Lainey Wilson showcases her singular voice, desert cool at Stagecoach

When Lainey Wilson played an early-in-the-day set at the little stage they set up last year at Stagecoach, I was puzzled why she wasn’t given higher billing.

After all, her collab with Cole Swindell, “Never Say Never,” was everywhere. So I was delighted when Stagecoach took a mulligan and moved her up to a set on the Mane Stage this year. And now I’m feeling both ecstatic and vindicated to say that when Wilson got this chance at the big time she made the most of it.

The set started with a bang when a man who it was later revealed was Yellowstone showrunner Taylor Sheridan came onstage to introduce Wilson, who joined the show’s cast in the role of Abby.

“Look at all the cowboy hats in [expletive] California,” he yelled. “Are ya’ll ready to have a good time?”

The crowd roared in approval and would quickly learn that Wilson had come ready to deliver just that.

Things took a little while to get going with Wilson playing some tunes that were both lesser known (at least to me) and less vocally extraordinary than her biggest hits. But she started to hit her stride when she grabbed a drink and played a cover of the immortal 4 Non Blondes classic “What’s Up?”

Covering such a hippieish, cannabis-promoting tune seemed appropriate for Wilson on this day. Because while she talked often during the set about her Louisiana roots, her look, which included bellbottoms, a cactus necklace and aviators, was all California. Specifically, the Pioneertown of Pappy & Harriett’s.

The vibe was elevated further when Wilson played a rollicking rendition of her song “Rolling Stone” after speaking about her own journey to Nashville. Then it was time for her biggest hits, the one that truly showcase why her voice is among the best in country music.

First up was “Things A Man Oughta Know,” which sounded pretty much flawless. Then she sang a few lines of her hit collab with Hardy (who played Stagecoach last year) “Wait In The Truck,” before suddenly launching into the centerpiece of the night “Heart like a Truck.”

Now this decision to play only a portion of “Wait in the Truck” might have annoyed some but I was fine with it given that Hardy wasn’t around to sing his part and the song’s dark, somewhat troubling celebration of vigilante justice as a sort of aspiration of modern masculinity (perhaps she smartly recognized this song wouldn’t play well in California).

And besides, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in being most interested in how Wilson would handle “Heart like a Truck” and whether she would be able to hit the impossibly high and powerful note that comes near the end of the song. And let me tell you, I think she got 90% of the way there which is 100% impressive considering how few singers in this world could even do that.

Then it was time for what I think of as Wilson’s biggest hit, “Never Say Never.” Except as it turns out, “Heart Like A Truck” was the end of the set.

I was initially disappointed, but when my Desert Sun colleague pointed out that the set was all about celebrating Wilson (“she doesn’t need no stinking Cole Swindell!”) I had to concede he had a point.

Still, if Wilson gets the third shot at Stagecoach I now feel she deserves, I hope she’ll play it.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Stagecoach 2023; Lainey Wilson showcases her singular voice, desert cool