It’s time to mud off the boots and get away the cowboy hat as the Stagecoach Nation Music Competition makes its mighty return to the Empire Polo Membership in Indio April 29-Could 1 with headliners Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Luke Combs.
For the primary time in three years, the sprawling competition grounds — which shall be reworked right into a extra honky-tonk-like setting following two weekends of Stagecoach’s sister fest, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Competition — will welcome nation music followers with three days of stay music, savory barbecue, craft beer and cocktails, line-dancing, artwork installations, horse demonstrations and different points of interest.
“It feels so fantastic to be again within the saddle,” Stagecoach expertise purchaser Stacy Vee mentioned of lastly bringing the occasion again after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That is what we love,” she continued. “We care about this occasion, we care about one another and all we’ve needed to do is be again on the competition websites. We’ve missed one another, we’ve missed the artists, the followers and the tradition. That is our life and we’re all so excited to only get again to doing what we love.”
Maren Morris, The Black Crowes, Smokey Robinson, Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker, Brothers Osborne, Lee Brice, Midland and extra will even carry out. Although the top-tier reserved seating and VIP passes are principally sold-out, followers can nonetheless buy common admission passes for $379-$459 at stagecoachfestival.com.
Right here’s what you must know earlier than you go, what’s new and what’s returning this 12 months:
A extra numerous lineup
For its 14th installment, the Stagecoach lineup is extra musically and culturally numerous. The roster, which options greater than 50 artists performing throughout three main levels every day, boasts plenty of Black and Latino acts and several other LGBTQ performers.
“We’re constructing a rustic music competition for at present and the way a rustic music competition ought to look and sound like at present,” Vee mentioned. “There are such a lot of artists on the market which can be distinctive and are working so exhausting and so they deserve the popularity.”
Nation and soul singer Yola, who will carry out on the Palomino Stage on Could 1, is a Black British girl who has labored with artists like Huge Assault and The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. She’s additionally one of many uncommon artists to carry out at each Coachella and Stagecoach in the identical 12 months.
R&B legend Smokey Robinson will make his first-ever Stagecoach look headlining the Palomino Stage on Could 1. Founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, singer and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens will even be on the Palomino on Could 1. Singer-songwriter and banjo participant Amythyst Kiah is opening the Palomino Stage on April 29 whereas nation rapper and producer Breland closes out the opening day of the fest by internet hosting the first-ever Friday Late Night time in Palomino after-party. Latin alt-country band The Mavericks, with its hits like “What a Crying Disgrace” and “All You Ever Do Is Carry Me Down,” will even be on the Palomino on Could 1.
Up-and-coming performers together with singer-songwriter and rapper Shy Carter, who has famously written songs for Kane Brown, Tim McGraw and Keith City, and nation singer and pianist Reyna Roberts will each be featured on the SiriusXM Highlight Stage on April 30.
There’s additionally robust queer illustration on the competition with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile headlining the Palomino Stage on April 29. TJ Osborne of The Brothers Osborne delivered a tearful acceptance speech on the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas final month because the duo gained an award for the music “Youthful Me,” a music he wrote about popping out as homosexual final 12 months. The duo will hit the Mane Stage simply earlier than Carrie Underwood on April 30. Masked nation singer-songwriter Orville Peck, who's homosexual, additionally carried out at each weekends of Coachella and can host the Saturday night time after-party on the Palomino at Stagecoach; Peck mentioned such a illustration at a significant nation music competition is necessary.
“Stagecoach is arguably essentially the most mainstream nation music competition that occurs within the States, so I believe it is sensible that it could be an area that might now want to begin incorporating numerous artists that exist in nation music and never similar to this stigma of Nashville-born form of no matter artists,” he mentioned. “It's a very numerous style. It at all times has been and it at all times shall be, so it is sensible that Stagecoach would wish to mirror that.”
What’s new
Following DJ Diplo’s energetic Sunday night after-party on the Palomino Stage in 2019, promoters have prolonged the after-hours festivities and Late Night time in Palomino will take over following the headlining units on the Mane Stage every night. Breland kicks issues off Friday night time, adopted by Orville Peck on Saturday and Diplo will as soon as once more shut out the competition on Sunday night time.
“There shall be a few surprises in my set,” Peck assured. “Simply maintain trying over your shoulder.”
Although Coachella followers have been in a position to tune into YouTube for almost a decade to examine in on the competition happenings and performances, Stagecoach has lastly partnered with YouTube to supply a livestreaming expertise and unique content material from all through the three-day occasion through the competition’s official YouTube channel.
The Compton Cowboys, a crew of 10 Black horseback riders who hail from Richland Farms, a small ranch situated in Compton, will make their Stagecoach debut. They’ll be exhibiting off their horses, doing driving demos and sharing their tales on web site.
Returning favorites
Tv host and restaurateur Man Fieri will as soon as once more curate the Stagecoach Smokehouse and herald prime barbecue pit bosses from all around the nation to serve up a wide range of flavors and kinds of barbecue. He’ll additionally lead stay demos all through the day and provide tastings.
Singer-songwriter Nikki Lane, who additionally owns the classic vogue retailer Excessive Class Hillbilly in Nashville, is again on deck to curate Nikki Lane’s Stage Cease Market, which is able to embrace a wide range of distributors, a shaded cocktail bar and the Stage Cease Horseshoe Stage which is able to highlight a number of singer-songwriters.
The SiriusXM Highlight Stage, situated in entrance of the Mane Stage and behind reserved seating, will return to spotlight up-and-coming expertise together with Ryan Griffin, Walker Nation, Caylee Hammack, Laci Kaye Sales space, Hailey Whitters and Callista Clark.
Followers may step out of the warmth and into the air-conditioned Honky Tonk Dance Corridor, the place dancers of all ranges of expertise can learn to line dance and two-step alongside to stay music courtesy of a wide range of DJs.
Stagecoach Nation Music Competition
When: April 29-Could 1
The place: Empire Polo Membership, 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio
Tickets: $379-$459 common admission passes can be found at stagecoachfestival.com