It’s no secret that one of the best festivals to feature Americana and country music happens every September in the great state of Oklahoma. If you thought last year’s inaugural Born & Raised was good, then year two has set the bar even higher. This year’s lineup featured an even wider range of amazing artists, with the perfect blend of well-established artists and those that are still considered up and coming. A main wish of mine last year was more females to be added to the bill, so one of the best parts of the lineup announcement was seeing so many talented females included for the second year. Equal representation on the bill is always the goal, but compared to other festivals in the region that feature artists in the same genres, Born and Raised definitely did a better job with adding more female representation on this year’s lineup.

Crowd favorites like local Okie musician, Zach Bryan, returned to the festival this year, as well as American Aquarium, Flatland Cavalry, Cody Jinks, Jamie Lin Wilson and Wade Bowen. A few new additions to this year’s lineup included Kat Hasty, Summer Dean, Nick Shoulders, Margo Price, Joshua Ray Walker and Charles Wesley Godwin. Perhaps the most anticipated set this year belonged to none other than country legend, Tanya Tucker.

Talking to concert goers, the stacked lineup made it difficult for most to choose a favorite. A standard answer was of course, Zach Bryan, as this year he was a headliner, a far cry from last year and his mid-afternoon set on the smaller of the two stages. However, Mike and the Moonpies and their Texas blend of country with a sprinkle of rock came up frequently. Others were wowed by artists like Joshua Ray Walker and Charles Wesley Godwin, two of which they requested to play longer and at a later time slot.

Born & Raised continues to impress those attending with the food, vendors and line-up that they offer. Very few complaints were heard, with the main issue being the heat. Unfortunately, September in Oklahoma often means high temperatures that can take its toll on those in attendance at outdoor festivals. Unless the festival is moved to a different month, I see the heat continuing to be the main complaints of those in attendance.

It's great to see a festival take place each year in the heart of Red Dirt country that continues to curate an excellent and diverse line-up, as well as provide those in attendance with a safe and entertaining concert experience.

You can find out more about Born & Raised below:

All photos in the article are taken by Derrick Weber.