Review: Forget the weather, performances are what will be remembered at Day 2 of the Gorge’s Watershed music festival

The ongoing story of Watershed weekend has been the heat, and Saturday’s chapter of the music festival at the Gorge provided a little less heat and a few more clouds – but it was still a hot one. Yet, the artists of Day 2 put on a party to remember.

Starting Day 2 was Ashland Craft. Craft may have had the mild misfortune of being the earliest act on the main stage, but she battled the heat along with the somewhat smaller crowd for a good time in the early afternoon. She and the entire band came out with an energy that would have made you think they were playing a sold-out show.

Craft is new to me, but with such stage presence and intoxicating rasp in her voice, I’ll be keeping an eye on her from now on – really hope she continues to grow.

The second set featured Brian Kelley. Kelley was once one half of pop-country powerhouse “Florida Georgia Line,” but has taken to trying a solo venture. Kelley’s sound hasn’t expanded much since the 2010’s, but if the era of “bro-country” and redneck stereotypes (track titled “Make America Great Again” included) that gets taken perhaps a little too seriously is still in your wheelhouse, then he’s the man for the job. Nonetheless, Kelley is an interaction-heavy performer with a good band to back (especially the amount of pedal steel), and I can respect that.

Dylan Scott was up next with an immense sense of energy from the very beginning. Scott may not be as “country” as country music gets, but it’s difficult to deny his sheer excitement to be performing and the stage presence that comes with it. Throughout the set, he was up and down the catwalk, talking to the crowd, borrowing phones to take selfies on stage, and overall provided a great fan experience.

Scott is included in the general group that I’d put the remaining artists: modern country that may not be as “deep” or classic (nor my usual cup of tea), but doesn’t take itself too seriously and ends up being a good time in a festival setting like this.

Cole Swindell released hit after hit in the 2010s as a common name on country radio, and he has been one of the few from this specific era of country music to truly continue doing so into the 2020s. He and the band brought the same sense of energy his music is popular for, and the jam-packed venue reciprocated with “the type of crowd (he) could perform in front of all night long.” With a crowd full of girls on shoulders, his brand of love songs surely made a few memories .

Swindell provided the hits and came to knock another set at Watershed down – which he did in fun fashion. I also love when a musician has one of those “I’ve made it” looks during a performance, and Swindell had more than a few.

Saturday’s headliner was the one and only Luke Bryan. Last year, the king of pop-country had to bow out due to illness, but he returned to the Gorge to tear the place down. To say the crowd was packed in like sardines is an understatement; the heat from the sun may have tapered away with the arrival of the moon but there were enough bodies to create a similar effect.

Bryan ruled the country scene for about a decade, and he delivered hit after hit after hit to an ecstatic crowd. He also brought out the other two of the final three, Scott and Swindell, for a joint cover of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Florida Georgia Line’s “This Is How We Roll,” on which Bryan was featured (although I found it ironic that Kelley, one half of FGL, wasn’t involved).

Vocally, Bryan struggled in some areas outside of his lower register, but that’s where such a massive crowd comes in handy – simply use their voices in times of struggle, and you’ve got crowd interaction down. I joke; Bryan is known for his crowd interaction and overall fun sets, and Saturday was no different.

He may not be the greatest vocalist in the world, but he sure knows how to have a good time, stay un-serious and go with the flow. On the other end of that spectrum is the section of the show where it was mostly just Bryan and an acoustic guitar or piano, a lighter side of the evening that fit beautifully.

Overall, Bryan and his music are fun, something the Watershed crowd was eagerly anticipating and loved to the maximum degree – perhaps the single most enthused crowd I’ve ever seen. It was a right good time, and a set that I fully believe will remain the people’s favorite on the weekend.