At Two Step Inn, a New Brand of Country Finds Its Central Texas Audience
By Doug Freeman, April 17, 2023, 2:25pm, Earache!
Nearly 15 years ago, C3 Presents attempted a country music festival in College Station that mixed mainstream stars with Texas songwriters and rocking roots acts. Big State Festival failed to stick, but the local production powerhouse seems to have found the right mix, and timing, with this year’s two-day, three-stage Two Step Inn at Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park.
Boasting 30,000 attendees each day and headlined by Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers, the fest quickly sold out when announced last fall. The Georgetown locale offered close enough proximity to draw from Austin, yet catered to a more suburban demographic that’s largely outgrown traveling south to events like ACL Fest. Likewise, the lineup hit a sweet spot of nostalgic Nineties country radio hitmakers, Texas-flaired country and rock, and not-quite-mainstream stars. Add in a drop of Diplo and T-Pain for good measure, and the weekend pinpointed something interestingly vibrant happening in country music today.
[image-1-right]The popularity of Bryan and Childers certainly speaks to this new moment. If there were any questions as to the formers’ festival headlining capabilities, Bryan slayed them Saturday night. The 27-year-old songwriter’s set at ACL this past fall sparked behind last year’s sharply crafted, audacious 34-track major label debut, but his Two Step Inn appearance vaunted him to a new level entirely. Judging by the sheer fervor of the crowd’s singing to the entire setlist, it’s a fandom built on deep connections to his smart and vulnerable songs and not simply repeated radio spins.
The Oklahoma native ripped gritty from the outset with his eight-piece, swooning the spaghetti western sound of “Open the Gate” into “God Speed” – while viral hit “Headin’ South,” standout “Something in the Orange,” and latest single “Dawns” all hit with equally high impact. Even Bryan’s humble “aw shucks” moments played well on the big stage, including amusing amazement about sharing the top of the bill with Childers (“When I was a kid, that was all we listened to”) before launching into “Flying or Crying.” The blowout encore brought out Charles Wesley Godwin and friends for “Revival” and capped an exceptional first day of the fest.
Other Saturday highlights included Godwin’s own rocked out set in the early afternoon, with Bryan joining for a cover of “Take Me Home, Country Roads”; a seated Charlie Robison returning to the stage for crowd-appreciated, Texas-sized hits; and Tanya Tucker stepping into the afternoon sun to claim her country queen crown.
Midland kicked through the penultimate slot on the main stage, though continuously made the faux pas of shouting out Austin rather than Georgetown. The biggest surprise of day one, however, was Jo Dee Messina’s absolutely dynamite headline of the Showdeo stage. The vocal dexterity required of her songs shown through on the hits (“I’m Alright”; “Lesson in Leavin’”; “Heads Carolina, Tails California”), alongside their sheer joyousness as she wove in more recent spiritual material.
Sunday brought cooler temps but more dust from the well-trodden park, which otherwise proved a spacious and hospitable locale. Throughout the weekend, the biggest challenge for the crowd was the awkward Big River mainstage.The layout set the GA audience far back behind two tiers of upgraded ticket areas, and on a downhill slope that really only made the screens visible.
The Country Curious stage impressed on day two, with highlights from Elvie Shane’s hard-charging sixpiece, Hailey Whitters’ dominating star potential, and Paul Cauthen’s gritty country-funk groove.
On the mainstage, Mavis Staples growled out an incomparable inspiration in the early afternoon, but Wynonna offered up the most compelling set. Introducing herself as “the artist formerly known as the Judds,” she seemed focused on regaining confidence and footing onstage, and the crowd certainly offered their appreciation. She was the lineup’s only legacy artist that reworked her hits, ripping “Why Why Why” and “I Saw the Light” with her more recent powerhouse blues leanings, and even offering up a new co-write with Waxahatchee, “Other Side.”
Closing out the fest, Childers opted for a calmer ride than the previous night. “Lady May” set the tone at the outset before the hallelujah organ kicked in for a fiery “Old Country Church.” Although he licked with several raucous breakdowns and some hard stomped favorites, like the late run of “House Fire,” “Honky Tonk Flame,” and “I Swear (To God),” the set largely leaned into mellow jams in the way of “All Your’n.” The closing fest fireworks packed more punch.
Despite Sunday night’s relatively easy comedown, Two Step Inn still proved an undoubted success, capitalizing on a moment in country music that can hopefully be replicated in subsequent events. A new generation of stars seems emergent, walking through doors opened by mainstream artists like Chris Stapleton, outsider rebels like Sturgill Simpson, and even Americana crossover mainstays like Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell. As our state has always cultivated its own brand of songwriter-focused country, even at the most popular levels, it’s a sound that plays especially well in Texas.
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