By Jake Tully
Stagecoach Day 1: Stagecoach, unlike Coachella, is specifically oriented for the older, rowdy, grits in their teeth, dust in their hair crowd. From the copious bales of hay for yer sittin’ plea-sure to the clearly demarcated signs leading to specific stages and booths, it’s slightly comforting to know that the festival has made provisions to accommodate a confused (or otherwise unfamiliar crowd), as if keeping a watchful eye on those who might feel slightly bamboozled by the sprawled out layout.
By the time I got into the festival, I stumbled into the tail end of Lindi Ortega’s set, catching a slew or Johnny Cash covers. The crowd was still fairly thin at half past one – allowing for a front and center view of “Ring of Fire.” Of course, considering that it was half past one, it’s only natural that half the crowd was hammered, allowing for a man of fifty to sing his own lyrics to the Johnny Cash tunes before stumbling away griping about the lack of toilets.
Pegi Young, much like her ex-husband Neil, has a set comprised almost entirely of politically charged tunes. It was a fun experience to see someone I had read a great deal about, but an entire set dedicated to tackling Monsanto and big pharma isn’t necessarily my idea of a good time.
Albuquerque based act The Handsome Family – of True Detective theme song fame – put on one of the most splendid sets of Friday despite some slight technical issues out of their control (blame the wind, folks.) Brett and Rennie Sparks absolutely killed, both literally and figuratively with their unabashedly morbid set.
“We’re so unnerved by songs that admit the fact that we’re mortal, but to me that signals the obvious truth of our lives and the sooner that we admit that the better,” said Sparks in an interview prior to Stagecoach. “People get upset when we sing about death but regardless of whether or not we sing about it, it’s going to happen regardless. We should live lives with the full knowledge that it’s going to end – that will make every moment that much more miraculous.”
The Handsome Family’s brand of devastatingly dark music was the perfect foil to some of the overarching lightheartedness present last weekend. It’s a country musical festival after all, shouldn’t there be a fair amount of misery?
A crowd was forming near the Palomino stage for The Lone Bellow hours prior to the set. This fact was deduced by two pieces of evidence; 1. People had created slapdash “Lone Bellow” signs on the fly and 2. A large gang of intoxicated folks were rallying for the band by beginning to strip down to their skivvies.
The great thing about the Brookyln based indie darlings is their increasing level of rowdiness at every festival they play. They’ve come a long way in ferocity since Outside Lands 2013, even topping Way Over Yonder’s 2014 set. Rousing the crowd to testify and preach, some of the faint of heart got the vapors and had to resort to liquid encouragement to keep on keeping on. By George, The Lone Bellow put on a helluva shows for those sign-bearers and nearly nude individuals.
I was lucky enough to garner a sweet spot for Sturgill Simpson, perhaps one of the most enticing artists on the bill. His spectacular Metamodern Sounds In Country Music proved amazing live, even roping in the older crowd to really cut loose. Most of the concertgoers who seemed anxious to see Vince Gill in the following time slot were mesmerized by Sturgill, his set reminiscent of an early Alan Jackson, had Jackson openly admitted his affinity for psychedelics and hallucinogens to a boot-scooting beat. Though Sturgill is making the rounds at 2015’s festivals, it’s hard to imagine him more in his element than at Stagecoach. The graciousness that greeted Simpson after a skeptical group hungry for Vince Gill was astonishing.
Kacey Musgraves got the short end of the sick in that her audience her audience was composed almost entirely of 17-year-old girls who had never been to a concert before. The latter fact is only speculation, but guessing by the total lack of attention to the songstress whilst taking selfies and screaming when the dust kicked up, it’s likely a fair assumption. Musgraves certainly isn’t to blame, her set was wholly professional and vividly engrossing.
Steve Earle was on fire that evening, picking away at tracks from his newest Terraplane, and busting through “Guitar Town” and “Copperhead Road.” It was heartening to see such a wildly enthusiastic crowd for one of the greatest living American songwriters. Grizzled and grainy, Earle fulfilled all one could want for a Stagecoach performance.
Though Tim Mcgraw may have been Friday’s headliner, the real highlight of the night was none other than Merle. McGraw put on a fine show, purporting his newly refined “classic” image and bravado, but absolutely nothing beats the Hag. Shuffling out on stage to an instrumental version of “Okie” like a Sinatra of the south, Haggard was at his best. “Lucky Star” and “Mama Tried” sounded just as sweet as they do on record, and Merle hasn’t lost an ounce of steam. What a treat it was to behold a legend spanning to many decades, genres, prairies and bars. Stagecoach scored a coup with Merle on Friday night, Saturday will be difficult to top.
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