At the XPNFest River Stage, an eager crowd gathered, their eyes fixed on the cotton candy-colored sky as it transformed into the first night of the event. They were eagerly awaiting the next act: the Americana-rock singer-songwriter, Margo Price.
As she took the stage, Price looked angelic in a white bell-bottom pantsuit, armed with her six-string guitar, ready to put on a show. Kicking off her set, she and her talented four-piece band began with “Been to the Mountain,” the opening track from her latest album, Strays, released earlier this year. The song took the audience on a slightly psychedelic journey through the singer-songwriter’s past lives. Midway through the performance, Price set aside her guitar and grabbed a tambourine, the first of many percussion solos in her set. She playfully raised her middle finger during the lyric “Can’t tell me nothing, babe, and that’s a fact,” eliciting roars of approval from the crowd.
The theatrics continued as she swiftly introduced a cowbell and began frantically banging it, much to the audience’s delight. For her next song, “Letting Me Down,” the acoustic guitar returned to her shoulder, Price jammed effortlessly with each guitar player, concluding by raising the guitar at her side in true rockstar fashion. After the song, she took a moment to express her appreciation: “It’s great to be here,” and offered thanks to stations like XPN, saying, “Grateful that there are still radio stations that play our music.” With three songs behind her, Price launched into the fourth with a thumping bass drum and a groovy chord progression from the rhythm guitar. The chorus arrived with Price vigorously strumming her guitar while belting out, “I had a change of heart!” This electrifying moment had the audience moving and grooving to the beat.
In a surprising twist, Price disappeared from the stage momentarily, only to reappear after a quick costume change. She looked fabulous in a shimmering red fringe bodysuit and skillfully hopped on the drums, prompting the audience to grab their phones and record the raw talent unfolding before their eyes. Her drum solo was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Afterward, she returned to the microphone, asking the crowd, “Are y’all excited?” The response was full of hoots and hollers.
Having moved to the music city of Nashville at the age of 20, Tennessee holds a special place in Price’s heart. Her song dedicated to Tennessee transported the band into full-country mode as they belted out, “Let’s go back to Tennessee,” followed that with “That’s How Rumors Get Started” from her 2020 album of the same name, which began relatively mellow before the rest of the band launched into an explosive crescendo — a perfect way to fire up the crowd. Her bandmate Alex Pebble switched from guitar in favor of a harmonica and provided backup vocals on “Paper Cowboy” where the mellow, almost jazzy groove built up to Price showcasing her drumming skills again, with her and drummer Dillon Napier feeding off each other’s energy. After an exhilarating performance, she tossed her drumsticks behind her and confidently strode up to grab her acoustic guitar for her final song in the set, “Hurtin’ (on the Bottle).” A slide smoothed out the guitar as the keys took on a funky twist, leading Price to dramatically step onto a platform in front of the audience shaking her tambourine with excitement; she was feeling the music as much as the audience was. After thanking the crowd, she exited the stage, leaving the band to conclude the performance and the audience in awe.
With ten shows of their USA tour under their belt, Price and her band are headed to Noblesville, IN, to perform at Farm Aid tomorrow. For her complete tour schedule, visit her website. The double album, Strays II, is set to release on Oct. 13th via Loma Vista Records and is available for pre-order and pre-save now.