Two weeks ago, I attended Stagecoach in Indio, California. This festival of Country music with a little bit of Rock mixed into it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. The performers blew me away, and I felt at home among all the other country music fans in the crowd. I will not pretend that I was the biggest country fan when I found out I was going to attend, I was mediocre- -the most I ever did was play Go Country’s 105.1 station on the radio on my way to and from school. However, the vibe and atmosphere of everyone coming together under songs revolving around love, America, or beer made me fall in love and become a true country fan.

The lineup this year may be sole reason as to why I found this genre of music so appealing to me. On friday, the first day of the festival, Tim McGraw and Jake Owen’s performances swept me off my feet with their catchy songs and cheerful audiences. Although Tim McGraw was a little bit too emotional on stage, as he made sure every single person in the audience knew they were appreciated, “Shotgun Rider” proved to be a great hit. On the other hand, Jake Owen’s performance could not of had been any better. He had the perfect balance of being involved with the audience, but also did not thank us for being there after every single song. i am pretty sure you could have caught a tear rolling down my face when “What we ain’t got” started playing through the speakers. The other smaller artists that were featured this day were just as enjoyable, however definitely not as memorable.

Saturday definitely takes last place with the lineup. Not being a huge fan of rock music, being dragged into the tent stage to see ZZ Top was not one of my favorite moments. I was able to enjoy the music, but all along I was thinking about being at the Eli Young Band concert that was taking place at the same time. Dierks Bentley came to the rescue however as he performed afterwards and I was once again comforted with the sound of “Say You do” and “What was I Thinking.” In my opinion, and that of I’m assuming hundreds of other fans, Dierks should have closed off for the night. He was a hard act to follow, and Miranda Lambert clearly was not ready to take on the challenge. Although it was evident that she had put a lot of time and thought into her performances, it was too much to the point that the audience was cut in half before she even was halfway done.

Sunday was definitely the best, either because the artists were genuinely better or because I just wanted to ensure that I would enjoy the last day stagecoach. No, it was definitely because the artists were the best. I was so excited for The band Perry, and rightfully so. Their concert was so live and energetic I could not help but sing along as loud as I could. And as soon as Blake Shelton came on stage, I knew it was going to be a great ending. He sang all of his greatest hits, along with his lesser known songs to mix it up a little bit. It was the perfect mixture and being surrounded by the thousands of other fans, I knew it was not going to be a “Lonely Night.”

Before I actually experienced it all, I wondered if it was as great as everyone made it out to be. I knew it had to be fun as you are spending three days in Palm Springs listening to music the entire time, but was it actually going to be a trip I would never forget? Definitely. Besides the obvious being that the acts were amazing, the overall atmosphere of Stagecoach is one I will never forget. The age ranging from the youngest to oldest citizens of America, Stagecoach, although maybe not the best place to go to with your family, had a very family friendly environment. Everyone walked with a smile, and and everybody was just so happy to experience one of the best things ever together.

Stagecoach is a festival that I will definitely be attending again next year. And for anyone who stands country music, as we all know and hate to acknowledge the fact that country music hater exist, I advise that they make their way to Indio to experience a feeling of joy and pride and of course for the ultimate gift of falling in love with one of the best genres of music.