Stagecoach 2025 Day Two Best Moments: Jelly Roll, Koe Wetzel, Shaboozey & More
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Rising country-grunge (crunge?) star Koe Wetzel made his first appearance at Stagecoach, while Shaboozey one-upped his previous year's debut at one of the festival's side stages by commanding a huge crowd on the main ('Mane') stage. And of course, the biggest celebration of all was held by Jelly Roll, who not also surpassed his crowd from the year before by a near-exponential margin with his well-received and widely watched headlining gig, but brought along a near-unheard-of number of special guests to help commemorate the occasion — including Shaboozey himself.
But in addition to the still-exploding class of country breakout artists looking to become the genre's new A-listers, plenty of hitmakers from days of yore were also present and accounted for on the festival's second day — including a number who come from outside of the world of country. A pair of such acts with RIAA diamond-certified albums — turn-of-the-century post-grungers Creed and 2000s blockbuster rapper Nelly — delighted fans with their nostalgic throwback sets, while '60s chart-toppers Tommy James and the Shondells showed that they had plenty of gas left in the tank as well.
Here's eight of the best things we saw across the second day of the 18th Stagecoach Festival, with one more day still to account for this weekend.
Dasha brought out a packed crowd to the Mane stage during her 3:20 pm set Saturday afternoon, with pop-fused, danceable songs like 'Not at This Party.' Making her inaugural performance on the huge stage, she didn't try to contain her excitement — and came ready to make a memorable performance.
'I played the Mane Stage at Stagecoach!,' she yelled to the crowd, jumping up and down and then launching into 'Didn't I.' Flanked by dancers and a guy commandeering a lasso, she shimmied around the stage, joined her dancers with brightly choreographed dances, and got a hearty portion of the massive crowd dancing and grooving along.
She took up a guitar on 'Way Too Drunk,' recalling a night of alcohol-induced decisions that later made for a good story. She then amped up the crowd with a rendition of Gretchen Wilson's 'Here for the Party,' before wrapping with an extended version of 'Austin.' As members of the audience launched into the song's dance — made so popular on social media — Dasha jumped into the crowd, singing along with the audience. — JESSICA NICHOLSON
Nearly 60 years after it first became a hit — and now also nearly 40 years since Billy Idol took it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with his cover version — it would be fair to wonder whether Tommy James and the Shondells' 'Mony Mony' still had the party-igniting spark it once did. As the climax to James & Co.'s mid-afternoon set, however, the answer to that question was a resounding yes: hundreds in attendance at the Palomino stage were more than happy to answer James' 'Yeah!'s with 'Yeah!'s of their own, and to contribute to the 'Ooh, I love you Mo….' section when he stuck the microphone out to them. And yes, in case you were still wondering — plenty of folks still do the proto-viral 'get laid, get f–ked' chant on the verses too. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Over on the Palomino Stage, Texas native Dylan Gossett drew a packed crowd for his set that started just before 5:00 p.m. — the same stage Zach Bryan similarly packed out three years ago before his career surged to stadium headliner status. For Gossett, the audience overflowed at the Palomino stage to hear the singer-songwriter offer up versions of 'If I Had a Lover' and 'To Be Free.' They especially hung onto every word when he launched into 'Beneath Oak Trees,' a song inspired by his marriage a couple years earlier.
He displayed the breadth of talents of his band, too, as his set built from more acoustic-based songs into songs like the blistering 'Hangin' On,' then into a revved-up version of Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues.' Throughout it all, Gossett charmed the crowd with his easygoing-yet-charismatic performance style. — J.N.
If anyone was grateful to see how far they'd come since the last time he played Stagecoach, it was Shaboozey, who estimated there were about 1,000 people to see him when he rocked the Bud Light Stage in 2024. ('A whole lot more than a thousand people here,' he commented, still underselling the gargantuan size of his late-afternoon turnout.) He celebrated the level-up by debuting a never-before-performed cover of what he called one of his favorite songs of all time: Bob Dylan's 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door,' always a winning festival singalong. From there, Shaboozey cleverly segued into his new song 'Amen,' which contains a reference to the dying-of-the-light staple — though both laments sounded positively triumphant as delivered by a beaming, victory-lapping 'Boozey. — A.U.
Wetzel brought his high-octane, crude-when-needed and unapologetically more-grit-than-polish brand of music to thunderous applause from Stagecoach goers who were packed around the Palomino stage early Saturday evening. He sailed through rocking songs like 'Sweet Dreams' and 'Damn Near Normal,' and the fan-favorite ballad 'Drunk Driving.' 'We ain't got nothing to do tomorrow,' he told the crowd, encouraging them to take full advantage of the day's slate of music artists. 'God bless redneck music,' he added.
He saved his big surprise for the close of his set, welcoming Jessie Murph for their five-week Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 'High Road,' as she returned the favor for Wetzel's appearance at her own Coachella set on the same festival grounds two weekends earlier. Though Murph's voice seemed muffled at moments, it was a sterling conclusion to Wetzel's strong set. — J.N.
Though some of the non-country artists appearing at Stagecoach this year might've earned some quizzical looks from fans when the lineup was announced, nobody likely looked askance at Nelly: Not only was his debut album (and breakout hit) literally titled Country Grammar, he's got the collaborative bonafides to more than earn his place in the country arena.
On Saturday, he performed perhaps his most famous and esteemed such worse: 'Cruise,' his remix team up with the now-split Florida Georgia Line, which became a game-changing top five hit on the Hot 100 and one of the best-selling country songs of the iTunes era. But he also was wise to remind fans that he collaborated with them again at the turn of the decade, which had resulted in 'Little Bit' — not nearly the chart smash that 'Cruise' was,' but just as rewarding a jam, as many folks dancing outside the Palomino tent seemed ready to agree with. — A.U.
Kentucky native Sturgill Simpson brought blistering instrumentals to his tightly constructed, hour-long set Saturday night on Stagecoach's Mane Stage, marking his first Stagecoach performance in nine years.
He muscled through the set, rarely taking a moment's break as he ripped through songs including the sauntering 'Brace For Impact (Live a Little),' 'Life of Sun,' and a cover of 'Don't Miss Your Water,' which has previously been recorded by William Bell and Otis Redding.
His set leaned into a jamband vibe, heavy on masterclass instrumentals that let the musicianship do the talking. His set also included an unexpected cover, an intense rendition of Eddie Murphy's Rick James-penned hit 'Party All the Time.' As his set drew to a close, Simpson ended the performance simply, holding one hand in the air acknowledging the crowd, taking off his guitar and walking offstage. — J.N.
Jelly Roll was certainly feeling the love on Saturday night after officially making it to headliner status — and it was a moment that he wanted to share with several of his closest buddies and well-wishers. It honestly feels like it might be quicker to list the collaborators who didn't perform with Jelly on Saturday — an impressive cross section of figures from the man's orbit, and even a couple with no obvious connection to him, showed up to support the recently mined poster-topper, and sometimes to get to play one of their own hits as well. And through it all, Jelly still seemed humble, still seemed sincere and still seemed incredibly grateful to be having the later-in-life success he's currently enjoying. When you get to spend your Saturday hanging out with your famous friends for money — and still do it righteously enough to not fear divine judgment the next morning — what's not to be thankful for? — A.U.
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