Two Step Inn Festival 2023: Day Two Recap

On Sunday, April 16, 2023, fans began to trickle in at San Gabriel Park for the second day of the Two Step Inn Festival in Georgetown, Texas. Hailey Whitters, Diplo, Blanco Brown, Lonestar, Tyler Childers and so many more performed throughout the beautiful day. Here’s a look at the last of the performances.

Hailey Whitters

Hailey Whitters, a country musician from Shueyville, Iowa, brought the crowd back to their country roots with her down-to-earth lyrics and charming demeanor. Whitters performed a rendition of Country Roads, and songs from her recent album Raised including “Raised,” “Big Family,” and “College Town.” Before closing out the show with her most popular single “Everything She Ain’t,” the singer talked about the importance of persevering, commenting that every artist has that one song that starts their career and sometimes that can take a while to happen but you just got to keep trying. The singer thanked her fans for making Everything She Ain’t the song that started her career.

Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples, an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist, blessed the crowd with her flawless performance. Staples used her voice to spread love and acceptance, and the audience loved every second of it. The singer’s powerful vocals made her lyrics all the more impactful. Staples performed songs such as “Handwriting on the Wall” and “We Get By,” as well as songs by her former group, The Staple Singers, “We’ve Got To Get Ourselves Together” and “I’m Just Another Soldier,” showcasing her range and famous growl tones.

Blanco Brown

Blanco Brown, an American country music artist, record producer, and rapper, opened the show with a powerful rendition of the famous song, “A Change is Gonna Come,” showcasing his incredible vocal range, including shockingly high whistle tones. Brown is famously known for blurring the lines of hip hop and country, creating a unique mix of the two genres. Brown moved into more of his own music such as “Do Si Do,” “High Horse” and “The Git Up,” pumping up the crowd as he danced across the stage.

Lonestar

About midday, Lonestar, a country music group from Nashville, Tennessee came out on stage and the crowd went wild. The band performed songs such as “Amazed,” “Mr. Mom,” “I’m Already There” and “Tequila Talkin’.” The band has been performing for over 30 years and their enthusiasm and love for the stage was showcased throughout the entire performance.

Clay Walker

Houstonian country music artist, Clay Walker, performed on the main stage to a crowd of adoring fans cheering his name. Walker performed several songs including, “If I Could Make a Living,” “Rumor Has It,” “This Woman and This Man” and “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” showcasing his very personal lyrics. The singer frequently pointed his mic towards the crowd, encouraging them to sing along with him as he put on his best performance. The artist truly look at home on a Texas stage.

Tracy Byrd

Tracy Byrd, Texas country music artist, sang some of his most famous hits such as “Watermelon Crawl,” “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous,” “I’m From the Country” and “Back to Texas.” The crowd loved every single second of the performance. Byrd’s amazing vocals and pleasing smile had the crowd cheering with enthusiasm and dancing their boots off.

Diplo

Fans squeezed into the crowd as tightly as possible as Thomas Wesley Pentz, an American DJ and music producer known as Diplo, took to the stage with pyrotechnics and amazing dancers. The DJ played remixes of several of his songs as well as other iconic hits, including some never before heard tracks from his vault. During his set, the artist had two dancers come out on stage while he encouraged the crowd to jump and dance along.

John Michael Montgomery

John Michael Montgomery, a country artist from Danville, Kentucky, came out strong and proud. Montgomery performed some of his hits such as “Life’s a Dance” and “Be My Baby Tonight.” Unfortunately, after a few songs, the show experienced a power surge and the band had to stop the show for a bit. As the band and crew worked as quickly as possible to get this sorted out, the fans showed their love and appreciation for Montgomery by singing out the lyrics of “Sold (The Grundy Country Auction Incident).” After the crew was able to fix the technical issue, the crowd roared as Montgomery finished his set.

Wynonna Judo

Wynonna Judo, country music singer from Ashland, Kentucky, dominated the stage as she warmed up the crowd for the main event, Tyler Childers. The audience went wild as the singer simultaneously played her harmonica and belted out songs like “Tell Me Why,” “No One Else On Earth,” and “Rock Bottom.” The singer frequently encouraged the audience to sing during her performance and was shocked at home loud the audience sang. The singer has had nineteen No. 1 singles throughout her career as a solo artist as well as a member of The Judds, making her one of the best-selling country artists of all time.

Tyler Childers

As the sun set on the last day of the Two Step Inn Festival, it was finally time for the main event, Tyler Childers, the singer-songwriter from Lawrence County, Kentucky. The stage was covered in fake grass and animals, giving the impression of a backyard concert in the country. The crowd cheered his name even before the singer entered the stage. The artist mixes neotraditional country, bluegrass, and folk in his music. He had several different members in his band playing all types instruments. During his performance, Childers took the time to introduce each of his band members: Craig Burletic (bass guitar), Chase Lewis (keyboards), Rodney Elkins (drums), James Barker (pedal steel guitar), “The Professor” Jesse Wells (other guitars, fiddle) and CJ Cain (guitar). As the singer performed songs such as “All Your’n,” “Old Country Church,” “Purgatory” and “Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?,” the audience was mesmerized by his raw vocals and emotion. The band frequently had instrumental solos including a violin solo played by Childers himself.

Conclusion

The Two Step Inn Festival was the first of its kind in Texas and it ended way too early. Festival goers were reluctant to leave as they watched the fireworks go off at the end of the night. So many country artists put on astounding performances this weekend, it was difficult to cover all of them. Make sure to listen to the Official Two Step Inn Festival Playlist on Spotify! See y’all next time!