Q: Did Wallen's recent felony arrest for throwing a chair off a bar rooftop make you nervous?

A: Morgan Wallen is one of the best live performers there is. He and we are all just so focused on making this the best set that he's had this year. I know he's planning some really special things.

Q: This fest is coming on the heels of the Beyoncé album "Cowboy Carter." You have Black acts like the War and Treaty and Leon Bridges and the Compton Cowboys collective coming this year. How are the questions about race and country music that Beyoncé raised on that album influencing your thinking about who the fest is for?

A: Look at the "Cowboy Carter" collaborators who we have at Stagecoach this year — Tanner Adell, Willie Nelson, Post Malone, Brittney Spencer, Willie Jones. And then Stagecoach alumni — Rhiannon Giddens and Tiera Kennedy. The voices she was amplifying, and the direction she was going, it was such an awesome feeling to be aligned with something that's making such a big impact. We announced Stagecoach back in September, so for that all to come months later, it's such an amazing feeling.

Stagecoach is a place where everybody feels welcome. We're focused on creating the country culture of tomorrow. It's the best part of my job and some responsibility, but it's also a blast. I challenged myself to do so much research and go down so many rabbit holes and really try to discover new things and take chances. There's a lot of alignment with massive artists giving Stagecoach a shot right now, but that's kind of what we've been doing for a while. The timing is kind of perfect right now.

Q: Is a Stagecoach gig on her radar right now?

A: I wouldn't know, but there are a lot of her friends and collaborators here. There are worse things than being aligned with a Beyoncé record.

Q: The rise of regional Mexican music fits under a broad country music umbrella too. Carin León is playing both Coachella and Stagecoach this year, and Peso Pluma could plausibly have played both. What's the future for the Mexican/country crossover at Stagecoach?

A: Carin León is an artist that we've championed for a long time. Having a regional Mexican artist was something that I really wanted in the lineup this year. Since we've booked him, Carin has been really proactive about writing with a lot of people in Nashville and recording and with Nashville artists. It has to be an artist who has an appetite to be in this space. But I'm really excited to see how Carin's set is going to be received. It's my dream to see people singing along to every word like they were at his Coachella set this past weekend.

Q: You've got Willie Nelson back again this year. I wish him many more festival appearances to come, but is it especially important for you to give people chances to see him as he passes 90?

A: Truth be told, it's just like any other year and I'm trying to book Willie Nelson. I did something really special on Saturday where I have a ton of Texas artists: Miranda Lambert, Post Malone, Willie Nelson, Maddie & Tae, Leon Bridges, Charley Crockett, Asleep at the Wheel. I intentionally did this Texas thing to cultivate an atmosphere where artists are jumping on stage with each other. I think that was my approach to Willie Nelson this year.

Q: Goldenvoice is trying out some different festival concepts right now. There seems to be a lot of energy behind this year's Stagecoach. Obviously the fest has been around a long time, but does it feel like an especially important time for the festival's role in the company's future?

A: Stagecoach has always been a priority and a big deal to Goldenvoice. We've always been intentional and excited to put our own spin on what a country music festival is. We take it year by year, I never take anything for granted. Yes, we're having an amazing year this year, and I'm off to a great start for 2025. But things always ebb and flow.

I'd love to think we would always be in this place, that there would always be so much fanfare around country music. But I never take anything for granted. I'm gonna work really hard to keep Stagecoach in an innovative place. I hope it stays this culturally relevant and as the years go on, and I'd like to think that I'm getting better and better at my job. But I've never taken that for granted.

Q: Do you ever see it going to two weekends?

A: At this time, we're just so happy to be one sold-out weekend.

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