By Dave Parsons
Following the incredible opening night of the inaugural 2024 Country Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland the fans lined up as early as 9 AM to anticipate the gates opening at noon. In talking to some of them, having been there the day before, they had their plans made for which stage they were going to make a run towards, and mark their spot for the day’s lineup.
The Boot Stage was located on the end where the main gates were, and the Scoot stage about 200 yards further down the beach on the sand. When an act finishes their set, the other stage begins almost immediately, so it is hard to get between them to see everyone. The third stage, aptly named Boogie, and located on the end where the Scoot stage was, had some entertainment during the day. Situated under a pavilion, it provided a covered area for those susceptible to the heat, to get to watch some dynamic acts, and be able to see and hear the Scoot stage.
The shops on the Boardwalk were open early and doing some brisk sales early on an offseason Saturday morning, and the festival itself had a merchandise tent outside the gates, so you could have your merchandise already when you entered the festival. As the line were incredibly long later in the day, this was a very sweet perk to have. I had a couple tell me they had wanted to visit Ocean City for years, and the festival was the perk they needed to make the 1,500-mile trek. They had researched the most famous Ocean City establishments on line, an had checked most of them off by mid-afternoon on Saturday. The economic impact to the area for the weekend, and its sister festival the weekend prior, had to be huge.
Again, the weather was a little breezy, with a bright sun when the gates finally opened and the music was getting ready to begin.
I’m inserting a small disclaimer at this point. Because some shows overlapped each other’s set times, and some acts just did not grant media access, it’s impossible to photograph and review every act at the festival. I photographed as many as was possible each day.
On to the music!
First up for day two was 17-year-old Waylon Wyatt. Blending Americana, Folk and Country music into his set, he reminds you of a younger version of the day’s closer, Tyler Childers. The left-handed guitar playing Wyatt has a lot of stage presence for someone so young, and the crowd let him know they appreciated the music he performed in his short set to open the day. He is one to watch in the future.
Als a newcomer to watch for was the second act on Saturday. Aiden Canfield infuses rock and country influences, with some clever and heartfelt lyrics. His music is very relatable. In only the last few years, he has released over a half dozen singles a full CD, and has nearly 3 million streams. If the audience reaction on this Saturday was any indication, he will be coming back to Country Calling for many years to come.
Country newcomer, Alana Springsteen, came on stage in a black shorts outfit with a black and green jacket and black boots. Opening with You Don’t Deserve a Country Song, Alana kept her brand of country music with playful clever lyrics coming. Explaining the origins of many of her songs, she engaged the audience. It’s not that she needed to explain things too deeply, as even she remarked how a large amount of her audience was singing every word back to her. Even slower songs like Ghost in my Guitar‘ had the full attention of the audience. She also brought a medley of classic rocks songs including Teenage Dream, When The Sun Goes Down and Livin’ on a Prayer. Overall, her set was a nice mix of genres, giving her a chance to show the audience what she could do, including a great set closer, Goodbye Looks Good On You.
Nikki Lane strolled onto the Country Calling stage with a black tank top, sequined black skirt and a guitar inlayed with the words Highway Queen up the neck. With her first song of that same name, Highway Queen, Nikki Lane was on a mission to prove that title genuine. Technically, her music is Americana, but she has an edge that skirts rock and she mixes the two well. She included an homage to those in the crowd, 700,000 Rednecks, (maybe not that many in reality), resonated well. She bounced between originals like You Can’t Talk to Me Like That, and hit the right notes with covers like Fishin’ in the Dark and Why You Been Gone So Long. It should be no surprise it was a solid set from the Highway Queen.
Newcomer Dasha walked out on the Boogie stage with a mid-drift top, red daisy dukes, black boots, a ponytail full of attitude and confidence, and proceeded to have Ocean City on notice that she was a force to be reckoned with. She had done a lot on her own up until now, riding a viral video hit, Austin (Boots Not Walkin’), parlayed into a deal with Warner Brothers and a tour. Her set was mostly original songs, going from the sweet 42, to the spicy Talk of the Town. She never stopped moving around on the stage the entire set. Many in the crowd commented they didn’t recognize her name before the show, but by the time she left the Boogie stage certainly knew her now.
The only term that fits Tanya Tucker is legend. A good portion of the crowd probably wasn’t even born when Tucker hit the charts the first time in 1972. But, it sure didn’t hinder the crowd from knowing every word of songs like If Your Heart Ain’t Busy Tonight, Strong Enough To Bend and Texas (When I Die). Tucker spent a good part of her set talking to her audience, even offering free samples of her tequila brand to the barricade, and engaging the rest like old friends. She spoke of old friends like Kris Kristofferson, (who had passed the previous week), and moved on to talk about her father, who was her manager until his passing. This led into the show stopping Delta Dawn, and from there it was a sing along among 25,000 friends in the sand.
