INDIO, Calif. — When the gates closed at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival Sunday night, there was a lot to look back on. The three-day festival was jam-packed with country music and fan frenzies, and one of the fashion themes over the weekend was inspired by Friday Night Lights.

Fans at the Empire Polo Club dressed in chaps, daisy dukes, sports jerseys and cowboy boots gathered to cheer on headliners and crossover acts such as Zach Bryan, Lana Del Rey, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs and even the Backstreet Boys. Just like with the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, our team couldn’t ignore the high school parallels with some of the larger-than-life characters performing throughout the weekend.

We spotted who would be voted most likely to cause a big scene, who’s the ultimate girl’s girl, who’s most likely to save someone’s life and more.

To commemorate the end of Stagecoach, our team put together a list of awards. In no particular order, here are the high school yearbook categories for Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

Most Likely to Cause a Big Scene

Sunday night at Stagecoach, Luke Combs began strumming the opening lines of Garth Brooks’ classic “Friends in Low Places.” Just as fans were belting along, Brooks himself sauntered onto the Mane Stage, sending the crowd into a frenzy. It took a few beats for festivalgoers to register what was happening, but once they did, the energy was electric. Brooks and Combs traded verses, then turned the mic to the audience, grinning as thousands of voices took part in one of the most epic singalongs in Stagecoach history.

As the song wrapped, Combs shouted, “It’s Garth Freaking Brooks, everybody!”

Cutest Couple

Not only did Jelly Roll bring out his wife, Bunnie XO, when he stopped by Guy Fieri’s Smokehouse for a baked potato cook-off, but he brought her onto stage when he headlined Saturday night. For both occasions, the “Save Me” hitmaker introduced his wife lovingly. “The best thing I’ve ever done is marry my best friend,” he said during his set. The two have been together for a decade now and frequently share affectionate sentiments about the other in interviews.

The Girl’s Girl

You know when you’re out with your girlfriends and you go to the ladies’ room and in a matter of minutes you have a new group of besties telling you to just dump the guy already? Now imagine that’s Carly Pearce looking out for you. Before introducing one of her songs, she told festivalgoers to never let a man tell them they’re not worthy, and that if they related to her next song, they needed to promise her they’d dump their boyfriends.

But that’s not the only way she was looking out for the girls during her Mane Stage performance. The artist brought out Carter Faith, another female country artist who was performing at Stagecoach earlier in the day, to make sure more people got to hear the rising talent, paving the way for more women in the genre.

Biggest Party Animal

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri kept the party going at his smokehouse, where he hosted everyone from Jelly Roll and Shaboozey to Sammy Hagar and Midland. He often strolled onto the smokehouse stage with a cigar perched in his mouth and an open bottle of tequila dangling by his side. All of his celebrity guests matched Guy’s energy and swigged tequila before diving into a cook-off, to the roar of thunderous applause, of course.

Most Likely to Live Up to His Bad Boy Image

The “I Remember Everything Singer” has captured audiences’ attention in recent years, but not just for his country music hits. His breakup from podcaster/influencer Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, after more than a year of being an item, has become a messy saga that’s included tearful social media addresses, diss tracks, an alleged hush money offer, and even a breakup-themed clothing line.

During his headlining Stagecoach set, the hitmaker covered Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” saying the 1978 song is his favorite of all time. Backed by a horns section, he sang the cheeky bad boy anthem alongside his bandmate, Read Connolly.

Most Likely to Twirl Flaming Batons at the School Talent Show

We all fell in love with Kate Hudson playing the iconic band-aid Penny Lane in “Almost Famous,” but her transition from actress portraying a rock star devotee to becoming an actual rock star herself was an unexpected career shift from the Golden Globe winner. As she crooned the Johnny Cash and June Carter classic “Jackson” alongside Brothers Osbourne on Friday night, you couldn’t help but think, “Is there anything Kate Hudson can’t do?”

Most Likely to Save Your Life

Jelly Roll’s connection to his fans was crystal clear at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival. The “I Am Not Okay” artist has used his platform to champion people who are suffering from substance abuse disorder, from honoring fans who have lost family and friends to the disease, to speaking out against the opioid epidemic while addressing the Senate in 2024. “We make music for the broken,” Jelly Roll said from the Mane Stage. “But something I’ve learned is that a crooked path can still lead you home.”

One of the most heartfelt moments during Jelly Roll’s Stagecoach set came when he spotted a woman in the audience holding a sign celebrating her first sober Stagecoach. He paused to share a message of hope: “Music can’t heal everything, but it can speak for those who feel like they can’t speak.”

Most Likely to Hit the Big Time

It says a lot about your musical ability when Ed Sheeran asks you to perform your latest single at his Coachella speakeasy and sings your praises as a songwriter. It says even more when, just a week later, Jelly Roll brings you out on the Stagecoach Mane Stage during his headliner performance to sing that same single and give you kudos.

And it says a hell of a lot if Jelly Roll keeps you on stage to sing one more song, the live debut of your collaboration with the country star. That’s Alex Warren’s life right now. The social media star was previously known for his early years on TikTok as part of the Hype House. Similar to Troye Sivan, Shawn Mendes and others, he’s used his social media following to catapult his singing career. “Ordinary” is Warren’s latest single to make it from trending TikTok audio to a radio hit. But it’s no ordinary feat to have multiple musicians, at major milestones in their own careers, take you under their wing this early into your music journey.

Best Crossover Surprise

Added to the Stagecoach 2025 lineup just hours before the festival gates opened, Mumford & Sons delivered one of the most exciting surprises of the weekend. Their set at the Palomino tent drew one of the largest and most lively crowds all weekend, proving that a great song transcends genre. For about an hour, the British folk-rockers tore through their biggest hits, from “Little Lion Man” to “I Will Wait,” keeping the energy high and the sing-alongs louder. Their success at Stagecoach highlights not just the band’s broad appeal, but also where music is headed — a place where genre lines continue to blur and crossover moments feel more natural than ever.

Most Likely to Retire on a Riverboat

In true Lana Del Rey fashion, her headlining set at Stagecoach felt more like a dream than a traditional country show — and that’s exactly what made it so good. Drifting through a set filled with covers like Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man,” and her own country-leaning hits like “Stars Fell On Alabama,” it wasn’t hard to imagine her floating into the sunset with a glass of sweet tea in hand.

Most Likely to Make Millennials Miss Their Bedtime

Backstreet’s Back, all right! Not only were all the millennial girlies gathered in the densely packed Palimino tent to catch the Backstreet Boys at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, but thousands of cowboys were swaying, dancing and singing along to the boy band’s nostalgic lyrics that were the soundtrack of the ’90s for so many. Not only were the Backstreet Boys the reason so many stayed out past midnight on the last night of the festival, but they were also the reason many of them made the trek to Indio.

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