Beyond The Font Size, Stagecoach 2017 Offers Opportunity to the Overlooked
Every year the release of the lineup for the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California is a good case study into who to watch for on the rise in country music. Foreshadowing the success of folks like Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton, and always paying more attention to the legends of country music than most corporate festivals, the Stagecoach Festival poster is a good barometer on what and who is trending in country music. Even if you have no intention to make it out to Indio come April 28th-30th, it’s worth scanning the names to see what you might be missing.
Similarly, every year a ruckus is made by traditional and independent country fans about how certain names are assigned a larger font than others in what seems like a backwards system. “How can Shania Twain get billed ahead of Willie Nelson!?!” The answer has solely to do with economics. Kenny Chesney is a bigger draw than Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, or Margo Price. That’s just the way it is.
What’s exceptional about Stagecoach (it’s the country version of the all-genre double weekend festival Coachella) is that they’re booking legends and small-time country and Americana artists at all. You won’t see this level of diversity from the other major country music festivals of the year. So don’t focus on the font. If it makes you feel better, read it from the bottom up.
Names you won’t see playing any other major country festival except Stagecoach include Aaron Lee Tasjan, Anderson East, Brent Cobb, Cody Johnson, Dan Layus, Drew Holcomb, John Doe, John Moreland, Justin Townes Earle, Nikki Lane, Robert Ellis, Randy Rogers Band, Rhiannon Giddens, Ryan Hurd, Steve Moakler, Terry Allen, The Cactus Blossoms, The Sadies, and many more.
Stagecoach 2017 also includes country legends Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Cyndi Lauper. 🙂
Feast your eyes on the entire lineup below:
Purchase passes to the 2017 Stagecoach Festival
November 14, 2016 @ 11:48 am
Bobby Bones and the Raging Idiots?
What a piece of shyt that is.
on the same bill with Willie Margo and Jamey??
Are they f’in serious?
I am gonna barf..
November 14, 2016 @ 12:12 pm
I’d go for Jon Pardi, William Michael Morgan, Maddie and Tae, Margo Price, and maybe Maren Morris and Jamey Johnson. But that’s it.
November 14, 2016 @ 12:15 pm
And is it just me, or does it seem seriously fucked up that Bobby Bonehead, Cole Swindell, and Thomas Rhett are on the same bill as Jon Pardi, Maddie and Tae, and William Michael Morgan? Talentless hacks (the first three) sharing the stage with very talented mainstream acts. Kinda blows my mind.
November 14, 2016 @ 12:35 pm
Cowboy Junkies, Sun Volt, +2
November 14, 2016 @ 12:39 pm
Rhiannon Giddens getting a spot makes me happy. Same with Cobb, Morgan. Bobby Bones is a talentless hack, and the only thing country about Anderson East is who he’s dating, same with Elle King (without the dating part).
While I’m happy to see Margo Price & Maddie and Tae, the lack of gender balance makes me sad.
November 14, 2016 @ 12:49 pm
Am I on drugs?
Do you mean 2017?
November 14, 2016 @ 1:17 pm
What’s the fuss? There have always been marquee acts to draw audience and smaller billings to broaden the base. This is one of those (few) days when I wish I lived in California.
November 14, 2016 @ 2:06 pm
I think mostly I was complaining about the base, to many good young country acts out there, some of them even women, to be giving these opening spots to people who aren’t country.
November 14, 2016 @ 1:45 pm
What the f*ck is Cyndi Lauper doing there on the line-up? Los Lobos? lalalala la bamba.
November 14, 2016 @ 2:37 pm
You’re actually going to complain about Los Lobos with the numerous shitty pop country acts on the bill? They’re roots rock legends and are revered in the Americana/Roots music world. They were awarded a lifetime achievement award at last year’s AMA (Americana) awards.
November 15, 2016 @ 12:32 pm
I complain about them all. All.
November 14, 2016 @ 1:53 pm
Terry Allen!
November 14, 2016 @ 2:29 pm
Tommy James and the Shondells ? Tommy James and the Shondells ?
Where the hell is Strawberry Alarm Clock and Clear Light ?
November 14, 2016 @ 4:32 pm
Hey now, Albert. Using this website below…
http://www.6degreesofvincegill.com
… I can get from Strawberry Alarm Clock to Vince Gill, Merle Haggard and George Jones in 3 degrees
The Secret? Ed King was their lead guitarist and later joined Lynyrd Skynyrd, where he famously wrote the iconic guitar riff for Sweet Home Alabama and co-wrote other songs with Ronnie Van Zant. Apparently, Ed co-wrote Incense and Peppermints but didn’t get credit, Only song of theirs I know (shocking). Apparently, they also had a song called Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow. I’m sure it’s a great one.
