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Stagecoach 2015

At the Honky Tonk... where the boots stomp... all night... that's right.

By Anna Cannon

May 7^th, 2015

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Stagecoach 2015

Stagecoach 2015

Stagecoach 2015

Stagecoach 2015

Friday April 23, Day 1

Headlining Friday night was Tim McGraw, but “headlining“ in Stagecoach terms means it doesn‘t start until 10 p.m. But no worries, there were plenty other fabulous acts to prequel him including: Parmalee, Kacey Musgraves, Kip Moore and Jake Owen.

Most of these acts took to the “Mane“ stage for their performances, but others like Merle Haggard or the Time Jumpers took the Palomino stage.

My personal favorite of the night was Jake Owen. While most of us girls were pleasantly surprised by his newly shortened locks, his music posed to be some of the most entertaining of the night. He started his act with a crowd favorite, the summer classic, Beachin‘ and ended with the also ever popular, Barefoot Blue Jean Night.

Jake Owen got the crowd wild, happy and ready for Tim McGraw.

Unfortunately for the hyped up crowd, Tim McGraw was a little late. But you can‘t rush perfection, right?

Tim McGraw started with Truck Yeah, which embodies the spirit of country, and ended with one of my personal favorites, Live Like You Were Dying. In between these two songs were other classic Tim McGraw songs like: Something Like That, Southern Girl, Shotgun Rider and I Like It, I Love It. Tim McGraw undeniably has some of the best country music out there to date and it must have been near impossible for him to narrow down that list to just his top few.

Aside from the music (which was indescribable), Friday was filled with a slightly gloomy weather, a taste of wind, some hardcore Southern dancing in the Honky Tonk and some fun socializing with friends.

The night ended with a sleepy ride back to our designated hotels on the Stagecoach shuttles.

Saturday April 24, Day 2

Headlining Saturday night was Miranda Lambert, the queen of sassy country. Naturally, she didn‘t come on until around 10:30 p.m. Some of the other acts that took place on the second night were Cassadee Pope, Eli Young Band, Justin Moore and Dierks Bentley.

Similar to the night before, most of these acts took to the “Mane“ stage, but ZZ Top, who proved to be an unexpected favorite, and the Cast of Nashville, performed at the Palomino stage. Both stages successfully captured their crowds.

My personal favorite of the night was Dierks Bentley. Although I knew I was going to enjoy his act — his music was already amazing — I didn‘t expect was for him to have such a good time. Like many country artists, he enjoys kicking back and relaxing with a beer in his hand as he performs, and he definitely took those qualities to the next level.

As the night went on, he seemed to be forgetting his own lyrics or repeating the same verse instead of singing a new one. However, this in no way affected the performance. He was having a grand old time — he even did a little bit of crowd surfing and the crowd was right along with him.

It seemed appropriate that Bentley ended his act with Drunk on a Plane, but he also integrated some of his other great hits into his set-list like What Was I Thinkin‘ and Say You Do.

It was safe to say that even someone who didn‘t like country music would have had a great time watching Dierks Bentley perform.

After Dierks Bentley came Miranda Lambert. She seemed to be the most controversial headliner out of the three as some thought she shouldn‘t have received the slot. However, I actually really enjoyed her performance! For one, she rocks the short blonde hair and for two, her music is fantastic.

She started her night off with her famous duet, Something Bad, which she usually sings with Carrie Underwood. Unfortunately, Underwood could not make an appearance, so Lambert instead played their video. Afterwards, she finally made her on-stage appearance and sang Fastest Girl in Town.

Lambert has quite the reputation for her feisty music and her set-list lived up to that. She included songs like, Little Red Wagon, Gunpowder and Lead and Platinum, but also touched on her softer songs like The House that Built Me and the heart-breaking homage to Blake Shelton‘s brother, Over You.

Personally, I‘ve always been a fan of Lambert so I couldn‘t have enjoyed her more. I had never actually heard of the song Platinum until earlier in the day, but now I love it! It‘s quite the play on words for those platinum blondes making platinum records.

