By Theresa Aronne
Just one week after Oceans Calling, the festival grounds in Ocean City, MD were transformed for the first-ever Country Calling music festival! The crowd had close to 10,000 more people than Oceans Calling with only 2 days of performances. Plus, the weather was beautiful the whole weekend with sunny skies and a cool breeze.
Day 1 - Friday
The beautiful and sunny Friday afternoon started with artists like Jimmy Charles on the Scoot stage. Explore OC got a chance to talk to the hometown singer after his 1 PM performance. The Berlin, MD native was excited to hear that in addition to Oceans Calling, an opportunity for a country music festival was in the works.
“[It was] so exciting because I don’t think Delmarva or Maryland has seen something this big,” Charles says. “They said ‘I’m not going to tell you the lineup, we still have some contracts to sign but all I can tell you is… it’s big.’ And it was big.”
While any outdoor event is risky in the fall months along the East Coast, the festival setup and weather exceeded expectations, even for the artists. Charles says, “When I first saw [the festival] it was massive… I mean it stretches I don’t know how many blocks. There’s gotta be so many working parts of this and everything that I’ve seen has gone over super smooth.”
Charles loved performing to a hometown crowd where he played his popular song “It’s a Maryland Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand” and other hits like “They Grow Up Too Fast”.
Alexandra Kay and Ella Langely were among the women country artists who performed earlier in the day. NEEDTOBREATHE lead singer Bear Rinehart was in good spirits while on stage and was excited to spend the rest of their day enjoying seeing some of their favorite country artists and the beach.
The Red Clay Strays played on the Scoot stage at 4:15 PM to a crowd full of fans who had never seen them live, mixed with festival-goers who were unfamiliar with their music. With incredible, raw, soulful vocals from lead singer Brandon Coleman and equally talented band members, it’s safe to say that The Red Clay Strays gained many avid fans that day with an unmatched performance that came off effortlessly on their part.
Warren Zeiders had an enormous crowd singing along to his well-known songs like “Pretty Little Poison”. Zeiders is originally from Hershey, PA, and expressed how surreal it felt to be in the familiar vacation town performing on stage. Meanwhile, Martina McBride was on the Boogie stage and unfortunately, was a bit hard to hear unless you were in the main crowd under the tent.
Now we knew Jelly Roll would be a big hit strictly based on the amount of people wearing Jelly Roll shirts and merch, but the crowd was equivalent to the headliners of Oceans Calling! He made the moments special with mentions of Ocean City throughout his songs and ‘busting a move’ during his set.
Riley Green gave the crowd everything they wanted and more. Starting his show with a duck call that he threw into the crowd, along with autographs and guitar picks, he cracked open a cold one with a “cheers” from the audience. Jelly Roll joined Riley Green on stage for some classic country songs. Then, Ella Langely and Clint Black made an appearance as well for a set that catered to fans of old and new country music.
Another fan favorite as shown by patrons’ outfit choices, was Eric Church. He started the show by taking us back to 2006 with his hit song “How ‘Bout You” and traveled through time to sing-alongs like “Drink In My Hand”. Eric Church’s backup singers complemented his voice beautifully and definitely deserve a shoutout. While this was the artist’s last show of the year, he promised to give it his all—and he sure did.
Day 2 - Saturday
Saturday started with Waylon Wyatt, a 17-year-old country artist on the Boot stage. The new generation of country music fans was thrilled to see Wyatt take the stage with songs like his popular “Arkansas Diamond”.
The afternoon included artists like Alana Springsteen, Parmalee, and Dasha—who got up and close and personal with the crowd during her set. Tanya Tucker fired up the Scoot stage after flying in from Mexico just the day before. Her famous song “Delta Dawn” from 1972 can never get old!
Dwight Yoakam and his band also brought the crowd back to 90s country music with “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere”. The band members stood out brightly on stage with bedazzled jackets.
Brothers Osborne had the 6:15 PM spot on the Scoot stage. The duo received a warm welcome from fellow Maryland natives. The brothers were born and raised in Anne Arundel County, MD along the Chesapeake Bay which makes their performance in Ocean City, MD all the more special. Lead singer TJ Osborne mentioned that although they’ve had a long run of shows, they’ve been looking forward to this one for a while.
Lainey Wilson was a long-awaited performance on Saturday with a huge turnout. The song “I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool” by Barbara Mandrell was playing as Lainey Wilson jumped onto the stage. One of the most heartwarming moments of her set was crowning a Cowgirl of the Night. Lainey brought a young girl named Riley from the audience onto the stage to give her the cowgirl hat and repeat proclamations like “I am beautiful”, “I am talented”, and “I am Cowgirl of the Night!”
The second to last act of Country Calling was Bailey Zimmerman with a very active stage presence. Starting with his popular song “Religiously”, Zimmerman was jumping around the stage and whipping his hair with the energy I wish we had at the end of the festival day 2…
There’s no doubt Tyler Childers is an incredible musician and his live performance showcases those talents along with the talents of his band members. The stage setup was epic with synchronized lighting, some random animal background noises, and brightly colored imagery up on the screens. Regardless of the eye-catching elements at play, Childers’ songs like “All Your’n” had every couple in the crowd swaying together in a slow dance.
Besides the stellar musical lineup, the crowd (and artists) stayed busy throughout the day with over 25 food vendors — not including all of the Boardwalk options — included rides at Jolly Roger Amusement Park, and sponsored bars, tents, and games at the Hoop Tea Hangout, The Midas Garage, Bud Light Backyard, Dogfish Head Airstream, and more!
With a successful first year complete, it’s safe to say that Country Calling is set to continue in Ocean City, MD, only getting bigger and better next year
Photos By Hannah Jones
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