November 14, 2016 @ 7:03 pm
wow….that’s some serious music Trivia there JW ….had no idea . good stuff .
November 15, 2016 @ 5:24 am
Yeah, I stumbled upon that info about Ed King maybe a year or two ago. Surprised me, too.
November 14, 2016 @ 2:32 pm
The Zombies and Tommy James are surprising blasts from the past. Also, the Long Ryders are awesome!
November 14, 2016 @ 8:26 pm
Both great bands…
November 14, 2016 @ 3:26 pm
Jesus, this is a nice lineup! Only thing that woulda made it more perfect for me is to have Cody Jinks, Whiskey Myers & the Smoke. But to have Willie, Cobb, Margo, WMM, Pardi, Jerry Lee, Randy, Jamey, Ruston, Tritt, Lobos & Luke is a frickin dream. That’s a NYC-LA weekend for sure.
Btw, for those whiners on here that will inevitably moan about the commercial headliners or the inclusion of Lobos, Lauer or Blasters: it’s a FESTIVAL for 75,000 folks a day. Those headliners provide the major $$ to get all the cool acts on the bill & the variety of Jerry Lee & Lobos keeps an outdoor festival energy high. So enjoy or GTFO.
November 15, 2016 @ 12:01 pm
Yea, why whine? Put Beyoncé on the line up too. She’ll attract more people and therefore $$$. We’re totally saving country music.
November 14, 2016 @ 3:27 pm
Same weekend as LJT? That’s an easy decision.
November 14, 2016 @ 5:10 pm
Dadgum Terry Allen showing up is the best thing I see on there. Lubbock on Everything shah!
November 14, 2016 @ 7:16 pm
John Moreland, Randy Rogers Band and Cody Johnson in super small print that I can barely see!!! Shocker there!!
November 14, 2016 @ 8:03 pm
Tasjan, Moreland, and many others will be playing the High Water fest in Charleston.
Also includes Dawes, Deer Tick, Matt Vasquez (meaning Middle Brother might also make an appearance), Caroline Rose, Margo Price, and Nathaniel Rateliff. The headliners are Avett Brothers, Shins, and Shovels and Rope – meh. The bottom of the ticket is tremendous.
Everyone’s name is in the same size font on the poster.
http://www.jambase.com/article/new-festival-alert-introducing-high-water-festival
November 14, 2016 @ 8:13 pm
You may be surprised to know that many of the small font artists do draw big crowds on the side stages. It is heaven to witness
November 14, 2016 @ 10:23 pm
I know I’ll get stoned by everyone on this site for saying this, but I’d go just to see 38 special. I am sure most consider them the poison of southern rock, but they have some great songs that still sound good today. …and as to the person that questioned why cindi lauper, I believe she has a country album in the works (or already out?). She may be yet another genre jumper, but I’d still rather see her than cole swindle.
November 14, 2016 @ 10:25 pm
And by poison, I mean like the band poison was to hair metal…
November 15, 2016 @ 7:21 am
Nah, not that bad. Maybe more like Bon Jovi, which I consider a huge step up, even if I never came close to buying one of their albums.
November 15, 2016 @ 12:31 pm
Yea? I rather see a traditional country artist. Just saying, I rather they didn’t add these genre polluters.
November 15, 2016 @ 6:09 am
Tommy James and the Shondells!
November 15, 2016 @ 6:25 am
Who’s the old coot opening for Randy Houser and Dierks? Some guy named Jerry Lee Lewis, didn’t he like..invent rock and roll or something? And that other old geezer, Willie Nelson who’s opening for Shania, who’s that? Oh, really he’s the greatest living treasure in country music or uh American music for that matter? Yeah, get em out of the way, Shanias just so much better!
November 15, 2016 @ 4:17 pm
How much are tickets for this abomination? You’d have to pay me 100 times that amount to get stuck in the desert for a weekend.
November 16, 2016 @ 6:06 pm
There’s a lot of people on there that I love, but seeing Terry Allen and Son Volt made me the happiest, I wish I could go!
November 17, 2016 @ 9:38 pm
Minor quibble, but Cody Johnson, Nikki Lane, and Randy Rogers Band will be at Steamboat, too. Counting the days…