The second day of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio was full of surprises, and not exactly the fun ones fans are used to seeing on stage.
For the most part, Stagecoach tends to bear the brunt of the desert heat, with temperatures sometimes hitting triple digits for consecutive days after the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, but this year was different.
The first day was in the 90-degree range, which is typical, but by the time we Saturday, April 25, hit, the sun was gone, and there was a 10-degree drop to the ’80s with overcast skies, which brought a wind that lingered most of the day. As the sun began to set, the winds became harsher.
Cowboys hats could be seen flying through crowds and, in some cases, hitting people directly in the face who happened to be standing next to or behind a hat-wearing festivalgoer. The wind also pushed dust and small pebbles at high speed, forming dust clouds on the skyline near the stages.
Crowds were quickly dispersing, and the winds were starting to roar, shaking some stage equipment; it was clear this would be an issue. Then came an official evacuation notice.
At 7:46 p.m., the monitors on the Mane Stage blared a message in red that stated: “Emergency evacuation. The festival has been postponed until further notice. Please move quickly and calmly to the nearest exit.”
Festivalgoers were evacuated from the Empire Polo Club, only to receive a notification on the Stagecoach app that the event would continue just under an hour after the first announcement. Some attendees already on their way out of the parking lot made U-turns to get back in, and others on foot did the same to return to the gates.
The festival’s monitors then broadcast the message: “Thanks for hanging with us, y’all. Welcome back, let’s do this!”
The Stagecoach app also provided an update on set times, pushing the Saturday headliner Lainey Wilson’s set by an hour and Pitbull’s by another hour.
Wilson took the Mane Stage at 10:30 p.m., about an hour later than she was originally scheduled at 9:30 p.m., but she was determined to have a good time and revel in the spotlight as the headliner. Her Stagecoach return comes after her last festival performance in 2023, and at many points in the set, she thanked her fans and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to return and for those who stuck out the wind.
“I don’t know about you, but I came to Stagecoach to have a good time, and that’s what I’m going to do,” she told the crowd.
Wilson’s production backdrop was a beautiful Western-themed desert with stars in the background and cacti surrounding her, the band and dancers. The monitor behind her changed several times, including one to see her featured in front of a massive horseshoe. She kicked off the night with “Can’t Sit Still,” “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” and “Dirty Looks.”
Wilson then invited the members of Little Big Town and Riley Green, who, along with Journey, had their sets canceled due to high winds. The musicians toasted party cups and took a drink before performing a cover of Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink.” As Little Big Town members and Green began to walk away, she commanded Green to stop and turn around.
“I know a lot of you were excited to see Riley Green’s show because I was excited to see him,” Wilson said.
Wilson invited Green to perform a song, who picked up an acoustic guitar and launched into “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.”
Green told the crowd, “I’m so proud of all the people who got evacuated but still came back after. I appreciate all of you.”
After Wilson’s set, Pitbull closed out the festival on the Mustang Stage, with an intro featuring a live band performing the introduction to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” followed by the chorus of Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right.” Then, fitting the night’s theme, where it seemed like Saturday’s biggest performances were at a loss, Pitbull started his set with “Don’t Stop the Party.”
“I want to start off by saying that it’s an honor and blessing to be here, and I want to say a special thank you to all for staying here,” Pitbull told the crowd after his first song. “We came to do one thing, and one thing only, we came to party.”
Pitbull, aka Mr. Worldwide, had a large production featuring several dancers who kept up with the dynamite energy of the Miami-based rapper. The crowd was feeling it too, jumping up and down and singing along to hits like “Hotel Room Service,” “International Love,” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love.”
His set featured a few outfit changes, where his DJ kept the crowd on its feet while Pitbull and his dancers changed. Some of his outfits included an all-black leather jacket, his signature white-and-black tux, and a red-and-black suit.
After his last costume change, he brought out his longtime friend and collaborator Lil John to perform “Jumpin” and “Damn I Love Miami.”
“There’s no way I would be on this stage without this man believing in me so many years ago,” he said.
Pitbull also performed a remix of Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” singing in English and Spanish and even challenging the crowd several times to speak some Spanish. He also spoke about being a first-generation Cuban-American and his pride in persevering and following his dreams.
“Freedom isn’t free, but freedom is priceless,” he told the crowd before wrapping up the late-night show.