The first lesson from the 2016 edition of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, which has been underway for barely an hour?
Arrive late at your own peril.
The first notes sounded for Day 1 of the weekend-long gathering came early Friday afternoon from country rocker Leroy Powell and his band that calls itself Whiskey Wolves of the West. They come straight outta Redlands to the fest, and turned in a set blending rock’s bristle with country’s storytelling.
Powell, an associate of Shooter Jennings, shares Jennings’ penchant both for waist-length hair and songs that course across a broad span of classic country, classic rock, blues and Americana music.
“Thanks for getting up early to come see us,” he told a small but enthusiastic crowd of 100 or so people in front of the stage. “We heard there was a big party in the RV camp last night,” a comment that elicited hearty cheers.
His original songs were supplemented with some well-curated covers including the Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup” and the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil.”
In conjunction with co-lead singer Tim Jones, the Whiskey Wolves forge a compelling gumbo that sounded an appropriately expansive opening for the 10th anniversary edition of California’s country music festival.
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Just 30 minutes later, on the smaller Mustang stage, from across the continent in Boston came Tigerman WOAH!, a quartet that looked more backwoods Georgia than urban New England. But the group hews to raw sounds, pushed along by thrashing drums, stinging electric guitar, frenetically strummed banjo and wildly slapped upright bass.
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Brett Young performs on the Mane Stage during the second day of the 10th edition of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 30.
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Luke Bell performs on the Palomino Stage during the second day of the 10th edition of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 30.
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Rainey Qualley performs on the Mane Stage on the second day of the 10th edition of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 30.
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Country music fans dash out from behind gates to get the best concert viewing seats as they arrive on the second day of the 10th edition of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 30.
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Jana Kramer performs on the Mane stage during the first day of the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 29, 2016.
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Kieley Olenick of Corona dances with Nick Bryan of Riverside as Jana Kramer performs on the Mane stage during the first day of the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 29.
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The setting sun illuminates and casts shadows on the umbrella of Ashley Gonzales and William Quintero, both of Long Beach, during the first day of the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 29.
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A country music fan is silhouetted dancing by a vendor’s spotlight while Emmylou Harris performs on the Palomino Stage on the first day of the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 29.
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Marty Stuart performs on the Mustang Stage on the first day of the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 29.
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Chris Young performs on the Mane Stage on the first day of the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 29.
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Country music fans sing along during Eric Church’s headlining performance during the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 29.
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Country music fans Debbie Clark, of Fullerton, left, Kitty Borchard, of Costa Mesa, Caitlin Roberto, of Norwalk, Jenny Stevens, of Downey, and Nicole Ray, of Anaheim, pose with their phones by an illuminated American flag hanging on their RV at dusk in the RV Resort for the 10th anniversary of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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A country music fan waves to friends from the top of an RV at sunset in the RV Resort as she attends the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Thursday.
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Jamella Perkins, center, joins fellow country music fans line dancing in the Dance Dome at Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Country music fans dance at the KFROG Dance Party in the RV Resort at Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Country music fans dance at the KFROG Dance Party in the RV Resort at Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Fans dance at the KFROG Dance Party in the RV Resort at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Fans dance at the KFROG Dance Party in the RV Resort as they attend the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Fans dance in the Dance Dome at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Fans dance in the Dance Dome at Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club.
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Fans dance in the Dance Dome as they attend the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Spotlights silhouette and create shadows as country music fans dance in the Dance Dome as they attend the 10th anniversary of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Nick Michael, of Anaheim, checks his phone by an illuminated American flag hanging on an RV at dusk in the RV Resort at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Country music fan Vito Pace, of Calabasas, sports LED lights on his hat at dusk in the RV Resort for the 10th anniversary of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Tiffany Rancloes, left, of Yucca Valley, dances with Jen Halcrow, also of Yucca Valley, to country music in the RV Resort of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
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Madisyn Recupido, 4, of Beaumont, who is attending her fourth Stagecoach festival, sports pink boots and hat while checking out plastic pink flamingos in the RV Resort at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
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Country music fans ride bikes at dusk at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Two men arrive on a loaded tricycle full of beer and other drinks in the RV Resort for the 10th anniversary of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
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Horse heads and bicycles are illuminated with LED lights, put on by Vito Pace, of Calabasas, at dusk in the RV Resort at Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio.
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Country music fans, from left, Vito Pace, Linda Vogel, Cassidy Vogel, Michelle Pace, all of Calabasas, sport LED lights on their bikes at dusk in the RV Resort for the 10th anniversary of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
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A couple cruise on three-wheel bikes with flags through the RV Resort for the 10th anniversary of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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A private security mounted patrol keeps an eye on country music fans at dusk in the RV Resort at Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Country music fans dance at the KFROG Dance Party in the RV Resort at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Phillip Toczynski, and Alyssa Salinas, both of Simi Valley, pull their luggage as they arrive in the RV Resort for the 10th anniversary of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
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Crew members put up lighting at sunset on the Mane Stage on Thursday at the 10th anniversary of Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) And just to serve notice on the rest of the weekend’s 60-plus acts, Tigerman WOAH! gave Stagecoach its first Prince tribute by tossing in a snippet of “Purple Rain” in the midst of one of its own numbers.
The challenge, we expect, will be keeping track of how many salutes are offered up this weekend in honor of Merle Haggard, who played Stagecoach just last year, for what turned out to be the final time.
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What’s that thumping in the not-so-distance? Ahh, Stagecoach’s Mane Stage must be getting under way. On with the show.
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