Stagecoach 2025 Day Two Best Moments: Jelly Roll, Koe Wetzel, Shaboozey & More

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

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.

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.