Day 1
Country Calling kicked off with beautiful beach weather, cowboy hats and boots as far as the eye could see, and a crowd more than ready to party all weekend long. Ocean City, MD’s inlet transformed into Nashville-on-the-coast, with fans flooding the festival grounds by car, rideshare, limo, boat, bike, bus, and on foot.
The Country Calling setup saw some noticeable upgrades this year, with more beach walkways, better sightlines on the Boogie Stage, and improved transportation and bus plans that made getting to and from the grounds smoother than last year’s event.
Explore OC caught up with Maryland’s own Luke Borchelt, who was one of the openers of the festival, for a hometown crowd. Just him, a guitar, and some Maryland pride highlighted in his new song “Ocean City”.
When asked about his name on the lineup, he said, “It’s surreal. It was at the top of the list of things that I wanted to do—goals in my career in the last year, was to play Country Calling. And now we’re here at the biggest festival in Maryland.”
There couldn’t have been a better start to the weekend!
Avery Anna helped warm up the crowd, already filling up for the main Boot stage. Her energy was contagious with a mix of heartbreak hits and love songs. Her “Mr. Predictable” and “Blonde” tracks had the crowd singing along, and she threw in a few Toby Keith covers for good measure. In a perfect nod to Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl album release day, Avery covered “You Belong With Me”, and the crowd went wild.
On the Scoot Stage, Tucker Wetmore gave OCMD some love, working the town name into his lyrics. Between songs like “Break First” and “Casino”, he told the crowd, “One thing I’ve picked up since I’ve been here is y’all know how to party.” And he’s not wrong. He even shared that he’d spent the day before hanging out at Seacrets, so we know he’s seen it firsthand!
Chase Rice took things up a notch, telling fans that he hadn’t spent much time in this part of the country but was surprised by how much they love country music. With talented band mates featuring a fiddle, harmonica, and guitar, Chase delivered a dynamic set that blended new favorites with crowd-pleasers. He shared that his latest album is his favorite in 15 years of making music. He sang “Cottonmouth” off of that new album, saying it was about smoking a joint with Tyler Hubbard, who performed the next festival set. “I can smell it in the crowd now,” Rice laughed.
By the time Tyler Hubbard hit the stage, the beach was packed. Cell service started to lag—a sure sign of a full house. Wearing a “Nice people dancing to loud music” shirt, Tyler brought the party and the sunset during songs like “This is How We Roll”.
As the night went on, Brooks & Dunn proved why they’re legends. If you saw the crowd for the Boot stage, you would’ve thought they were the headliners. Their light show was epic, their harmonica solos excellent, and the crowd sang every word of Brand New Man. Brooks spent time talking with the crowd, sharing that when asked if they ever get tired of playing the same songs after all these years, they laughed—“Hell no, we don’t!” And we’re grateful for it!
Closing out the first night, Jon Pardi brought beach-bar energy with a tequila toast, accordion accompaniments, and the perfect anthem “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley, encouraging the crowd to let go of the stresses of the week. His “Mr. Saturday Night” hit just right on a Friday crowd, and his Crazy Train cover gave homage to a rock classic, Ozzy Osbourne.
Then came Carrie Underwood, who did not miss a beat stepping onto the stage at 9:30 pm. From “Church Bells” to “Undo It”, she commanded the crowd with powerhouse vocals. Impressively, the ASL interpreter stayed with her beat for beat—we love seeing the accessibility at Country Calling! By the time she wrapped up her set, the crowd was hoarse and happy, stunned that Carrie Underwood is a real human being. That’s just the way a festival opener should end.
Day 2
Not a cloud in the sky and not a hint of slowing down, Saturday at Country Calling came in hot. The sun was shining, the drinks were flowing, and boxed waters were being passed out at the barricade early to keep everyone cool for a long day of music and memories.
Kicking things off, Jimmy Charles opened the day with a proud hometown set. A local favorite and friend of Explore OC, Jimmy brought pure Eastern Shore energy to the stage. We caught up with him before the festival to talk about his second year on the lineup. “We didn’t have anything like [Country Calling] on the coast,” he says. “And definitely not country music. Now, years later, my hometown is part of one of the most amazing festival backdrops in the country.”
As more people began trickling in throughout the day, festival goers took time to explore the attractions beyond the music. Some highlights included the Be Love Electrolyte Lounge, the Busch Light mobile bar, and even a ZYN vendor that had a line all day long.
Others were balancing full Fisher’s Popcorn buckets or entire pizza boxes to snack on in the sand. Everywhere you looked, from the Boardwalk to festival security, staff were in cowboy hats, friendly, smiling, and keeping the good vibes rolling.
Later in the afternoon, The Band Perry took the stage, instantly capturing the crowd with the haunting intro of Grave Digger. Their signature sound, complete with mandolin and fiddle, created one of the most dynamic performances of the day. Lead singer Kimberly Perry shared that her brother Reid couldn’t make it, as he was home in Joshua Tree feeling under the weather, but she made sure to send his love to the crowd. An ASL interpreter was back on stage, making the performance accessible to all. This was a thoughtful touch that didn’t go unnoticed throughout the weekend.
