Archer’s rating: 5/5 stars

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Save a horse, ride a … hornet?

Hornets flooded the Cal Expo Fairgrounds last weekend as Country in the Park returned to Sacramento. 

This year’s lineup featured many big names, including Brett Eldredge and Lady A on Friday night and Justin Moore and Chris Young on Saturday. Friday’s schedule also included performances from Joe Nichols, Kylie Morgan and Restless Road, while Saturday showcased Maddie & Tae, Breland and Corey Kent. 

Tickets ranged in price from a $45 one-day general admission pass to a $500 “Y’all Access” two-day pass. I opted for a one-day general admission pass for Saturday. 

Tickets for Saturday completely sold out, and the event had a record number of attendees that day. The venue was packed, with lines for the bathroom and beer winding clear out the building. Outside, the crowd was thick with eager audience members who awaited performances from their favorite artists. 

At middle stage near the back of the “standing” section could be found a swarm of Hornet athletes from nearly every team on campus. They could be spotted unwinding and socializing with fellow Hornets. Most of them had been there all day, some arriving as early as mid-morning to tailgate. 

Some athletes in attendance were country music fans, some were there to see friends, but most, I found, were just there to have fun and could not tell you the name of a single artist that played Saturday. 

Being a huge country music fan myself, I was ecstatic about the performances by Maddie & Tae, Justin Moore and Chris Young, the latter two being two of my favorite artists. 

During the performance by Maddie & Tae, the crowd was quite mellow. However, the audience lit up when the duo played their hit songs “Friends Don’t” and “Girl in a Country Song.” 

As the sun went down, things began to heat up. Justin Moore took the stage and quickly had the crowd drawn in. He played his many hit songs, and it was clear that the crowd was much more familiar with Justin Moore than the first few performers. 

Finally, it was time for the closer – Chris Young. The anticipation was heavy as the crowd waited nearly 45 minutes for him to take the stage. Finally, at around 9:20 pm, Young’s voice began floating about the Cal Expo Center. 

Young, being an incredibly popular and successful country music artist, played many hit songs that the crowd found itself singing along to. As it got later, the crowd began to thin, creating room for dancing. Couples filled the spaces in the crowd, some swing dancing and some slow dancing. 

By around 11 p.m., most of the athletes had left and the crowd was left to die-hard fans, dancers and drunks. 

My first Country in the Park experience met the high expectations I had. I got to see teammates and other fellow athletes, met many new people and got to sing and dance to some great country music. 

Next fall, be ready to pull out your boots and jeans again! Country in the Park will be back, and after this experience, I know it is not something you want to miss.