C2C 2025 Sunday
This morning, as we wrap up our country music version of March Madness, we peek outside the C2C bubble to catch up on what else has happened in the world over the past 11 days. Since beginning our C2C journey in a church in Berlin, Liverpool have managed to get knocked out of the Champions League and lose the League Cup final — which, surprisingly, means Newcastle actually won something. Chelsea Women won the Women’s League Cup final (again); Fulham continued their European push, beating relegation-battlers Tottenham; a three-way tie at the top of the Six Nations saw France edge out Ireland and England on points difference; Lando Norris won the opening round of the 2025 F1 Championship in Australia; and not forgetting Woking FC U14 girls, who lost their final match of the season to AFC Wimbledon and now rely on West Ham and Sutton slipping up to finish second — although the linesman did an excellent job, if I do say so myself!
C2C fortnight, as it’s become for us with our double-header weekend, is always a blur — but it's 11 days a year I wouldn’t change for the world. Twelve years after Carrie Underwood and Tim McGraw played to a London crowd in an arena that wasn’t even fully open, this weekend saw Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley, The Hot Country Knights, Cody Johnson, and over 60 other acts (of which we’ve spoken to more than 30) prove that country music has a spiritual home 4,000 miles from Nashville.
C2C fortnight, as it’s become for us with our double-header weekend, is always a blur — but it's 11 days a year I wouldn’t change for the world. Twelve years after Carrie Underwood and Tim McGraw played to a London crowd in an arena that wasn’t even fully open, this weekend saw Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley, The Hot Country Knights, Cody Johnson, and over 60 other acts (of which we’ve spoken to more than 30) prove that country music has a spiritual home 4,000 miles from Nashville.
Credit: Ruby Gaunt
As the final day rolled around, Jamie faced the tough decision of which artist T-shirt to wear — following up Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter — while I debated between plain black or grey, and Raptors hat or Blue Jays hat (grey T-shirt and Raptors won). I rolled out of bed earlier than I’d like, knowing I still had lessons to plan for the week ahead — so if you need to know about the Home Front in World War One or Stalin’s Foreign Policy, let me know! Heading into London from the apparent Liverpool-supporting hotspot of Woking, Surrey, I felt lazy boarding the train alongside runners fresh from completing the Surrey Half Marathon. Luckily, the delayed start meant I arrived at North Greenwich tube station just in time for Cory Marks to wake up the crowd (and probably anyone in the nearby flats) on the Jack Daniel’s Big Entrance Stage. Having seen him play an acoustic set solo in Berlin — and after chatting with him before his Countryline Stage set yesterday — I’m so glad he brought his full band for this weekend’s set. He showcased his talents perfectly, and as he heads to The Cathouse in Glasgow for a headline show on Tuesday, I can only hope he’ll be back soon for a full show in London.
The final day was always going to be hectic, with interviews still lined up — including Adrien Nunez, where I tried to stick to my aim of not making it all about basketball and March Madness with the former Michigan star, and another collegiate athlete, Drew Baldridge. Aside from once living next door to a former Yankees player when I worked in Colorado, I know very little about baseball — so that one safely stayed music-focused. Plus, I got to pass onto Drew an invite to bring his Backyard Tour to Guildford play in my partners garden after she found him so lovely at the Berlin meet-and-greet! Both artists drew big crowds for their sets, winning over plenty of new fans. Adrien arrived off the back of his huge first release, with many fans already familiar with Low Road — he even paid homage to main stage act Shaboozey with a cover of A Bar Song. Drew, meanwhile, had a packed weekend — closing the CMA Spotlight Stage on Saturday, performing at the Indigo Afterparty, and pulling in a crowd so big for his Sunday set that entry became one-in, one-out several minutes before he was even due on stage. Both promised during our interviews that they’re keen to return — next time with full bands in tow.
