Country Thunder 2024
Canyon Moon Ranch
20585 E Water Way
Florence, Arizona
April 11-14, 2024
by Mary Andrews
Country Thunder (CT) hosts festivals in Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Bristol, Alberta, and Saskatchewan during the year. Country music has hit a momentous popularity throughout North America in recent years and Arizona is no exception to the rule. The four-day festival did not disappoint in keeping country music alive and well. Headliners included Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, and Koe Wetzel.
This year, some of the the headlining acts have gained acolades from the Country Music Association (CMA) with Lainy Wilson awarded Entertainer of the Year and Jelly Roll awarded Best New Artist, Best Male Vocalist, Best Single of the Year and Best Music Video of the Year for 2023.
Mirada Lambert was the last female to headline CT Arizona in 2014. Wilson took the stage with apomb wearing a feathered cowboy hat and a gold lame outfit. Simply put, Wilson did not disappoint.
There was no doubt why she was crowned Entertainer of the Year after her rowdy performance at the end of the Night. She started with “Hold My Halo” and “Hillbilly Hippie.” Hers was a magnetic presence as she powered through the first five songs with her espressive twang that sounded powerful all night.
She settled down somewhat when she went in for her “Watermelon Moonshine” ballad and a cover of Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine.”
Of course, she separated the men from the women to compete against each other during “Road Runner.”
She chose to celebrate Dolly Parton during the set as she asked if there were some Dolly Parton fans in the crowd. Wilson said she had a chance to spend some time with Parton recently. “They say never meet your heroes,” Wilson cautioned. “But Dolly Parton don’t count. I think if we were all a little bit more like Dolly Parton, the world would be a much better place, y’all.”
“I ask myself one question.””What Would Dolly Do?,” a tribute to Parton that found Wilson rhyming “Like a country music modern-day apostle” with “Yeah, I leaned in like it was gospel.” It was obvious that Wilson has taken lessons from Parton as she echoed her hero’s Southern charm and fiery spirit.
The set drew heavily on “Bell Bottom Country,” the 2022 release that picked up Album of the Year at the CMAs and the Academy of Country Music Awards along the way to winning Country Album of the Year at at this year’s Grammys. It doesn’t get better than this.
Earlier in the day, Flatland Cavary presented a much more mellow set even going unplugged at one point as guitarist/vocalist Cleto Cordero and fiddle ace Wesley Hall sending their bandmates away for a cover of George Strait’s “Ocean Front Property.”
Stephen Wilson, Jr. was another one to not miss. He calls himself Death Cab for Country,” a reference to indie-rock’s Death Cab for Cutie. There were definitely textures going on that would have felt right at home on an indie-rock record. Wilson has a presence who bared his soul about losing his father and told the day’s goofiest joke while tuning his guitar. “My wife calls me Tuny Soprano,” he said “I prefer Antunio Banderas. But who am I to choose my own nickname?”
There was a new (3rd) stage this year called the songwriters’ stage. Singer, Alana Springsteen was joined by three other songwriters: Will Weatherby, Benji Davis, and Ryan Beaver for an intimate set with each artist to play their acoustic guitars and singing. They told stories about their songs.This is a first for CT.
Paul Cauthen gave an amazing set that had the crowd jumping on Friday. There were complaints that Cauthen’s set was not country and Cauthen did tend to reach across several genre of music to perform his slick, blend of music that mesmerized all who attended. He made good use of the runway to reach out to his fans. The band alternated songs between their 2024 album “Hot Damn” and their “Country Coming Down” album. “Wild Man,” “Country As Fuck’,” “Freak,” and “Caught Me At a Good Time” were a great mix of songs before flashing back and treating everyone to a Paul Cauthen classic, “Still Drivin.” Cauthen had the huge crowd in the palm of his hand.
Jelly Roll (or Jason DeFord) had the most anticipated set of the festival. His arms were outstretched as he heard thunderous the applause from 28,000 people in attendence. He started the set with “Halfway to Hell” the gospel-tinged country-rap song that opens his first full-blown country album, Whitsitt Chapel. Jelly Roll seemed truly grateful to be entertaining at CT as well as ecstatic for all the big wins he recieved last weekend at the CMAs. At “almost 39 years old,” he is the oldest Best New Artist in the history of that award.
“I’ve been dreaming of headlining Country Thunder, y’all,” he shouted, grinning ear-to-ear, before following through with “The Lost,” one of several highlights that spoke to the spiritual side of the Jelly Roll phenomenon.
“I’ve been known to find my kind of people that ain’t at home underneath church steeples,” he sang with the soulful conviction of a true believer. “You’d be surprised the places I find Jesus. That ain’t the regular crowd.” Jelly Roll’s like a gospel tent revivalist with way more face tattoos than any preacher seen by this reviewer.
He testified to those in the crowd who may be going through their own dark times, “I believe you can change. I believe that bigger and better things are on the horizon. . .I believe the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason. Because what’s in front of you is more important than what’s behind you, Arizona.”
His love of country music came from his mom. He mentioned, his mom played “the good stuff as he paid homage to country icons from Waylon and Willie to George Jones, Merle Haggard and Keith Whitley.”
Excitement buzzed around the crowd like a current. There was an energetic buzz that didn’t dissipate for even a second. He sang about heartache, hard work, and chasing your dreams, touching on themes that resonated deeply within the crowd.
Every word was a solace to their souls, a powerful reminder that music could bring people together and lift them up. Throughout the show, the crowd was heavily engaged with the performance, with everyone singing along to every word of his hit songs. “I only talk to God when I need a favor” is a line from one of highly tatooed artist’s songs.
Even the slow and soulful songs moved the crowd, evoking emotion and occasionally bringing people to tears. Jelly Roll’s set was an emotional rollercoaster, with moments of raw vulnerability and intense energy. Fans were present for a religious experience and they got one.
There were many more artists at the four day festival. Some were more familiar than others. In the past, the artists that are featured earlier in the day soon become household names. Morgan Wallen is an example. Sets from Emily Ann Roberts, Lauren Watkins, Halle Kearns, Kyle McKearney, and Alana Sprinsteen prove that they may well be our future country stars. And the future looks bright!