She was a successful end to the second night of Stagecoach and gave quite the melody to hum along to on the shuttle ride back home.

Dierks Bentley rockin' out on stage

Miranda Lambert showing off some of her guitar skills.

Dierks Bentley strumming along to his guitar with the band.

The crowds at Stagecoach are innumerable.

The ever iconic Stagecoach ferris wheel.

Dierks Bentley and his band showing the crowd a good time.

Tim McGraw gives the Pit a close up performance.

A panoramic Stagecoach

Sunday April 25, Day 3

Sunday was the last day of Stagecoach, but no one was about to let it go without a fight. The day was jam-packed with amazing artists like newcomers Maddie & Tae and previous Voice contestants The Swon brothers. Others like Frankie Ballard, Jerrod Niemann, Sara Evans and The Band Perry also performed on Sunday. Headlining that night was none other than Blake Shelton, whom arguably was everyone‘s favorite headliner. Saving the best for last, right Stagecoach?

It‘s hard to choose a favorite from this day because everyone was full of good songs. Maddie & Tae preformed their huge country hit of Girl in a Country Song. The Swon Brothers played their crowd favorite Later On. Frankie Ballard decided to surprise the crowd with a quick visit into the pit!

Jerrod Niemann played his crowd favorites like Drink to that All Night, What Do You Want, Lover Lover and even brought out a guitarist wearing a donkey mask for Donkey.

Sara Evans delivered an emotional performance for her songs like Stronger and Slow Me Down. She also brought out her classic Suds in the Bucket for a little crowd pick-me-up.

Then it was time for The Band Perry to perform. The Band Perry took the same slot that Jake Owen and Dierks Bentley had taken the previous nights. They performed right before headliner Blake Shelton.

They took the stage and started with Don‘t Let Me Be Lonely, and followed it with Done. In my opinion, the Band Perry was the best show put on at Stagecoach. They commanded the stage, incorporated the crowd into their performance, and sang some rockin‘ country music. They even incorporated some music into their set list that non-country fans would recognize! These songs were the recent chart topping single Uptown Funk and Fat Bottom Girls.

The crowd went wild and sang along to almost every song they sang. The Band Perry ended the night with two crowd pleasers: their first hit If I Die Young, where the audience sang almost the entire first verse for them, and the cynical Better Dig Two.

When they ended their set there was only excitement left in the audience. Then, it was Blake Shelton‘s turn.

Shelton has the reputation of either being a big teddy bear or a “funny man.” He proved to be both during his performance. He started out with Neon Light and got the crowd ready and jumping on their already sore feet.

Before introducing his love song, Doing What She Likes, he decided to have a little fun with the cowboys in the audience and tease them about their head-nodding posture and dance moves. But he said he knew why they were all here, and it was because of “her“ and they were “doing what she likes“.

Other songs included Some Beach, My Eyes, Austin and Honey Bee. He ended his set-list — and Stagecoach — with Boys Round Here and God Gave Me You.

Shelton ended the night with a bang and sent all those cowboys and girls off home with a weekend‘s worth of fun to remember.

The stage lights shine bright even from the General Admission section.

The Band Perry takes the stage and puts on a huge show.

The Band Perry sings their hit — The Band Perry sings their hit "You Lie" live on the Mane Stage.

The Band Perry, or the Perry Band?

Blake Shelton takes the stage.

"little kisses, sweeter than sweet tea" - Doing What She Likes

Peace out Stagecoach

Nothing better than an Indio sunset.

Lead Singer, Kimberly Perry rocks out on stage.

So with a little dancing, a little socializing, a little music and a lot of fun — until next year Stagecoach!

Footnotes

Photos contributions by Anna Cannon, Adam Campbell and Carlie McCabe.

FootNotes

Photos contributions by Anna Cannon, Adam Campbell and Carlie McCabe.

© 2026 Anna Cannon

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