Off the back of a standout edition, Stagecoach organisers praised the transformation of the country music genre with IQ.

Goldenvoice EVP Stacy Vee, who helps produce and book Stagecoach, hailed the second-annual sell-out of California’s “country Coachella”. The 85,000-capacity festival returned to Empire Polo Club in Indio, California from 25-27 April, following its sister festival’s two weekends.

For an event that began in 2007, its back-to-back sellouts are a reflection of country music’s meteoric rise over recent years, driven in part by the genre’s widespread rise in streaming. In the US, streaming rose by 7% year-on-year, as opposed to 1% growth industry-wide. Globally, 11 different country albums garnered at least 1bn streams, up drastically from only five in 2022, according to Luminate.

For 2025, the Goldenvoice-promoted festival featured powerhouses Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, and Luke Combs as headliners, with the likes of Brothers Osborne, Sturgill Simpson, Mumford & Sons, Sierra Ferrell, Shaboozey, and dozens more filling out the bill. Unique bill additions included Lana Del Rey, Goo Goo Dolls, Nelly, T-Pain, Creed, and the Backstreet Boys.

“They have brought themselves into country music, and I am giving them a further platform to showcase their alignment. They’re on the border of wanting to be in the space, wanting to be part of the community, and I am just looking to celebrate that,” she says.

As country music ushers in fresh influences from thought-to-be unconventional sources, like megastar Beyoncé and rapper Post Malone, Vee spoke about how the genre is widening its audience pool as a result.

“These new artists are just making the genre so rich, diverse and interesting”

“What’s happening is there are so many artists wanting to be in the space, but what they do is they do their interpretation of country music,” Vee says. “That is expanding and bringing new people into the genre.

“It all comes from a community of songwriting, and of American history. It’s just such a rich culture and something that I’m so proud to be a part of. There’s something really special and substantial about it, and for so many artists, it’s sort of a new frontier.”

She hailed artists entering the space, like chart-topper Shaboozey, for making it their own. His A Bar Song (Tipsy) tied Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road, another new-country hit, with 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 last year.

“These new artists are creating all these new sounds and making the genre so rich, diverse and interesting. Country music is just so much fun right now,” Vee says.

Artist collaboration, both in the country music space and with genres like electronic, hip-hop, and pop, has helped facilitate the unstoppable spread of country. Furthermore, accessibility through streaming has catapulted the genre into markets far beyond its American home.

Last year, Germany recorded an incredible 58% hike in country music streaming. Australia saw a 28% bump, while Canada saw 18% growth, per Luminate. The UK, which hosted the Country 2 Country (C2C) festival across London, Glasgow, and Belfast in March, saw an unprecedented 78% rise last year, according to the Official Charts Company.

Following his “electric” headlining slot, Zach Bryan will voyage across the pond this summer to deliver three Phoenix Park shows in Dublin, which boasts a capacity of up to 135,000 people, and two BST Hyde Park performances in London, before returning to the US for a stadium run.

Embracing and championing the genre’s changing nature has certainly helped Stagecoach prosper, and Vee says she hopes the festival can be a beacon for other events.

“We don’t ever want to change anything overnight, because then you lose people”

“We’re playing our part by trying new things, and maybe pushing the genre forward by demonstrating that things can work by amplifying diverse voices and being really creative,” she says.

“I think sometimes the country fan can be underestimated in their appetite for new things and new sounds. We love our fans, and I think that they’re ready to have fun and try new things.”

Despite promoting playfulness and merriment — “we’re not too cool for school,” Vee laughs — she affirms that the festival and its brand are built on intentionality.

“I’m super hands-on when it comes to the presentation of everything: the creative, the aesthetic, the artwork, the sponsors, the partners,” she continues. “Every inch of that festival is intentional, a careful decision that we pour over 365 days a year. But we don’t take ourselves too seriously,  we love to be playful.”

Part of that intentionality is maintaining a single-weekend festival instead of strapping in for a second, with Vee affirming it is “really great being the size that it is”.

New ventures are on the horizon for the AEG subsidiary, as Vee gears up to launch the Morgan Wallen-curated Sand In My Boots festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, from 16-18 May. Wallen, Post Malone, Brooks & Dunn, and Hardy will headline, with Diplo, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Three 6 Mafia, and 3 Doors Down also on the bill.

