Stagecoach review: Take notes Eric Church, Miranda Lambert knows how to bring the hits

On a night when the desert wind was constantly threatening to blow off her gorgeous baby blue cowboy hat, Miranda Lambert didn’t quite blow us away. Until she did.

We were nearing the end of the roughly 90-minute set and I was still somewhat reeling from what still remains a slight bummer of a decision by Lambert to perform “Drunk and I Wanna Go Home” sans her famous collaborator (and fellow Stagecoach 2024 artist), Elle King, when suddenly the famous Texan made me forget all about the omission.

“I was thinking it would be pretty badass if I had a feisty redhead come out and sing this song with me tonight,” Lambert said.

Related: Stagecoach 2024: Here's the full setlist from Miranda Lambert's Saturday show

And before she could get any further, what had until then been a surprisingly lethargic crowd exploded as we all realized hearing such words at Stagecoach could only mean one thing: none other than Reba McEntire was about to come onstage.

Then, sure enough, the feisty redhead appeared and the two were singing perhaps the spunkiest of Lambert’s many spunky tunes “Mama’s Broken Heart.” Even better, this guest appearance was no one-and-done as they then launched into McEntire’s own iconic hit “Fancy” before closing the show together with another banger “Gunpowder & Lead.”

At a music festival that still often seems far too male oriented, there was something special about seeing two certified female legends on stage together at the coveted Saturday Stagecoach timeslot (and lest anyone think that Lambert is not yet a legend, she reminded the crowd earlier that she is no spring chicken as this was her fifth Stagecoach).

But even if it took a Reba appearance to take it over the top, Lambert provided a reminder of what make Stagecoach nights so specifically great one night after Eric Church dropped a dud many festgoers seemed to want, but still were unable to, forget.

Seriously, I hope Mr. Church was watching and maybe taking a few notes because this is how a seasoned country veteran should close out a day at Stagecoach. From start to finish, Lambert delivered a competent (if not necessarily incredible) and well-paced mix of hits interspersed with a few new songs and a couple of covers that surely left most fans feeling satisfied.

The operative word there, however, is fans, because I couldn’t help notice that at least where I was standing, it seemed the crowd was filled with women belting the words to every song while their male companions talked or looked bored. I must get on my soap box briefly to say that I think their lack of interest says more about them than it does Lambert, but it was a disheartening scene, and one that seemed to provide an uncomfortable answer to why Stagecoach continues to book so few female headliners.

Lambert leaned into her vengeful woman persona at one point to say that she likes to set [expletive] on fire, and while it might be putting things a little strongly to say she did so here, she showed strong command of the stage during a show that, Reba aside, was largely and appropriately focused on her. Also refreshing after last night was how much fun Lambert seemed to be having and how she really seemed to be taking in the moment and appreciating the crowd, particularly when she turned the microphone to sing parts of hits like “Tequila Does” and “Bluebird.”

Sure artsiness and experimentation have their place. But as last night proved, people really come to Stagecoach to let loose, hear some hits and maybe enjoy a drop in from an unexpected face. Lambert provided a welcome reminder for all of us — including Eric Church — of what it looks like for an artist to do just that.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Stagecoach 2024: Unlike Eric Church, Miranda Lambert brings the hits