“It’s not that hot,” chided Mary Chapin Carpenter during her Saturday afternoon show on Stagecoach’s Palomino Stage. Carpenter, a consummate pro whose deftly curated set enthralled the substantial crowd, showed she was a real trouper with that remark. But some of us in the midst of this desert vision quest respectfully disagreed. For my money, the temperature ranged between “hot as balls” and “fourth dimensional” (if you’ll pardon the meteorological jargon); the car thermometer said it was 109 when he pulled into the lot that was a Bataan death march away from the entrance.

Which makes it all the more remarkable that a massive throng of humanity converged on this Coachella Valley confab. But the love of (mostly) country music—defined as liberally as you please—is strong here. Of course, the thing peaks at night, when the temperature drops to a breezy 85 or so and topline stars like Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton rock the giant Mane Stage before absolutely massive crowds. Good luck getting anywhere near the front.

An appearance by Texas blues-rock legends ZZ Top (with erstwhile guitar tech Elwood Francis succeeding the late Dusty Hill on bass) was among the buzzier of the non-headlining shows, as was a scorching perf by the great Melissa Etheridge. On the young-act front, there was chatter aplenty about Gabby Barrett, Bailey Zimmerman, Niko Moon, Ryan Bingham, Tyler Childers, Jackson Dean and Nikki Lane, to name a few.

Diplo was once again a festival VIP, having invented a new lane of southern-fried dance culture that drew thousands of party-hardy attendees to his Honkytonk Dance Hall.

I’d be lying if I said I hung out in the scorching temperatures the whole time—a hidden-away cantina proved a true oasis in the desert, and a chance to compare perceptions with other biz folk.

It was bracing to hear so much animated conversation about music, especially musical discovery, from fans and biz insiders alike. Stagecoach is also, true to its reputation, an eye-popping showcase of country-lovin’ culture, from impeccable cowgirl influencer types to western goths to bros in matching American-flag overalls. The people-watching is a10 out of 10.

But they should look into doing it in the winter.