The Budweiser Clydesdales parade down El Paseo in Palm Desert
The Budweiser Clydesdales returned to El Paseo to put on a show amidst local businesses ahead of Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
The first day of the 2024 Stagecoach country music festival was jam-packed to say the least.
From surprise guests like Lana Del Rey to one of the most unexpected headlining sets in Stagecoach history, there’s a lot to cover, but we narrowed it down to our three least and three most favorite moments.
Read on for our takes of Day 1:
The highs
1. Lana Del Rey makes a guest appearance during Paul Cauthen’s set
Lana Del Rey, aka the woman who graced these very Empire Polo Club fields the past two Fridays as a Coachella headliner, was back this Friday at Stagecoach as a surprise guest.
According to several social media posts, Tyler, Texas native Paul Cauthen kicked off his time in the desert Thursday night by singing with Del Rey at a Nikki Lane BBQ event, and then at the very end of his late afternoon set on Friday, he invited her onstage in the Palomino tent. The pair sang a duet of “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers.
More: Stagecoach live updates: Set times, a Lana Del Rey appearance and Beyonce rumors
2. Jelly Roll brings out many special guests, including T-Pain and Maddie & Tae
During Jelly Roll’s Stagecoach debut, he told fans early in the set he would bring out “many special guests.” First, Jelly brought out good friend and fellow Stagecoach performer Ernest to sing “Son of a Sinner,” but sadly, we could barely hear him as Ernest’s mic didn’t work for the majority of the song. Then, he brought out country duo Maddie & Tae to sing the unreleased song “Liar,” adding that if everyone liked it “it might end up on the next album.”
Finally, he brought out T-Pain, which we already knew was going to happen, but that didn’t make it any less epic. Jelly let T-Pain play a medley of his own hits such as “Buy U a Drank” before delving into their Amazon Music-released cover of the late Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.”
Jelly Roll is donating all proceeds from the Amazon Music Original to the Toby Keith Foundation, which supports the health and happiness of pediatric cancer patients.
More: Jelly Roll honors Toby Keith with T-Pain as part of guest-filled Stagecoach set
3. Wyatt Flores’ captivating Stagecoach debut
Even though Wyatt Flores’ afternoon set in the Palomino was brief, the singer-songwriter on the rise performed a captivating set of his songs combining rock, country and Americana. The 22-year-old Mexican-American singer has already been named one of Rolling Stone’s 25 “Future of Music” artists and an Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist of the Year. He also made his Grand Ole Opry debut earlier this year.
His cover of The Fray’s “How To Save A Life” received the most response from the crowd, who sang along with its chorus. He returned to the song’s chorus at the end of “Please Don’t Go” and fans sang it back even louder.
More: Stagecoach: Wyatt Flores proves why he’s an Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist of the Year
The lows
1. Where’s the beef?
It’s strange to be at Stagecoach and notice there’s a lack of barbecue options at the festival compared to previous years.
In the early days of the festival, there were actual barbecue competitions during the weekend, and in recent years, that has given way to big tents left over from Coachella with 12 to 15 different barbecue booths selling their wares. Some of the vendors are serving up barbecue french fries and tater tots or modified menu items that are different from the past two weekends at Coachella.
Guy’s Smokehouse, where Guy Fieri and his famous friends do cooking demonstrations, also has moved. It’s now centrally located on the grounds right next to the Craft Beer Barn, which doesn’t include an area exclusively for barbecue vendors. We were bummed that the smell of roasting meat was in the air, but there was nothing available for purchase.
But we did notice TKB Bakery was back with a different menu with barbecue sandwich options.
2. Dust in the wind
This one is obvious, but it’s no surprise after an air quality alert was issued for the Indio area on Wednesday with 10 to 15 mph winds with gusts as high as 25 mph. After two weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the dead grass at the Empire Polo Club fills the air and there was plenty going around on Friday.
The only upside to this was the cooler temperature at 76 degrees during the day, making it a much more comfortable festival during this time of the year.
3. Cowboy hats
Whoa, whoa, whoa … Hear me out on this one.
Don’t get me wrong, the hats look fantastic, but some are too nice to be worn in the dust and wind. And when too many people wear them, it creates an annoyance for the music crowd.
You may have heard of some popular sayings like “Go big or go home,” “Think big,” and “Everything is bigger in Texas.” However, I wanted to share with you that wearing large cowboy hats at concerts can be quite a hassle.
Whether you’re sitting or standing at Stagecoach, the view can often be obstructed by big hats. Some brims are so large that it’s tough to avoid them while walking in crowded areas or standing in line to get in. Also, many men over six feet tall wearing a 10-gallon hat make it impossible to see anything over them.
4. Once again, the gates open late
The gates opening later than advertised has become a recurring theme during both Coachella and Stagecoach. On Friday, the festival was scheduled to open at noon and didn’t until almost 12:30 p.m, which pushed back a 12:20 p.m. performance by British singer-songwriter and actress Lola Kirke to 12:40 p.m.
There’s many assumed reasons discussed by festivalgoers in the lines on why the gates don’t open on time such as the performers are still working through soundchecks, unprepared vendors, security isn’t in position, etc.
Whatever the reason, this is always a bad start to anyone’s day at the festival.
The story includes previous reporting by Desert Sun reporter Shad Powers.
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.