Lainey Wilson turns Stagecoach evacuation chaos into a commanding set
Lainey Wilson turns Stagecoach evacuation chaos into a commanding set
Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun Sun, April 26, 2026 at 1:27 PM UTC
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INDO, CA − Lainey Wilson’s headlining set at Stagecoach 2026 looked doomed after high winds forced an evacuation around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, April 25. After the chaos subsided and guests were allowed back into the festival, Wilson’s performance was the set everyone needed to put the night back into place.
Once Wilson finally took the stage − an hour later than originally scheduled amid the weather issues − she opened with “Can’t Sit Still,” and it was as if nothing had happened.
The song, which marked an electrifying start to a 90‑minute set, was followed by “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” which she performed while strutting across the stage in leather chaps with heavy fringe, a matching top and a black hat. The stage, which was covered in saguaro cacti statues, featured a fitting Western theme, with video graphics displaying everything from desert sunsets to Wilson herself with a vast desert behind her.
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Wilson didn’t do any wardrobe changes and understood exactly how to move the initially antsy crowd. She knew when to push, when to loosen the reins, and, most importantly, when to let the good times take over. She grabbed a camera and connected to the video screen for what she called a "selfie" during “Road Runner,” and later brought up fellow Stagecoach performers Riley Green and Little Big Town, telling them to “show me what you got,“ before they all dived into a cover of Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink” (with drinks in hand, naturally).
In a touching moment, Wilson held back Green, whose Mane Stage set was canceled amid the wind-forced evacuation, for a solo spot to sing his hit “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.” When Wilson reappeared, she said Stagecoach was like a “country music Christmas” because she got to see all her friends.
There was also a sentimental nod to her Louisiana upbringing that she also shared in her new documentary on Netflix, “Keepin’ Country Cool,” about how her parents put on an addition to their home to create more space for her and her sister. She affectionately detailed the anecdote, the heart of which was that she'd run out of the addition every morning to help her dad pull his pant legs over his boots, before playing the song inspired by that ritual: “Those Boots.”
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During “Things A Man Oughta Know,” the headliner brought a little girl from the crowd on stage to repeat a set of affirmations − “I am beautiful, I am smart, I can do anything” − before declaring her “Cowgirl of the Night,” an act that's become a tradition at Wilson's shows.
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One of the highlights toward the end of the set was “Dreamcatcher,” which turned from an atmospheric song resembling Fleetwood Mac to a hard rock song when the guitar solos started. That energy carried into the playful song “Ring Finger.”
The Grammy Award winner closed her set with beloved hits “4x4xU” and “Heart Like A Truck.”
There was a theme in Wilson’s set of steady resilience, as well as a grounded pride in womanhood − not flashy, but rooted in endurance and self‑possession − that Stagecoach needed at this point in time.
Lainey Wilson performs "Wildflowers and Wild Horses" during her headlining set on the Mane Stage during Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, Calif., Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Earlier this week, Wilson appeared on John Mayer’s “How's Life with John Mayer“ interview series on his SiriusXM channel, “Life With John Mayer,” and discussed her then-soon-to-be Stagecoach headlining debut. The pair gawked at how amazing it was that just four years ago, Wilson made her Stagecoach debut − and it was on the tiny SiriusXM Highway Stage in the middle of the Mane Stage area at 2:30 p.m. to just “a couple hundred people.”
She's come a long way from that set many now-fans were likely unaware of.
Leading up to the performance, there was a lot of speculation about who could make a guest appearance, especially when considering her past collaborations. Perhaps Dolly Parton would join her for "Mama He's Crazy." Maybe Jelly Roll would show up for "Save Me." Or, in a nostalgic nod to her days as a "Hannah Montana" impersonator, she might bring out Miley Cyrus.
But she didn’t need a guest appearance by Dolly or Miley, just like she didn't need the pyro that she told Mayer she was going to have, but was clearly cut because of the wind. Wilson came back swinging after what was an extreme low point in Stagecoach history with a country‑Western fireball of a set that lit the place up when it needed it most.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Lainey Wilson's Stagecoach set resuscitates good vibes – Review
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