The first round of Born & Raised Fest was originally set to occur in June of 2020, but, as with so many things in 2020, it was postponed due to the pandemic, leaving some bitterly disappointed fans. When the party was finally able to get started in September of 2021, the line-up had changed, but the crowd at the Pryor Creek Music Festival Grounds was ferociously eager to revel in the live music we had all been missing. And Born & Raised Fest delivered.
The original 2020 lineup included several “Outlaw” artists as well as some Red Dirt and Southern Rock, featuring Willie Nelson & Family, Margo Price, Hank Williams Jr., Jamey Johnson, Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Jamie Lin Wilson, Whiskey Myers, Blackberry Smoke, Randy Rogers Band, and Shooter Jennings, to name a few of the more than 25 artists scheduled to appear. The 2021 lineup shifted away from the Outlaws to include much more Texas/Red Dirt as well as more Southern Rock. Willie is, of course, irreplaceable, but ZZ Top and Cody Jinks are more than solid anchoring artists on a 30-plus-artist lineup. American Aquarium was a late and welcome surprise addition, not even listed on the festival poster. Other notable artists included Blackberry Smoke, Lucinda Williams, Randy Rogers, Parker McCollum, Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green Jack Ingram, Stoney Larue, Paul Cauthen, Wade Bowen, Jason Boland, William Clark Green, Zach Bryan, Hayes Carll, Cody Canada, Nikki Lane, Flatland Cavalry, Shane Smith & the Saints, Jaime Lin Wilson, and Kaitlin Butts. One would assume that the festival may have taken some cost saving measures with the revamped lineup, as it included fewer big names and more up-and-comers, not that they are not all superb artists in their own right.
Friday night kicked off with Jack Waters & the Unemployed, who delivered a rocking show. Oklahoma folk band The Damn Quails is well-known locally and always entertaining live. Texas singer-songwriter Jamie Lin Wilson followed with her beautiful lyrics and vocals. Having just come on the scene a couple years ago, Zach Bryan was the surprise crowd favorite of the evening. The Friday-night crowd was predominantly young Red Dirt fans who seemed to know all the words of every Bryan song. Now the veteran headliner, William Clark Greene excellently concluded the night with songs known and loved by all, with Ringling Road eliciting the usual enthusiastic crowd participation.
Everyone was eager to get to the festival grounds for the first full day of the show on Saturday. Born & Raised Fest takes place on three stages, not even including the stage inside the VIP tent, and, with so many performances packed into each day, it is doubtful that any one person powered through to see every show up close. The huge jumbotrons helped minimize the FOMO while taking a break to eat or simply chill inside the air-conditioned VIP tent.
Saturday’s lineup was jam packed with amazing artists. Although scheduled at the beginning of the day on the main stage, Kailtin Butts was a standout performance. Killer vocals and stellar songwriting make it clear that Kaitlin is a true artist whose career is taking off. For good reason, Wade Bowen has become one of the leaders of the Texas Red Dirt artists, and he performed a great mix of his beloved classics and newer songs. A band that really thrives on the live show energy, B. J. Barham and American Aquarium delivered the first rock show of the day, in spite of the blistering heat. In between main stage acts, VIPs with Red River Saloon access were able to catch Jamie Lin Wilson with special guest Cody Jinks as they created perhaps the best acoustic moment of the weekend. Throughout the weekend, Jamie called upon several of her friends to hang out at the Saloon where they would simply play a few and chat a little for an intimate audience. Seats in the Saloon were in high demand and often standing room only as those with access were determined to witness these special acoustic performances. Back on the main stage, the evening trended very Rock with outstanding shows by Blackberry Smoke and ZZ Top. The Georgia Southern Rock band had no trouble getting the Red Dirt crowd to cheer and sing along to all the Blackberry Smoke classics. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top performed a surprising and absolutely badass cover of Tennessee Earnie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons,” and of course the crowd loved every moment of every ZZ Top hit. Longtime Bassist Dusty Hill had passed just a couple months earlier, making for some especially emotional moments and not a few tears among the audience during their set.
The lineup on Sunday included fewer of my personal favorites, but the Red Dirt crowd was very much into it. Paul Cauthen was one of the first up on the main stage. His show is absolutely, undeniably entertaining, if not strictly country. Red Dirt veteran Randy Rogers was, unsurprisingly, a crowd favorite, and Parker McCollum has grown quite the following. The undeniable highlight of the day was headliner Cody Jinks whose rocking “Hippies & Cowboys” and “Must Be the Whiskey” are impossible to not sing along to. Cody ended the festival on a solid high note, ensuring that no one wanted to leave and everyone was ready to do it again in 2022.
by Shawna O’Connell