Jamie, sadly, broke his streak of catching every Meghan Patrick set across the two weekends, thanks to the mad Sunday dash between stages. We caught Jake Vaardland, Kashus Culpepper, Callie Twisselman, Graham Barham, and Tyler Halverson before interviews, then squeezed in a final chance to see Alli Walker and her dudelsack at the Yeti stand — all while resisting the annual Sunday-night temptation to blow the budget on signed CDs from the Wayside Stage shop or buy dinner! (Wetherspoons chicken wings and chips won the debate)
The final day was always going to be hectic, with interviews still lined up — including Adrien Nunez, where I tried to stick to my aim of not making it all about basketball and March Madness with the former Michigan star, and another collegiate athlete, Drew Baldridge. Aside from once living next door to a former Yankees player when I worked in Colorado, I know very little about baseball — so that one safely stayed music-focused. Plus, I got to pass onto Drew an invite to bring his Backyard Tour to Guildford play in my partners garden after she found him so lovely at the Berlin meet-and-greet! Both artists drew big crowds for their sets, winning over plenty of new fans. Adrien arrived off the back of his huge first release, with many fans already familiar with Low Road — he even paid homage to main stage act Shaboozey with a cover of A Bar Song. Drew, meanwhile, had a packed weekend — closing the CMA Spotlight Stage on Saturday, performing at the Indigo Afterparty, and pulling in a crowd so big for his Sunday set that entry became one-in, one-out several minutes before he was even due on stage. Both promised during our interviews that they’re keen to return — next time with full bands in tow.
Jamie, sadly, broke his streak of catching every Meghan Patrick set across the two weekends, thanks to the mad Sunday dash between stages. We caught Jake Vaardland, Kashus Culpepper, Callie Twisselman, Graham Barham, and Tyler Halverson before interviews, then squeezed in a final chance to see Alli Walker and her dudelsack at the Yeti stand — all while resisting the annual Sunday-night temptation to blow the budget on signed CDs from the Wayside Stage shop or buy dinner! (Wetherspoons chicken wings and chips won the debate)
Credit: Luke Dyson
The arena buzzed with energy as Doug Douglason’s hell-raising encore from the night before still echoed. The early crowds packed in to see sister trio The Castellows, followed by Avery Anna. Three years after one of her first-ever performances on the Spotlight Stage, Avery made her well-earned jump to the main stage, getting the crowd moving before Shaboozey took over. Mixing hip-hop and country, Shaboozey’s style split opinions — but his slowed-down moment with Let It Burn won the crowd over, with phones lighting up the arena. By the time A Bar Song kicked in, the whole O2 was on its feet.
Having to board a late-night flight from Berlin last Sunday meant I missed out on seeing Nate Smith play at the Uber Eats Music Hall, so his set was the one I was looking forward to the most at the London weekend. The first time he came to London was to play the festival stages in 2023 just a few weeks before the release of his debut self-titled album and since then he has seen Whiskey On You go 3x Platinum, World On Fire also go platinum and has now amassed over 1.6 billion streams globally. A lot can change in 2 years in country music and not many artists can return two years later as number 2 on the main stage bill, but Nate Smith was able to effortlessly show why his career has skyrocketed in less than 2 years.
Calling the main stage a bucket list moment for him and the band, Nate took no time at all to get the crowd singing along opening with What Alone Looks Like, Whiskey On You and Wish I Never Felt before turning to his latest release Nobody Likes Your Girlfriend, which to no surprise the crowd already knew the words just 3 weeks after releasing the track featuring Hardy. Elsewhere in the ten-track set, there was time to tear the roof off the O2 with a cover of Jason Aldean’s She’s Country and a further cover with Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, and an opportunity for him to get up close and personal as he entered the crowd for Bulletproof to ensure that this was going to be another memorable C2C set. Closing out with World On Fire, one thing is for sure, the next time we see Nate Smith at a festival in the UK he will be the headliner and not a single person will be questioning why.
Having to board a late-night flight from Berlin last Sunday meant I missed out on seeing Nate Smith play at the Uber Eats Music Hall, so his set was the one I was looking forward to the most at the London weekend. The first time he came to London was to play the festival stages in 2023 just a few weeks before the release of his debut self-titled album and since then he has seen Whiskey On You go 3x Platinum, World On Fire also go platinum and has now amassed over 1.6 billion streams globally. A lot can change in 2 years in country music and not many artists can return two years later as number 2 on the main stage bill, but Nate Smith was able to effortlessly show why his career has skyrocketed in less than 2 years.
