After a whirlwind evening of evacuating then coming back to the beach to see the closing act Dierks Bentley perform, fans were eager to kick off Tortuga Fest day 2. The sun was shining down on the beach as Drew Baldridge geared up to start the day. Playing songs off his debut album, Dirt On Us, the “Dance With Ya” singer energetically ran around the stage showcasing his signature dance moves and having just as much fun as the audience.
Nashville based artists including Waterloo Revival, Muddy Magnolias, Jon Pardi and A Thousand Horses took to the beach front stages as well. Courtney Cole followed from the Sunset Stage with a vocally strong set featuring her newest single “Ladylike” as well as songs like “Drunk” and the emotive “Fall Like Rain,” off her debut EP.
Country women were out in full force yesterday with Kelsea Ballerini following Cole’s set from the Tortuga Stage. Starting with “Sirens,” Ballerini took the crowd through her uptempo #1’s “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs,” as well as solo-write “The First Time” and a medley of every 20-something’s favorite 90’s jams. “I grew up totally a Top 40 girl. I thought I was Britney Spears,” she told us early last year. “I’m definitely drawn to the melodies and the hooks of pop music, with the stories and lyrics of country.”
Across the beach, Kip Moore followed Ballerini on the Sunrise Stage. “I ain’t gon’ talk much, let’s just drink some whiskey,” Moore said to the packed crowd. Along with a Jimmy Eat World cover, Moore drew on new and old material, from #1 hits like Up All Night‘s “Beer Money” to an unreleased song, “My Baby’s Gone.”
Sam Hunt also graced the Sunrise Stage yesterday, the already-packed crowd growing even tighter. Through hits like “Leave The Night On,” with which he opened his set, and cuts like Keith Urban’s “Cop Car,” Hunt possessed his signature swagger and smooth speaking. Rain temporarily made an appearance throughout the afternoon, making for a cinematic moment during “Make You Miss Me,” the rain beginning to fall mid-song.
The night closed with Lynyrd Skynyrd playing hits on the Tortuga Stage, followed by Tim McGraw, whose set ran a solid two and a half hours. Through recent emotional milestones like “Humble and Kind” to his closing classic, “Live Like You Were Dying,” McGraw brought his signature, stadium-selling sound, for a monumental closing to a great day of music.
Day 3 kicks off at 11:30am with the Old Southern Moonshine Revival.