Country Bay Brought Stellar Performances by Carrie Underwood and Dustin Lynch

The most jarring thing at this year's Country Bay Music Festival was the MAGA crowd that seemed to flood the festival. Post-Trump victory, they were inescapable, adorned in merch, including Trump jerseys, Trump flags, and Trump, well, everything. (The irony of Trump fanatics demanding that politics be kept out of everyday life is not lost on me.)

Once again, the festival took over the large parking lot adjacent to the Miami Marine Stadium, where Country Bay held its inaugural event last year with Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett as headliners.

This year's lineup featured Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Dustin Lynch, and EDM producer/DJ Diplo performing under his Thomas Wesley alias.

New this year was a smaller stage called the Rodeo Roundup, built near the right side of the main stage where EDM- and pop-influence acts like Willie Jones, MC4D, and Rvshvd performed.

If you had a Wells Fargo card, you could access the VIP area inside a large air-conditioned tent and indulge in complimentary ribs, burgers, and chicken sandwiches from the likes of Bro's Hot Chicken and Pincho Burger. There was also a swimming pool where festivalgoers could take a dip and cool off and an elevated viewing area near the soundboards.

E11even hosted a more traditional VIP section for those who bought VIP admission to Country Bay.
On stage, Diplo delivered a country-fried set, mixing contemporary hits such as "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" and classics like "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" along with EDM drops from songs like Knock2's "Dashstar*." At one point, Diplo announced that his sister and her kids were in attendance to see "Uncle Diplo" perform. It was cute, but the set wasn't anything out of the ordinary from Diplo's Thomas Wesley shows, and honestly, it could've benefited from being longer.

Some might have wondered if Carrie Underwood still had the chops to be a headliner, but she proved anyone who doubted her wrong the second she got on stage. Sporting a denim jacket, corset, and shorts and rocking a pair of boots, she made her case as to why she is one of country music's biggest superstars.

A highlight of her set was her cover of Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City," especially since, unlike Axl nowadays, she can hit high notes. She then transitioned into every broken-hearted girl's favorite karaoke song, "Before He Cheats," just as it began to rain almost on cue. It made for an electric atmosphere that brought the whole performance together.

On Sunday, there was a lot more rain. Sudden storms kept popping up through the evening, sending everyone to run to cover.

Despite the unpredictable weather, Chase Rice delivered a sentimental moment when he brought out his black Labrador before performing his song "Bench Seats." He told the crowd the meaning behind the song, which was inspired by his friend who contemplated committing suicide until his dog approached him as he struggled mentally. It was a touching moment, with many people in the crowd shedding a tear. Naturally, he closed out his set by passing out beers from his dog's backpack and playing "Drinkin' Beer. Talkin' God. Amen."
It was clear skies for Dustin Lynch's performance as he came out to "Seein' Red." It was also clear he would deliver a fun party kind of set. During "Tequila on a Boat," he went into the crowd to find some ladies to take tequila shots. When he played "Thinkin' Bout You," he sang his part and had the women in attendance fill in for Mackenzie Porter. There was also a cover of "Chattahoochee," the Alan Jackson classic that got the older crowd moving like it was the '90s again.

Dustin proved he's a serious showman, moving up and down the stage and trying to hype the crowd up as much as possible. He also gave a special shout-out to the veterans in attendance, which led to chants of "USA!" and "Fuck Joe Biden!" (Stay classy, Miami.) He closed things out with "Chevrolet," thanking Miami for being such an amazing audience.

Finally, it was time for the Zac Brown Band. Unfortunately, the band's covers of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" didn't quite land. Instead, I would have preferred the band to stick to its own music catalogue.

It also didn't help that a massive downpour started during the set, leading many people to leave even when songs like "Knee Deep" hadn't been played yet.

Still, the night's closer and ever-so-famous "Chicken Fried" went off without a hitch and was easily the best part of the whole set. The Zac Brown Band even brought out some members of the Navy to commemorate Veterans Day, once again leading to chants of "USA!"