LOCASH kept the party going with an upbeat set that perfectly captured the festival’s energy. The duo performed Ring on Every Finger, shared laughs about many trips to Ocean City, MD in the past, including that the first song they ever wrote was on this beach, although it was so bad no one will ever hear it. They were ready for day drinking with beer cans on stage while talking about being close to Chris’s hometown of Baltimore, MD, and got to play their number 1 hit single, “Hometown Home”. The guys were clearly having fun, looking forward to crab cakes and announcing an after-party for the whole crowd to join.
Check out Explore OC’s interview with the guys of LOCASH before they took the stage!
Over on the Boogie Stage, Ingrid Andress had the whole crowd in their feels with heartfelt tracks like “More Hearts Than Mine”.
Then came Wynonna Judd, one of the absolute standouts of the weekend. Dressed in sparkly red pants, she delivered a star-studded performance backed by a full band with multiple guitarists, keys, drums, harmonica, and yes, even a cowbell. She led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, completed a duet with her husband, Cactus Moser, and paid tribute to her mother, Naomi Judd, marking 42 years in country music. Representing the best of ’80s and ’90s country, Wynonna had all ages in the crowd swaying, cheering, and singing right along.
Following Wynonna, Gretchen Wilson hit the stage to a packed crowd and VIP area (literally at capacity). Despite a few sound issues unless you were directly in line with the Boogie stage, she put on an awesome show.
Next up, Treaty Oak Revival drew one of the biggest and rowdiest crowds of the day. Fans were sitting on shoulders, waving flags, and singing along to every lyric. The Texas-based band, each member with a guitar in hand, set themselves apart from the other acts of the day with their unique southern-rock sound.
“This is one of the most amazing crowds at a festival I’ve ever seen,” they told the crowd. We clearly impressed for their first time in Maryland, calling us “the best looking crowd of 2025.” One bandmate even sported a Boardwalk t-shirt that jokingly read, “This festival sucks and all the bands are lame”, a crowd favorite.
Zach Top took the evening slot just as the moon rose over the water, adding some serious twang with slide guitar, fingerpicking solos, and even a surprise saxophone appearance—the only one of the weekend. He slipped Ocean City into his song South of Sanity and reminded everyone to hydrate, thanking fans for “catching our show with such a great lineup.” His mix of new album tracks and Conway Twitty-style country brought a fresh, classic energy to the stage.
And finally, Luke Bryan closed out the night in true headliner fashion. Decked out in denim-on-denim, he brought the moves, the party, and the perfect soundtrack for a Saturday night on the beach that capped off a sun-soaked, amusement-filled Ocean City day.
Day 3
The final day of Country Calling kicked off under another cloudless sky. After two long days of walking in cowboy boots, lots of live music, and sunshine, the crowd took things a little slower. Festival-goers wandered the boardwalk, grabbed souvenirs, and took advantage of rides on the Giant Wheel at Jolly Roger for the last full day of country music on the coast.
Laci Kaye Booth and The Castellows were among the openers for the day, keeping the energy light and soulful while adding to the strong dose of girl power in the festival lineup. Chase Matthew followed, clearly having fun with the crowd, even when he accidentally went out of order in his setlist. After wrapping what he thought was his last song, he waved goodbye… only to return moments later, realizing he still had fifteen minutes left to play.
Stephen Wilson Jr. brought a unique, gritty sound to the stage and shared that his band almost didn’t make it to the festival, thanking a 19-year-old female mechanic from West Virginia who rescued their broken-down bus at 3 a.m. “We’re lucky to be here,” he told the crowd.
Then came Gavin Adcock — cowboy hat, vest, no shirt, and all confidence. Beer(s) in hand, he got the crowd on their feet, hopping off the stage for photos and autographs with fans in the front row.
Midday brought some unexpected news: Koe Wetzel wouldn’t make it to Ocean City due to travel complications. His absence shuffled the schedule, bumping Gabby Barrett’s set to 6 p.m. and Ryan Bingham to 8 p.m.
Gabby still delivered a heartfelt performance backed by her full band, including her husband, Cade Foehner, on guitar, with highlights like her hit “The Good Ones” echoed by the crowd.
By this time, the festival crowd had grown again with little kids in cowboy hats, groups in matching Luke Combs shirts, and families soaking in the last few sets of the weekend. Ryan Bingham gave Yellowstone fans exactly what they were hoping for, while Gary Allan brought nostalgia to the older crowd, much like Brooks & Dunn on Friday.
And then, Luke Combs closed it all out with a slower, more emotional finish than Luke Bryan’s high-energy Saturday night, but just as powerful. 55,000 voices joined together for the final sing-alongs. It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable weekend of country music, sunshine, and Ocean City magic.
For more coverage from the festival, check out Explore OC’s Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to relive the highlights, or feel like you were really there!
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