Still, blending the historic roots of country music with its modern evolution is integral to the event’s future success. A poignant example of this was the surprise appearance by country legend Garth Brooks during megastar Luke Combs’ set — a standout moment for Vee.

“Things can change so quickly,” she says. “It’s an organic, slow evolution. We don’t ever want to change anything overnight, because then you lose people. We don’t ever want to make our long-time tried and true country fans feel that Stagecoach isn’t for them anymore. It is, and that’s the basis of who we are. We have found it to be the most successful to just approach every year as it comes and make careful, intentional decisions to keep Stagecoach the A-Class festival.”

A special feature examining the burgeoning genre of contemporary country music appears in the new May edition of IQ Magazine.

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The Country Music Association (CMA) and singer Morgan Wallen have presented promoters Jim King and Anna-Sophie Mertens with a token of appreciation for their efforts in growing the genre outside North America.

King, AEG Presents’ CEO, European festivals, and Mertens, Live Nation VP, touring, were honoured prior to Wallen’s 50,000-cap headline performance at BST Hyde Park in London earlier this month.

“This is a milestone for the country genre and it’s important that we acknowledge the promoters who are supporting country music’s rapidly growing and mainstream appeal in the UK,” says Milly Olykan, CMA VP, international relations and development.

“As the fastest-growing genre in the UK, thanks to countless artists who are focused on building a global audience, we are grateful for the foundation that has been laid that has led to opportunities like BST Hyde Park, and we are more excited than ever to see what’s to come.”

Morgan Wallen became the first country artist to headline BST Hyde Park

Wallen took the stage later that 4 July evening, becoming the first country artist to headline the AEG-promoted London concert series in the process, with country icon Shania Twain also headlining the festival three days later.

K-pop superstars Stray Kids brought this year’s BST Hyde Park to a close last night. Other 2024 headliners included SZA, Kings of Leon, Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue and Stevie Nicks, who brought out special guest Harry Styles for the climax of her 12 July show.

Live Nation, meanwhile, launched country and Americana festival Highways with the Royal Albert Hall in 2023. The event returned to the London venue with an expanded two-day format in May, featuring acts such as The Cadillac Three, Brett Young, Shane Smith & the Saints and The War and Treaty.

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US country music star Morgan Wallen is being sued over the last-minute cancellation of his stadium concert in Mississippi.

The singer-songwriter was due to play a 60,000-cap show at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford on Saturday (22 April). However, moments before he was due on stage, fans were informed he had “lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight”.

In a social media post the next day, Wallen said: “After last night’s show I started losing my voice so I spent the day resting up, talking to my doctor and working through my vocal exercises trying to get better. I really thought I’d be able to take the stage and it kills me to deliver this so close to showtime, but my voice is shot and I am unable to sing.”

As a result of the cancellation, one ticket-holder, Brandi Burcham, launched a class action lawsuit accusing the 29-year-old of breach of concert and negligence, reports TMZ.

“Even if ticket prices are refunded, no offer has been made to reimburse concert goers for other out-of-pocket expenses they incurred in connection with the concert cancellation, including transportation, lodging, food, merchandise sales, transaction fees, and other such expenses,” it stated.

“The sudden cancellation raises red flags and should be investigated”

While the original lawsuit has since been voluntarily dismissed, Mississippi-based legal firm Langston & Lott says it is planning to re-file with a new plaintiff.

“We have been contacted by numerous individuals who spent thousands of dollars – separate and apart from the cost of their ticket – who would like to seek legal redress as well,” it says. “The second lawsuit, like the first, will seek compensation on behalf of all those affected, not just one person.”

At least one other law firm is also pursuing the case. Benjamin Philley of Kilpatrick & Philley writes on Facebook: “Folks, if you spent your hard earned money to attend the Morgan Wallen concert tonight, do not accept a refund that requires a signed release. The sudden cancellation raises red flags and should be investigated.

“A refund of the ticket price is insufficient to compensate us for our actual out of pocket expense. Like everyone affected, I want answers and will not rest until I get them. More information from our legal team investigating this matter will be forthcoming.”

Wallen, who has also postponed tour dates in Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska, scored the seventh highest-grossing tour in North America in 2022, generating $121.5 million from his 63-date run. His current 2023 One Night at a Time world tour, produced by Live Nation in North America and Frontier Touring for Australia/New Zealand, kicked off in New Zealand and Australia in March with before hitting the United States earlier this month.

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