Watershed Festival returned to the scenic Gorge Amphitheatre on Friday for a weekend of sunshine and country’s hottest acts, including performances from headliners Old Dominion, Luke Bryan and HARDY.
Washington’s own Zach Top kicked off the three-day event and was followed by energetic sets from Meg McRee and Terri Clark. As night began to fall, Riley Green took the stage, inviting Next From Nashville artist Jake Worthington out and memorialized Toby Keith with a clip of “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.” Headliners Old Dominion closed out opening night with “intoxicating excitement” to a “packed venue” (The Spokesman-Review), inviting Zach Top back out to perform a spirited rendition of Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee.”
Saturday morning started strong with the first-ever “Speedy Shedder Fun Run,” a free race for festival-goers that also welcomed donations to support OK Kids Korral, a haven for families while a child undergoes cancer treatment. Packed with memorable sets across two stages, festival-goers sang along to Ashland Craft, Brian Kelley, Dylan Scott and Cole Swindell.
Country superstar Luke Bryan opened up his energetic set with “That's My Kind of Night,” and continued with hit after hit. He paid tribute to Toby Keith with a rendition of “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” and later Cole Swindell and Dylan Scott joined him on stage for a memorable performance of “This Is How We Roll.”
Washington’s own Zach Top kicked off the three-day event and was followed by energetic sets from Meg McRee and Terri Clark. As night began to fall, Riley Green took the stage, inviting Next From Nashville artist Jake Worthington out and memorialized Toby Keith with a clip of “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.” Headliners Old Dominion closed out opening night with “intoxicating excitement” to a “packed venue” (The Spokesman-Review), inviting Zach Top back out to perform a spirited rendition of Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee.” The annual contest for best campsite continued into 2024, with the theme “Brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue” in memory of Toby Keith. Both Friday and Saturday nights ended with dance parties under the stars at the Next From Nashville Stage with late night DJ sets from Dee Jay Silver.
Concluding the festival’s 12th annual celebration, Pecos & The Rooftops, The Cadillac Three, and Koe Wetzel delivered standout performances to close out Watershed weekend at The Gorge. Headliner HARDY electrified the stage with his genre-blending anthems and high-energy production, complete with pyrotechnics, rolling smoke, and bright strobe lights.
The weekend featured a diverse lineup of country music’s biggest stars and hottest emerging acts. At the Next From Nashville Stage—a renowned tastemaker for new talent—fans enjoyed standout performances by buzzworthy newcomers including Jake Worthington, Annie Bosko, Meg McRee, Sadie Bass, Zandi Holup, Greylan James, Jade Eagleson, Graham Barham, Kassi Ashton, San Diego line dance team The West Coasters and more, solidifying the festival’s reputation as Washington’s premier country music event.
For more information on Watershed, visit WatershedFest.com, Twitter @watershedfest, Instagram @watershedfestival and join the conversation on Twitter, #WatershedFestival.
Watershed is part of Live Nation’s premiere family of country music festivals across the country, including Faster Horses in Brooklyn, MI and Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Live Nation Concerts, Ticketmaster and Live Nation Media & Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