Calling the main stage a bucket list moment for him and the band, Nate took no time at all to get the crowd singing along opening with What Alone Looks Like, Whiskey On You and Wish I Never Felt before turning to his latest release Nobody Likes Your Girlfriend, which to no surprise the crowd already knew the words just 3 weeks after releasing the track featuring Hardy. Elsewhere in the ten-track set, there was time to tear the roof off the O2 with a cover of Jason Aldean’s She’s Country and a further cover with Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, and an opportunity for him to get up close and personal as he entered the crowd for Bulletproof to ensure that this was going to be another memorable C2C set. Closing out with World On Fire, one thing is for sure, the next time we see Nate Smith at a festival in the UK he will be the headliner and not a single person will be questioning why.
Credit: Luke Dyson
Before getting onto the closing nights headliner, we can’t forget to mention the CMA Spotlight stage as today’s main stage lineup has shown the impact it can have on an artist and being introduced to the UK crowd. Getting put to the test with just two songs each, we were lucky enough to speak with all three of tonight’s artists in our buildup coverage for the festival. Kashus Culpepper, Harper O’Neill and Kassi Ashton all stepped up to the challenge and it felt like all three made the impression that artists had in previous years to get the call back for the big show in future years.
For the Sunday night headliner, a sold-out 20,000-strong crowd felt intimate compared to Cody Johnson’s usual gigs — he’s headlined the 70,000-capacity Houston Rodeo at NRG Stadium three times — but this marked his first-ever London show, and Cody was here to make up for lost time.
Storming the stage to a Lone Star State tribute medley, Cody opened with That’s Texas — a nod to his roots in a small town near Huntsville, East Texas. He powered through the first five tracks without a pause, immediately setting the tone for the night. Dear Rodeo brought an early standing ovation, his voice carrying every ounce of emotion from his days as a bull rider. His six-piece band added layers of depth, with Georgia Peaches standing out as a playful highlight while they each took turns to show off their talents during their introductions later in the set.
The set didn’t let up. The crowd swayed along to People in the Back, and Carrie Underwood’s vocals were still present — via video — for I’m Gonna Love You. Cody delivered an incredible cover of Long Haired Country Boy. He stayed true to his Texas roots throughout, cowboy hat and all, despite Nashville once telling him to ditch it, which got a rousing wave of hats from the arena crowd.
Closing the main set with Dirt Cheap, The Painter, and the anthemic ’Til You Can’t, Cody left the stage to deafening cheers following a trio of songs to finish on a high — only to return for an emotional encore with a cover of The Chicks’ Travelin’ Soldier, before rewinding the clock to his 2011 A Different Day album with Diamond in My Pocket, leaving us all wanting more.
As the lights came up, one thing was clear: Belfast, Glasgow, and London have done more than enough to ensure Cody Johnson and his band will be back — and hopefully, Texas country will continue to grow across Europe.
And that was C2C 2025
For the Sunday night headliner, a sold-out 20,000-strong crowd felt intimate compared to Cody Johnson’s usual gigs — he’s headlined the 70,000-capacity Houston Rodeo at NRG Stadium three times — but this marked his first-ever London show, and Cody was here to make up for lost time.
Storming the stage to a Lone Star State tribute medley, Cody opened with That’s Texas — a nod to his roots in a small town near Huntsville, East Texas. He powered through the first five tracks without a pause, immediately setting the tone for the night. Dear Rodeo brought an early standing ovation, his voice carrying every ounce of emotion from his days as a bull rider. His six-piece band added layers of depth, with Georgia Peaches standing out as a playful highlight while they each took turns to show off their talents during their introductions later in the set.
The set didn’t let up. The crowd swayed along to People in the Back, and Carrie Underwood’s vocals were still present — via video — for I’m Gonna Love You. Cody delivered an incredible cover of Long Haired Country Boy. He stayed true to his Texas roots throughout, cowboy hat and all, despite Nashville once telling him to ditch it, which got a rousing wave of hats from the arena crowd.
Closing the main set with Dirt Cheap, The Painter, and the anthemic ’Til You Can’t, Cody left the stage to deafening cheers following a trio of songs to finish on a high — only to return for an emotional encore with a cover of The Chicks’ Travelin’ Soldier, before rewinding the clock to his 2011 A Different Day album with Diamond in My Pocket, leaving us all wanting more.
As the lights came up, one thing was clear: Belfast, Glasgow, and London have done more than enough to ensure Cody Johnson and his band will be back — and hopefully, Texas country will continue to grow across Europe.
And that was C2C 2025