An overflow crowd was under the Boogie pavilion, awaiting Paul Cauthen. An up-and-coming act with a growing following, you could feel the electricity and energy anticipating his show. Taking the stage with attitude and a purpose, Cauthen ripped through some of his earlier material such as Caught Me at a Good Time, Still Drivin’ and Holy Ghost Fire, and had the crowd clapping hands and getting into the ever genre bending style. Some newer songs from the CD Country Coming Down followed. Cauthen has a good voice as was evident on Prayed for Rain before heading for the finish line in a 60 minute set that seemed to go by in 10.
Fast becoming a household word, an oversized crowd awaited Lainey Wilson’s entrance. While a recording of Barbara Mandrell’s I Was Country (When Country Wasn’t Cool), Wilson’s band took their places, along with a stage complete with a vintage pickup truck. It was a nice nod to the ladies who paved the way, and an ode to her tour name, aptly being Country’s Cool Again. Wilson entered with her bell-bottom jeans, black blouse with tan jacket and black cowgirl hat, singing Hang Tight Honey and sending the crowd into a frenzy. Throughout the set, little girls waved for all they were worth, having a clean cut cowgirl to look up to, and instilling confidence to be themselves to her older fan club. Songs like Good Horses Always Come Home, Things a Man Oughta Know, and Heart Like a Truck, had the crowd singing every word. It was a very song packed 75 minutes from start to finish, and when the encore Wildflowers and Wild Horses, reached the final notes, Wilson left the crowd definitely wanting more.
On the other end of the beach, Bailey Zimmerman’s band played the first note, as soon as Wilson’s band hit their last, and for 60 minutes it was a non-stop party. Starting with Religiously and Never Comin’ Home the crowd was into the show from the outset. Watching Zimmerman perform is like watching a long-distance marathon, except the runner isn’t pacing themselves. Zimmerman’s energy, along with his upbeat songs, and audience participation at high speed is like watching them dare each other to see who gives up first. You will never walk away from a Bailey Zimmerman show bored.
I was taking pictures of the audience members in front of the stage before Zimmerman came out. There was one young lady with her friend at the front, and her parents were behind her. She said this was her first concert ever, and she was there to see Zimmerman, and was all smiles with anticipation. The second Zimmerman ran out on stage, the tears of joy started down her face, and she cried and sang at the top of her lungs. I realized she probably was in line 12 hours prior, stood all day in the sun to hold her spot, and all to get to see Zimmerman up close. She will probably never forget that night for the rest of her life. The point is, it’s great to see there are some country acts around that teenagers will stand all day in the sun to see….and their parents will be happy to have their kids look up to them.
At this point, it was one more trek down the sand, to photograph the closing act for the festival. Kentucky native Tyler Childers performs a mix of country, bluegrass, folk and gospel that is often falling under the Americana umbrella. He has managed to garner critical AND commercial attention, and the particular blending landed him a huge following, so much so that he opened for the Rolling Stones this year.
His stage setup reminded one of a general store in a small Kentucky town. The projections on the screen behind him was a mix of textures and images that reinforced the music. Childers lets the lyrics speak for themselves, jumping in head first with Shake the Frost and Country Squire. His band was beyond expectations, whether he was doing originals or covers like Hank Sr’s Old Country Church. For an audience that had been there all day, and many all weekend, who had experienced all forms of what is considered country music these days, it was interesting to see them vibing with what is essentially old country music and be so appreciate of it.
As the clock approached the 11 PM curfew, Childers and band ripped through House Fire and Universal Sound that got the crowd going. Childers finished with All That You’ll Take is the Heart You’ve Been Tendin’. For an area that was hit with bad weather the weekend before, for the inevitable slide into winter, and the world in general, that song summed up the show, the day and the weekend.
All that you’ll take/All that you’ll take/All that you’ll take is the heart you’ve been tendin’
As the crowd made its way to the boardwalk, and eventually to their transportation home, it was a peaceful exit with no shouting and yelling. It was more heading back to their homes and into the future, having paused in the first weekend of October to be recharged and filled with peace that comes from country music full of lyrics that touch your soul, make you think and stir memories that you thought were locked away.
The organizers of Country Calling should be proud of what they put on, especially since it was their first year. They had the right blend of all forms of country music, and presented it in a setting that can’t be beat. We can only hope there are more in future years, and those in attendance this year come back for decades to come, and bring all of their friends.
