Day One of the two-day Old Town Music Festival at the Stampede in Temecula was an undeniable success, with more acts returning to the stage for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, and more and more country music fans experiencing live music for the first time since the Covid shutdown as well.
Headliners the Band Perry was among them, playing their first show in nearly two years. Country music fans who were concerned about which genre would dominate their set needed not be, even as lead singer Kimberly Perry thanked them for sticking with them through all their different phases, and when she announced the band’s signature phrase, “We’re the Band Perry, and we play country music,” well, it has never sounded so good.
Kimberly clearly did not spend lockdown on the couch; her athleticism and energy were displayed throughout their set, proving that even beyond her unique voice, she is an incredibly gifted entertainer. The piano version of “You Lie” and abbreviated acoustic versions of “Hip to My Heart” and “Postcard from Paris,” along with the stories behind the songs, created intimacy to contrast with the explosiveness of songs like “Comeback Kid,” “Chainsaw,” and “Done.” A surprise late in their set was Neil Perry, coming to the forefront to sing a cover of “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis.
Billy Ray Cyrus played a variety of familiar hits, not all of them his, but his strength remains in his gravelly versions of “Some Gave All” and ubiquitous ‘90s smash, “Achy Breaky Heart.” And when the crowd sang back his “It Could’ve Been Me,” Billy Ray shared his appreciation, noting, “That song came out before most of you were born. I know that.” One particularly enthusiastic female fan managed to flash him, and following the penultimate “Old Town Road,” fans demanded an encore from him, chanting, “Bil-ly! Bil-ly!”
Tyler Farr was anxious to share new music with his fans, and there’s a lot to look forward to from the singer; in addition to his latest single, the Jason Aldean-produced “Cover Girl,” he also performed “Country Boy” (“It’s about ME,” he asserted), and the yet-to-be-recorded “Ain’t My First Rodeo.” But the crowd still went crazy for hits like “A Guy Walks Into a Bar,” the desperate “Withdrawals,” and especially “Redneck Crazy.” Ahead of “Better in Boots,” Tyler noted, “When I come to California, I see more cowboy boots on women than I do anywhere else.” He showed off a tattoo he’d gotten just three weeks ago in memory of his bloodhound as an introduction to “I Wish Dogs Lived Forever.”
Local favorites Honey County and Daniel Bonte proved why they deserved to be on that stage. Honey County, now a duo (comprised of Dani Rose and Sofie Lynn), never disappoints, and were aided by the fierce guitar work of guest (and former Honey County member) Devon Jane. Daniel Bonte, who kicked off the music on the main stage, played originals like “Dancing Away from Me” and “Running on Empty” that held up just as well next to covers like Garth Brooks’ “Rodeo” and Cody Johnson’s “Ride with Me.”
Major props go out to the Old Town Music Festival, whose inaugural event was flawlessly executed.
Setlist:
The Band Perry:
1. Better Dig Two
2. Nostalgia
3. Stay in the Dark
4. You Lie
5. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely
6. All Your Life
7. Night Swimming
8. Comeback Kid
9. Hip to My Heart / Postcard from Paris
10. If I Die Young
11. Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings cover) / Where Have All the Cowboys Gone (Paula Cole cover) / Cowboy Take Me Away (Dixie Chicks cover)
12. I’m a Keeper
13. Chainsaw
14. Champagne Supernova (Oasis cover)
15. Live Forever
16. Done
Billy Ray Cyrus:
1. Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash cover)
2. Wher’m I Gonna Live
3. I Want My Mullet Back
4. Old Kentucky
5. Johnny B. Goode (Churck Berry cover)
6. It Could’ve Been Me
7. Some Gave All
8. Keep Your Hands to Yourself (Georgia Satellites cover)
9. Trail of Tears
10. Stand Still
11. Call Me the Breeze (J.J. Cale cover)
12. Achy Breaky Heart
13. Old Town Road
14. Tulsa Time (Don Williams cover)
Tyler Farr:
1. Whiskey in My Water
2. Damn Good Friends
3. Better in Boots
4. Cover Girl
5. C-O-U-N-T-R-Y
6. Withdrawls
7. Suffer in Peace
8. Country Boy
9. Ain’t My First Rodeo
10. Redneck Crazy
11. Born Country (Alabama cover)
12. Cumberland Road (Shenandoah cover)
13. All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight (Hank Williams, Jr. cover)
14. I Wish Dogs Lived Forever
15. A Guy Walks Into a Bar