Words and photos by Sean Metzler | RockView Live
Country Calling took over Ocean City, Maryland, on October 2 and 3, and we came home with plenty to talk about. Big names, great food, a busy beach, and a whole lot of people who were happy to spend their weekend listening to country music. Even when Saturday brought rain all day, the crowd kept showing up and the artists kept giving them a reason to stay.
This was our second year covering the festival, and one of the things we enjoyed most was how comfortable it all felt. There was plenty going on, with fans moving between sets and making the most of the weekend, but that sense of community was still there. You could travel a long way to get to Country Calling and still feel right at home once you arrived.
Friday gave us a lot to work with, and for me, Mitchell Tenpenny was the standout artist of the weekend. On a lineup with this many names, that’s saying something. His set worked its way through “We Got History,” “Truth About You,” “Alcohol You Later,” and “Drunk Me,” with a few detours along the way. A medley pulling together “Fly,” “This Is How We Do It,” and “Ride Wit Me” gave the set a little extra personality, and finishing with the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” was a great choice. He was the artist I kept coming back to when thinking about my favorite performances afterward.
Russell Dickerson was another good fit for the weekend’s party atmosphere. His set included “Blue Tacoma,” “Love You Like I Used To,” and “Yours,” alongside “Bones” and “Worth Your Wild.” There was room for some fun outside his own catalog, too, with “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” worked into “MGNO” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” paired with “Happen to Me.” It was a set built for people to enjoy themselves, and exactly the kind of thing you want in the middle of a festival day.
Then there was Rascal Flatts, who still sound amazing after all these years. There’s a lot of history attached to that band for country fans, and getting to hear them live was a highlight in itself. What stood out was how well the voices still hold up. You go in looking forward to revisiting a band you’ve listened to for years, and leave appreciating just how good they still are.
Dierks Bentley carried Friday into the later part of the evening. His easygoing style makes sense at a festival like this, where a huge show can still feel like a weekend at the beach with friends. Having Bentley and Rascal Flatts on the same night before Lainey Wilson was a pretty strong argument for making the trip to Ocean City.
Lainey Wilson was incredible, as expected. She opened with “Can’t Sit Still” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” with a set that also included “Things a Man Oughta Know,” “Somewhere Over Laredo,” and “Watermelon Moonshine.” There’s a confidence to Lainey that makes her so enjoyable to watch, and her voice gives you just as much reason to pay attention. Closing with “4x4xU” and “Heart Like a Truck” made for a strong finish to Friday. She was absolutely one of the highlights we came for.
Saturday was a different story weather-wise. It rained all day, and looking out across the crowd meant looking out at a sea of ponchos. Still, people were there to hear country music, and they made that pretty clear. The grounds stayed active, the fans stuck with it, and the acts did their best to give everyone a great show through the weather. Spending a full day outside in the rain takes some commitment. This crowd had plenty.
Dustin Lynch was part of that Saturday mix, with “Chevrolet” and “Good Girl” among the songs in his set. Those easygoing country songs were a welcome part of a day when everyone could have used a little more sunshine.
Brothers Osborne brought some more bite to the evening with “Shoot Me Straight” and “It Ain’t My Fault,” along with a cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” That last title felt pretty appropriate for a beach full of people riding out the rain. Their mix of country and rock gave Saturday a different flavor and made them an easy inclusion among the weekend’s main attractions.
Miranda Lambert followed with a set that had plenty of familiar favorites. “Kerosene,” “White Liar,” and “Mama’s Broken Heart” all made the list, as did “The House That Built Me,” before she finished with “Gunpowder & Lead.” Seeing that range in one set, from the attitude to the more personal material, is a good reminder of how much she has to draw from. Saturday’s lineup gave people plenty of reasons to keep those ponchos on a little longer.
And Chris Stapleton was worth staying for. Like Lainey, he was one of the performances we had high expectations for, and he delivered. His voice is something else live, and hearing him close out the weekend was a highlight even after a long, wet day. There’s a reason his name carries so much weight on a lineup. Incredible is a pretty fair way to describe it.
Between all of that music, there was plenty to eat and drink, too. Smash burgers, steamed buns, and frozen drinks were among the options, giving people a chance to grab something between sets before heading back into the crowd. Food is a real part of the experience when you’re spending the whole day at a festival, and it was nice to have some variety to work into the schedule.
What stuck with us just as much as the big names was how far people had traveled and how local the weekend still felt. Fans came from around Maryland, across state lines, and from other parts of the country. There were even fellow photographers over from the UK. Country Calling gave all of those people a reason to spend a weekend in Ocean City, while still making room for local talent like Jimmy Charles to have his time to shine. That hometown connection matters, and you could feel it.
It was a beautiful turnout, even with Saturday’s weather giving everyone a little extra to deal with. We left with a lot of photos, a few new favorite live moments, and every reason to be excited for next year.
We’ll see you back on the beach, Country Calling. Hopefully with a little less rain.
