Day Three and many festival-goers, looking a little worse for the wear, stumbled through the gates like cattle and came ready to end the weekend on a high note. Old Dominion kicked off the last day, but the name seemed new to many. During their performance, some headed for the comfort of shade, choosing a live feed of the Mane Stage from the sidelines over battling the crowds, and chowing down on some BBQ followed by a nice cold beer. Old Dominion quickly became everyone’s new favorite band that you didn’t know you had and pretty soon the crowd was up and moving to the beat. Seducing every girl in the crowd with their hipster looks and their sweet country sound, this contemporary Nashville band makes you want to put your beer in the air and reminds you that summer is right around the corner, especially with their current hit ‘Snapback’. It may have been their first time at Stagecoach, but it certainly won’t be their last.
Image Source: Old Dominion Instagram
From there, I decided to go for a Palomino artist over the Mane Stage. Check out pictures from the Marshall Tucker Band’s performance here!
No strangers to each other, Dustin Lynch, Little Big Town, and Luke Bryan are currently touring together and one can only imagine the shenanigans they must get up to on that tour bus. The night started with Dustin Lynch, rockin’ a cowboy hat and tight jeans, like a little country Magic Mike. “Where It’s At (Yep, Yep),” “Hell of a Night” and “Mind Reader” got the crowd out of their three-day beer stupor and ready to close out the festival right. And as if an omen, a rainbow appeared after days of dust and wind. Blast from the past LIT appeared, performing their 1999 hit ‘My Own Worst Enemy’, a reference to his show in February where the band surprised him during Dustin’s cover of their song–a bit of a rocker-redneck bromance.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Then came Little Big Town, owning the stage and ready to perform and have a good time. Polished and powerful, their set list didn’t slow down for one bit. Kicking it off with a reminder of our recent loss (R.I.P. Prince), their mashup of ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Jolene’, and ‘Little White Church’ got everyone’s attention. From ‘Pontoon to ‘Sober’, from ‘Day Drinking’ to ‘Girl Crush’; LBT took us on a ride, with energy highs and emotional lows. It’s no wonder they’re one of the best in the business.
For the last performance of ‘Countrychella’, a term coined by Luke Bryan, Luke came out ready bring the house down. Fueled by either adrenaline or Bud Light, Luke settled in, declaring he’d do whatever it takes to to give the crowd what they wanted–even if it took all night. At times joined on stage by Dustin Lynch and members of LBT, this set was all country. His dramatic pause before giving the crowd what they wanted, to shake it to ‘Country Girl’, shows that Bryan knows exactly what he’s doing and, like a high school crush, how to tease us with what we want to build the energy of the crowd. Fittingly so, as the sun set on Stagecoach 2016, Luke ended his set with ‘I Don’t Want This Night To End’, but like all good things it did.
Image Source: Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
