Following Coachella’s two consecutive weekends, the grounds of the Empire Polo Club naturally looked a bit different for Stagecoach. The annual country music festival (also promoted by Goldenvoice that launched in 2007) took place April 26-28 and hosted headliners Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen.
Not only had the previously green grass been matted into dust, but the entire layout had shifted – revealing indented land where stages once sat and an entirely new perspective for those more familiar with Coachella’s layout (like myself). The most notable change was the cleverly-named “Mane” stage, which spanned the entire north-side field with four jumbotrons situated throughout, ensuring a good view for all – even those seated, yes seated, towards the very back. (Another major difference: blankets and beach chairs are welcome, with the majority of attendees opting to set up shop in one spot for the day.)
And while the weekend had its fair share of hullabaloo – including Eric Church’s controversial acoustic set, the debate about whether Backwoods Barbie, the mysterious last-minute lineup addition, was Beyoncé, and the disappointment over Morgan Wallen’s festival-closing set not being livestreamed – by Sunday evening, one prevailing takeaway emerged: country music’s communal nature is unmatched.
Across the festival’s three days, guest appearances were the norm, with everyone from Lana Del Rey to Reba popping in for a surprise song. Post Malone – who centered 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 performed alongside him. And that’s far from all.
Below are the seven biggest moments from Stagecoach 2024.
-
Lana’s Festival Three-Peat
Following her headlining sets at Coachella’s two weekends, Lana Del Rey returned to Indio once more – this time as an unannounced guest. Joining country singer Paul Cauthen on Friday, Del Rey told the crowd, “He decided he wanted me to do a nice slow one to finish it off.” The two then duetted on “Unchained Melody,” a classic recorded by the Righteous Brothers and later performed by Elvis Presley. Following the performance, Del Rey took to Instagram to share a photo of her smiling in awe: “Posting this cause it’s a face you’ll rarely see – it’s called when you don’t fuck up three times in a row.”
-
The Cornucopia of 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 it was his son’s birthday, Ernest then shared that his one wish was to sing a certain song for the thousands of attendees, “Twinkle Little Star.” That was far from the only cover of the weekend, as on Sunday the Grammy-nominated duo The War and Treaty delivered a soaring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and soon after country-rocker Nate Smith covered an all-time favorite, Foo Fighters’ “My Hero,” during his late-afternoon set.
-
Willie Nelson Gets By With a Little Help From His Friends (and Family)
Following a hits-filled 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 deliver a superstar jam of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” serving as the best backing vocalists in town. “Put your hands together, Willie Nelson!” yelled Jelly Roll, beaming with pride at accompanying the legend on stage – and two days before Nelson will turn 92, no less.
-
The Backwoods Barbie Reveal (And Ultimate Bust)
10 minutes into the scheduled start time of the highly-anticipated Backwoods Barbie set – a hotly debated performance due to online rumors that the last-minute lineup addition was Beyoncé – the music at Diplo’s Honky Tonk stage stopped short. Immediately, camera phones shot up in the air as fans hoped the moment they were waiting for – and believing in – was finally happening. And just as “Single Ladies” began to blare from the speakers, the cheers became even louder. But, seconds later, the Beyoncé bubble of possibility burst as two women in matching pink sequined suits and black cowgirl hats stepped on stage. “Stagecoach!” they yelled to a room full of fans in disbelief. We’d all been duped.
-
Post Malone’s Warm Welcome
“How the f–k is everyone doing tonight?” yelled Post Malone to an absolutely packed Mane Stage crowd while raising his ever-present Solo Cup in the air. “We’re gonna be doing a bunch of songs that I fucking love.” And that he did. Covering everyone from Tyler Childers to Tim McGraw, Post Malone cemented his country superstar status 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 Vince Gill and Alan Jackson covers). At the end of the set, Posty gave his backing band, including Paisley on guitar, one parting instruction: “Boys, talk your shit.” As they all jammed on 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 backstage. Later that night, Paisley posted photos on Instagram with the caption, “You belong here Posty.”
-
Miranda Lambert’s Girl-Powered Finale
Miranda Lambert had plenty to celebrate during her Saturday night headlining set, from a Las Vegas residency to a new record deal with Republic – and that’s exactly what she did. During the performance, the superstar not only debuted a new song called “Wranglers” – a likely indication of more new material on the way – but she also delivered a rousing 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 a note of empowerment as they proved to everyone in attendance just what “little girls are made of,” as Lambert sings in the song.
-
Morgan Wallen “Had Some Help” From a New Pal
Days ago, Post Malone teased on social media a forthcoming Morgan Wallen collaboration. And in the Stagecoach merchandise tent, Posty not-so-subtly dropped a major hint about the song via the one piece of merchandise he was selling, a shirt that read: “‘I HAD SOME HELP’ IS A SONG FEATURING MORGAN WALLEN ON POST MALONE’S NEW ALBUM.” And on Sunday night, during Wallen’s festival grand finale, he welcomed Post on stage to debut the song together. After trading verses on the pop-rock country track, the two ended the performance exactly as it started: in a big ‘ol embrace.
