towards the back. (Another major difference: blankets and lounge chairs are welcome, with the majority of attendees choosing to set up shop for the day.)
And while the weekend had its share – including Eric Church's controversial acoustic set, the debate over whether Backwoods Barbie, the mysterious last-minute addition to the lineup, was Beyoncé, and the disappointment that the live morgan wallen's festival closing set – By Sunday night, one overriding takeaway emerged: the communal nature of country music is unmatched.
Over the three days of the festival, guest appearances were the norm, with everyone from Lana Del Rey to Reba popping up for a surprise song. Post Malone – who focused his entire set on country covers – welcomed two legends to join him on stage, while Willie Nelson celebrated his performance with friends and family who played with him. And that is far from all.
Below are the seven greatest moments from Stagecoach.
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Lana's festival Three-Peat
After headlining both weekends of Coachella, Lana Del Rey returned to Indio once again – this time as an unannounced guest. With country singer Paul Cauthen on Friday (April 26), Del Rey told the crowd, “She decided she wanted me to do a nice slow one to end it.” The two then dueted on “Unchained Melody,” a classic recorded by the Righteous Brothers and later performed by Elvis Presley. After the performance, Del Rey took to Instagram to share a photo of herself smiling in awe: “If I post this because it's a face you rarely see – it's called when you don't jump three times in a row.”
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The Ceramoid of the Covers
At the end of Ernest's Saturday set, the country singer-songwriter teased a very special guest: his three-year-old son. After telling the crowd that it was his son's birthday, Ernest then shared that his one wish was to sing a certain song for the thousands in attendance, “Twinkle Little Star.” That was far from the only cover of the weekend, as on Sunday Grammy-nominated duo The War and Treaty performed a soaring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and later country rocker Nate Smith covered a favorite of his, the Foo. “My hero” of the Fighters.
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Willie Nelson makes it with a little help from his friends (and family)
After a hit-packed set that included 'Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys', 'On the Road Again' 'Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die' and more – all while accompanied by his family band, including son Lukas Nelson – Willie Nelson welcomed three special guests to the stage. Jelly Roll, Ernest and Charley Crockett helped create a superstar jam of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” serving as the best backup singers in town. “Put your hands together, Willie Nelson!” shouted Jelly Roll, proud to accompany the legend on stage – and two days before Nelson turned 92, no less.
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The Backwoods Barbie Reveal (And the Ultimate Bust)
10 minutes into the scheduled start time of Backwoods Barbie's highly-anticipated set – a performance hotly debated due to online rumors that the last-minute addition to the lineup was Beyoncé – the music on the Diplo Honky Tonk stage stopped short. Immediately, camera phones were shot into the air as fans hoped the moment they had been waiting for – and believing – would finally happen. And the moment 'Single Ladies' started blaring from the speakers, the cheers got even louder. But seconds later, Beyoncé's bubble was burst as two women in matching pink sequins and black cowgirl hats took the stage. “Coach!” they shouted to a room full of fans in disbelief. We had all been deceived.
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Post Malone's warm welcome
“How is everyone doing tonight?” shouted Post Malone to a very packed Mane Stage crowd while raising his ever-present Solo Cup in the air. “We're going to do a bunch of songs that I really love.” And that he did. Covering everyone from Tyler Childers to Tim McGraw, Post Malone cemented his status as a country superstar on Saturday night. He welcomed Dwight Yoakam to duet on the legend's “Little Ways” and was later joined by Brad Paisley for not one, not two, but three songs (Paisley's own “I'm Gonna Miss Her” plus covers by Vince Gill and Alan Jackson). At the end of the set, Posty gave his backing band, including Paisley on guitar, a parting directive: “Boys, talk about your shit.” As they all went into Jackon's “Chattahoochee” for over seven minutes, pushing the set into overtime as Post signed cowboy hats from fans in the front rows, he finally declared, “I love you so much!” before disappearing into the background. Later that night, Paisley posted photos on Instagram with the caption: “You belong here Posty.”
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The finale with Miranda Lambert's girl
Miranda Lambert had a lot to celebrate during her headlining set on Saturday night, from a Las Vegas residency to a new record deal with Republic – and she did just that. During the show, the superstar not only debuted a new song called “Wranglers” — a possible indication of more new material on the way — but she also delivered a thrilling three-song finale alongside a fellow superstar: Reba. Together, the country music icons sang 'Mama's Broken Heart', 'Fancy' and 'Gunpowder & Lead', ending the festival's second night on an empowering note as they proved to all in attendance what little girls are made of. as he sings in the song.
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Morgan Wallen 'Had some help' from a new friend
Days ago, Post Malone teased an upcoming Morgan Wallen collaboration on social media. And on the Stagecoach merch stage, Posty not-so-subtly dropped a major hint about the song via the only merch he was selling, a shirt that read: 'I HAD SOME HELP' IS A SONG FEATURING MORGAN WALLEN ON POST THE NEW MALONE'S album.” And on Sunday night, during Wallen's festival grand finale, he welcomed Post to the stage to debut together. After exchanging verses on the pop-rock country track, the two ended the show exactly as it began: in a big hug.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/stagecoach-2024-best-moments-post-malone-miranda-lambert-willie-nelson-morgan-wallen/
