Lainey Wilson braves wardrobe malfunction as impressive set closes out Day 2 of Faster Horses
BROOKLYN — Michigan’s biggest country party rolled into its second day as the Faster Horses Festival drew tens of thousands Saturday to the grounds of Michigan International Speedway.
Lainey Wilson, the 32-year-old Louisianan who has emerged as one of country music’s most dynamic artists, took the stage clad in purple, atop a red truck and with an orange moon just over the horizon to start her night-closing performance.
Wilson came charging out of the gate with “Hang Tight Honey,” “Straight Up Sideways” and “Smells Like Smoke,” but soon realized she had a problem: She’d split her pants.
Slipping backstage, microphone in hand and still addressing the massive crowd out front, Wilson asked the crowd to give her a minute for a wardrobe change.
“Y’all just about got a real show!” she said.
Wilson, who was making her Faster Horses debut, is a gifted singer who can slip from a rock-edged rasp into a Dolly Parton vibrato. Saturday, she offered selections from across her growing catalog, including the new windswept “Out of Oklahoma,” part of the “Twisters” soundtrack, and the atmospheric “Good Horses,” part of her upcoming “Whirlwind” album.
Whirlwinds and chaos were recurring themes on the night, as Wilson spoke of working to stay grounded amid the explosive rise that took her from obscurity four years ago to festival-headlining status this summer. She rounded out her set with her biggest hits — “Things a Man Oughta Know,” “Heart Like a Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine” and more.
Faster Horses, notching its 11th edition at MIS, is the sort of festival where you’re more likely to see Mardi Gras beads and Old Glory ballcaps than boots and cowboy hats, and where the music spun by DJ Rod Youree between sets was as apt to feature hit R&B and hard rock as it was classic country.
Fans on Saturday packed the sprawling field in front of the main stage as the afternoon wound on, summoning a fresh round of energy after a long party night on the festival site and surrounding campgrounds.
Old Dominion, which could likely have commanded a headlining spot of its own, preceded Wilson with a polished 75-minute set confirming that what the group lacks in gritty authenticity, it compensates with a barrelful of radio-ready hooks.
The chiming “Make It Sweet” kicked off a set full of Southern-accented pop (“No Hard Feelings,” “I Should Have Married You,” “Snapback”), rock-laced fare (“Never Be Sorry”) and covers of hits from Alan Jackson and Kenny Chesney.
Keyboardist and songwriting ace Trevor Rosen, a Woodhaven native, got a shoutout from lead singer Matthew Ramsey as the band launched into the new stomp “Coming Home.”
Also on the main stage, a late-afternoon set from veteran quintet Sawyer Brown offered a rare touch of old-school country-pop on a Faster Horses bill dominated by younger acts and breaking artists. The band, currently amid a 40th anniversary tour, lined its set with songs from its own prolific hit catalog, along with a tribute to contemporaries Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the late Toby Keith.
Rising Texas outfit Shane Smith & the Saints, making its Faster Horses debut, found the link between Celtic music and American country in a set of cinematic, traditionalist originals. It made for an impressive early evening at the main stage, marked by driving fiddle from Bennett Brown and rich baritone vocals from bandleader Smith.
California singer-songwriter Annie Bosko turned in a barnstorming performance on the Next from Nashville stage, bringing rock energy and an old-school country feel to a 40-minute set that included a romping “Boots On” and midtempo “Neon Baby,” now rising at country radio. Bosko, decked out in cowboy fringe, paired a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” with her own new tribute to the Man in Black, “Cash,” due Aug. 2.
She capped things off with a dose of Michigan love: a cover of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll.”
Faster Horses will wrap up Sunday with another round of music on the two stages, including a headlining set from country-rocker Hardy following main stage performances by Riley Green, Ashley Cooke and Tigirlily Gold.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lainey Wilson braves wardrobe malfunction in superb Faster Horses set
