10 Moments From Stagecoach 2026 You May Have Missed [WATCH]
on Apr 27, 2026
This year’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival delivered memorable performances and plenty of surprises worth watching again and again.
Stagecoach 2026 kicked off on Friday, April 24, with a lineup that featured artists such as Ella Langley, Wynonna, Bailey Zimmerman, and headlining act Cody Johnson. Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, and Journey were among those who performed on Saturday, followed by Brooks & Dunn, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Post Malone on Sunday.
The 3-day festival takes place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and has become the world’s largest and highest-grossing country music festival. 2027 will mark 20 years since the event’s inception, and it appears to be growing in popularity.
In recent years, Stagecoach has been livestreamed on Amazon, giving fans a chance to experience the festival’s excitement and performances from home. In case you missed it, or want to relive some highlights, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite moments from this year’s festival and listed them below.
Theo Von Crashes Ella Langley’s Set
During Ella Langley’s debut Stagecoach appearance, she was joined by comedian and podcaster Theo Von. At the end of the first chorus of “You Look Like You Love Me,” Ella welcomed Theo to the stage to perform Riley Green’s part of the song.
Theo kept the crowd hyped throughout their performance, and it didn’t take long for clips to make their way to the internet. The collab further fueled fan hopes that the pair would “make things official.” See a clip of their Stagecoach duet below.
Boyz II Men Join Cody Johnson For Performance
Cody Johnson headlined Stagecoach for the first time in 2026, bringing a 90-minute set to opening night. During his set, he began singing Boyz II Men’s 1994 chart-topping hit “On Bended Knee.”
Festival goers were in for a surprise when CoJo introduced Boyz II Men, who joined him to sing the hit single. The surprise appearance by the R&B legends was a highlight of Stagecoach 2026’s opening night.
High Winds Prompt Emergency Evacuation
In an unprecedented move, festival coordinators prompted attendees to evacuate during Little Big Town’s set on Saturday night. High winds were causing speakers and lighting suspended on the stage to sway, putting performers and the crowd in danger. There were also concerns about blowing debris striking concertgoers.
It’s unclear how many people were in attendance when the evacuation took place, but an estimated 80,000 people attend the festival each day.
The festival resumed with Saturday’s headliner, Lainey Wilson, taking the stage after a two-hour delay.
See footage from the emergency evacuation:
Lainey Wilson Joins The Crowd For Ella Langley’s Set
Lainey Wilson and her fiancé, Duck Hodges, joined the crowd to enjoy Ella Langley’s set on Friday. Fans captured footage of Lainey singing along and dancing to the music. Lainey herself shared a series of photos documenting her Stagecoach weekend, including backstage moments with Theo Von, Cody Johnson, and more.
@choosingella we love seeing lainey supporting ella 🫶 #laineywilson #ellalangley #stagecoach #livemusic ♬ original sound – choosin’ ella
Lainey Wilson Shares The Spotlight With Riley Green
Artists wait years for the opportunity to perform on the Mane Stage at Stagecoach. After Riley Green’s set was canceled due to high winds, Lainey Wilson invited him to take the stage during hers.
Riley and Little Big Town joined Lainey to sing Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink.” As they began to leave the stage after the song, Lainey asked Riley to stay behind and sing one of his own tunes for the crowd. Lainey exited the stage completely, allowing Riley his own Stagecoach moment as he performed “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.”
@allcountrynews @Lainey Wilson is a class act! @Riley Green set was canceled due to wind at #stagecoach ♬ original sound – All Country News
Riley Green Sings “Friends In Low Places” With Sydney Sweeney
Riley Green didn’t get to perform his full set on the Mane Stage this year, but he made his mark in other ways. In addition to posing for photos with fans and joining Lainey Wilson for a Merle Haggard cover, Riley made a surprise appearance at Diplo’s Honky Tonk to sing some karaoke.
He also dropped into Sydney Sweeney’s SYRN pop-up saloon, where she joined the Euphoria actress to sing a cover of Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places.”
Post Malone Honors Toby Keith
Night Three headliner Post Malone kept it country with his 90-minute Stagecoach set. In addition to welcoming some guests to the stage, Posty covered some country classics, and closed his set with a tribute to Toby Keith. He performed a cover of “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” a song that was one of the biggest hits of Toby’s career.
Tom Hanks Shows Up for Son Chet’s Stagecoach Performance
Oscar Award-winning actor Tom Hanks showed up at Stagecoach to support his son, Chet. Chet’s band, Something Out West, performed in the Toyota Music Den on Saturday. A fan in attendance captured footage of the Forrest Gump actor singing along at the back of the crowd.
“10 minutes into the show, I noticed him and freaked out honestly,” Keren Ashri told PEOPLE about the video she shared. “I couldn’t believe he was standing right there next to me! He was enjoying watching his son.”
Wynonna Cooks With Guy Fieri
Wynonna Judd was among this year’s Stagecoach performers, having played a full set on Friday. The “Why Not Me” singer stuck around after her performance to hang out with Food Network star Guy Fieri. Wynonna appeared at Fieri’s Stagecoach Smokehouse, where she participated in a celebrity cooking demonstration. Billy Bob Thornton and Gavin Rossdale also participated.
@the.socal.local Wynonna Judd delighted the crowd at Guy Fieri’s Stagecoach Smokehouse on Saturday, April 25. Other country stars, including Billy Bob Thornton, Gavin Adcock and Gavin Rossdale, tested their culinary skills in front of a crowd of hungry fans during the annual cookoff on the festival grounds. Read more at the link in our bio. 🎥: Fielding Buck, Press-Enterprise #stagecoach #wyonnajudd #guyfieri #billybobthornton #flavortown ♬ original sound – The SoCal Local
Billy Ray Cyrus Makes Surprise Appearance To Perform With Daughter Noah
“Achy Breaky Heart” singer Billy Ray Cyrus made a surprise appearance at Stagecoach to perform alongside two of his children. Daughter Noah Cyrus was making her festival debut and welcomed her famous dad to the stage to join her and her brother Braison to sing their song “On Our Way Along.”
The song, written and produced by Braison and recorded by Billy Ray and Noah, was released on April 3 as the first singer from the elder Cyrus’s upcoming album, The Hill.
