Making the most out of the situation.
After booking the likes of Sturgill Simpson, Alan Jackson, Turnpike Troubadours, Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and more over the past few years, 2026 was set to be another killer year for Georgetown, Texas’ Two Step Inn. Coming off the heels of Simpson and Jackson as headliners in 2025, this year, they went ahead and snagged Brooks & Dunn and Chris Stapleton to front the festivities.
Additionally, they booked some of the hottest up-and-comers in the alt. country scene, The Red Clay Strays, Wyatt Flores, Muscadine Bloodline, Brent Cobb and Evan Honer, Texas legends, Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers Band, ’90s legends, Tracy Lawrence, Shenandoah, Clay Walker and Randy Travis (featuring James Dupré as a guest vocalist) and other buzzy names like Elizabeth Nichols, Bayker Blankenship, Avery Anna and Wade Forster.
Despite the killer lineup, Saturday ended up being a bit of a letdown for attendees. Though the festival started off just fine, with artists such as Nichols, Cobb, Muscadine Bloodline, Bowen, Honer and more performing on Two Step’s three stages, at 5:30 a cold front blew in, bringing severe rain as well as lightning and hail in the area.
With both Butts and Shenandoah on two of the festival’s stages, fans were told to take shelter before the first night of Two Step was outright cancelled before the likes of Goo Goo Dolls, Flores, Lawrence and headliners Brooks & Dunn could take the stage to close out night one.
In response to the cancellation, Two Step would proceed to offer full refunds for tickets purchased for Saturday’s show and 50% refunds for those who purchased two-day passes, providing a bit of levity for the unfortunate cancellation of the first night of the festival.
After the first delay, which sent fans to shelter on the festival’s grounds, Evan Honer, Wyatt Flores and Kaitlin Butts took to Instagram live to play some songs in their greenroom trailer. Before the second round hit that cancelled Two Step outright, however, the trio returned to deliver an intimate performance with some of the fans who stuck around.
Performing off the stage near the barrier, Honer, Flores and Butts led a singalong of the 90s country staple, “Two Dozen Roses,” from fellow Two Step performers, Shenandoah, as well as the late, great Joe Diffie’s classic, “John Deere Green.”
It didn’t just stop at Honer, Flores and Butts, however. Though they weren’t leading the singalong with the fans, The Castellows and Elizabeth Nichols could also be seen singing along behind the barrier as the trio performed with fans.
“Two Dozen Roses”
@kai_austin_tamez_25 @Evan Honer @Wyatt Flores Rain delay didn’t hurt us @Two Step Inn #fyp #wyattflores #evanhoner #kaitlinbuttsmusic #thecastellows ♬ original sound – Kai Tamez
“John Deere Green”
@emiley.c @Wyatt Flores @Evan Honer @kaitlinbutts ily forever, thank y’all!!! #twostepinn #countrymusic #countryfestival #musicfestival #rain @Two Step Inn ♬ original sound – Emiley
Though you might not be seeing them grabbing awards and nominations at the CMAs or ACMs, it’s becoming more and apparent that the likes of Butts, Flores and Honer are the heartbeat of the current generation of the alternative country scene.
Many artists could have simply waited it out in their buses/trailers, but they didn’t and created an unforgettable moment for the fans that stuck around and braced the weather. You truly love to see it.
