Two Step Inn Festival 2023: Day One Recap

On Saturday, April 15, 2023, fans gathered at San Gabriel Park for the first ever Two Step Inn Festival in Georgetown, Texas. Several of country music’s best artists, including Uncle Kracker, Niko Moon, Midland, T-Pain, Zach Bryan and many others performed on three different stages. Over 30,000 fans attended the first day of the sold-out festival. Here’s a look at some of the amazing performances.

Tanya Tucker

Texas country singer songwriter, Tanya Tucker, had the crowd dancing the moment she came on stage. After her first song, Tucker mentioned she lived just down the street from the venue and was proud to be able to represent Texas country music. The singer performed some of her most famous songs, like “Delta Dawn,” and a few new ones such as “Kindness” and “Ready As I’ll Never Be.” During her performance, the songwriter also offered shots of her personal Tequila, Cosa Salvaje. The artist dazzled the audience with her radiant smile, free spirit and unique vocals.

Diamond Rio

Diamond Rio, a legendary American country music band from Nashville, stopped in Georgetown during their first country wide tour since the pandemic. The band came strong on stage with one of their most popular songs, “Unbelievable.” The band also performed “Beautiful Mess,” “Meet Me in the Middle,” “Norma Jean Riley” and “In a Week or Two.” The band had the audience singing and dancing to every song, repeatedly saying they were thankful to be back on stage.

Uncle Kracker

Uncle Kracker, country rock singer songwriter from Michigan, performed next before continuing his cross country tour. The artist performed several of his top selling hits such as “When the Sun Goes Down,” a duet with Kenny Chesney, “Follow Me“, and “Drift Away.” He also performed a few newer songs including, “Break U Off” and “No Time To be Sober.” The singer’s high energy kept the crowd moving and the vibes high, frequently encouraging the audience to yell and jump along with him.

Shenandoah

If you love 90’s country music, then you’re going to want to pay attention to this band. Shenandoah, country music band all the way from Alabama, blessed us with their lively performance and the crowd went wild for these country music legends. The band ran through all their most famous hits, including “Next to You, Next to Me,” “Church on Cumberland” and “Darned if I Don’t (Danged If I Do)” from the album 15 Favorites. The band performed with grace and the pounding drumbeat drove the performance and the audience loved every moment of it, tipping their hats to the band.

Niko Moon

After 6 hours of concerts, the searing sun was starting to get to the festival goers but this next artist quickly brought the vibe back up again. Niko Moon, country pop artist from Tyler, Texas, came out having a good time with a cold one in his right hand. Moon performed “GOOD TIME,” “PARADISE TO ME” and “NO SAD SONGS” from his debut album GOOD TIME. Moon may be fairly new to the music scene, but his optimistic, open personality and young energy made him seem at home on stage. Moon’s music pushes the boundaries of country music. It’s going to be fun journey to see what this artist creates next.

T-Pain

T-Pain, an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer, threw the country music festival a curve ball with his rap/hip-hop medleys. The rapper dominated the stage with his astounding vocals, awesome dance moves, and unique performance. Festival goers may have gathered for country music but for that hour, the singer’s music had them bumping and grinding on the dance floor. From start to finish, the audience jumped up and down, and sang along to the artists’ greatest hits. The artist performed basically his entire discography in mash-up versions, including “Bartender,” “Buy U A Drank,” “Shawty,” “I’m In Luv (With A Stripper),” “Good Life” and many more.

Midland

Midland, a country music group from Dripping Springs, TX, owned the stage. The band performed several songs from their latest album The Last Resort: Greetings From, including “Two To Two Step,” “Longneck Way To Go, Sunrise Tells The Story” and “If I Lived Here” as well as some of their more famous songs like “Drinkin’ Problem” from their debut album On The Rocks. The band frequently tipped their hats towards the audience, expressing their appreciation as the audience sang along to the music. The audience cheered and sang along to every song the band played as they warmed up the audience for Zach Bryan.

Zach Bryan

The audience was packed as tight as can be throughout the park as they wait for Zach Bryan, U.S. Navy veteran and an American singer-songwriter from Oologah, Oklahoma. The artist performed several of his hits including, “Something in the Orange,” “Heading South,” “Heavy Eyes,” “Condemned” and his latest single “Dawns.” Bryan’s music is said to be fueled by a desire to stay true to himself and when he performed, the audience felt his raw, authentic emotion in his lyrics and beautiful voice. When he spoke to the audience in between songs, it seemed as if the artist was talking amongst friends which only added to his genuine demeanor. The singer frequently commented on the volume level the audience naturally gave and how grateful he was to have so many people come out to see him.

Conclusion

As the fireworks went off at the end of the first day of the Two Step Inn Festival, the audience cheered and the night came to an end. All in all, the first day was filled with cheers, beers and raw emotion, as country music always brings. Stay tuned for Day 2!