My first big festival experience is officially in the books. Two days of sun-soaked bliss on the beaches of Ocean City, Maryland, surrounded by 55,000 people and a never-ending supply of live country music, I don’t think one could ask for a better time. I am of course speaking of the first inaugural Country Calling Festival. Headlined by rising heavyweights like Jelly Roll, Tyler Childers, and Bailey Zimmerman, as well as burgeoning legends like Eric Church, this two-day adventure through the sand was one not anybody in attendance will be forgetting for years to come.
Though I don’t have too many experiences to draw from, it would seem to me that Ocean City is the perfect town for a festival of this stature. From the scenic beach views and sunny atmosphere to the whimsical boardwalk attractions and blocks upon blocks of bars and restaurants, everything a festival goer could desire lie beckoning in the beachside glow.
From the moment Will Jones kicked off the very first set on Friday afternoon, the vibes were flowing high. Though the endless trek through sand left my quads and ankles screaming for mercy by weekend’s end, there was never a moment where I felt nothing was happening. Set schedules were lined up perfectly and from noon to 11, there was always live music being played somewhere; weather it was the [main] Boot stage, Scoot, or Boogie (how genius?!), music was happening.
Sprawling through the inlet beach and boardwalk were a number of amenities and attractions to engage with: merch stands, rows and rows of food options for every taste palate, bars, hydration stations, decorative set pieces to encourage the ever-important photo-op, and everything in between. There were also dedicated medical tents, lockers and charging stations (for rent), and other resources, including a free Naloxone overdose prevention and education booth.
Through two days I had the opportunity to see and photograph,
· Will Jones
· Aiden Canfield
· Jelly Roll
· The Red Clay Strays
· Brothers Osborne
· Parmalee
· Nikki Layne
· Ella Langley
· Alexandra Kay
· Kylie Morgan
· Warren Zeiders
· Drayton Farley
· Bailey Zimmerman
· Riley Green
· Paul Cauthen
· Jimmy Charles
· Tyler Childers
Though I don’t have nearly enough time to talk about every performance, I can say that the throughline was truly excellent musicianship and quality production. Some of my personal highlights though, were Parmalee’s surprise cover of Usher and Lil Jon’s early 2000’s hit “Yeah”, finally getting to hear Warren Zeider’s “Pretty Little Poison” live [it lived up to expectations], the energy throughout Bailey Zimmerman’s set, which was downright electric, the searing pyrotechnics during Jelly Roll’s performance of hit single “Liar”, and simply getting the chance to hear Brandon Coleman of The Red Clay Strays sing in person, having a voice like that just isn’t fair.
My quads and ankles may be still recovering, but damn was it worth it. Even standing in line for half hour to catch the shuttle back to my car at the end of each night, even the one time I payed $6 + tip for a can of water [Liquid Death!] because I was unaware, they were free in the VIP lounge, even with the tens of thousands of twenty-four hour party people crowding every inch of festival ground I was forced to wade through on my way from photo pit to photo pit, and even though two days just didn’t feel like enough, I truly can’t wait till next year.
For anybody that missed the inaugural Country Calling festival, this is your wake-up call to jump on it. Next festival season will be upon us before we know it; so if country music is your calling, I suggest you plan accordingly.
Gallery Below!
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