The sun has set on the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival so as we say goodnight to the cowgirls and cowboys, I have one more wrap-up report for you. Plus, as always, lots and lots of photos!

Aaron Lewis, Kenny Rogers, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley
The Unforgiven, The Band Perry, The Farm, Martina McBride, Half-Pint Hootenanny

Most patriotic: Aaron Lewis
I don't know if it was the Staind frontman (who grew up on country music) singing about the red, white and blue and his grandfather's gun, the people in the crowd waving the "Don't Tread on Me" flag or the chant of "U.S.A! U.S.A.!" during the set, but I feel like a better American having seen Lewis play at Stagecoach.

The Hitmaker: Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers had the country legend Palomino Tent slot and he told the crowd that every song he was going to play would be a hit. He has a ton of them, so it wasn't surprising. The man could have done a different set each night of Stagecoach and still have leftovers. Hey, that's an idea for next year. KENNYCOACH! "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" was pretty awesome.

Miss Congeniality: Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow played a sparkling sunset set over at the Mane Stage and always a gracious performer, she shared the spotlight with fellow Sunday Mane Stage players Brad Paisley and Martina McBride, who guested during her set.

Best non-hologram stage effect: Brad Paisley
In the finest laser light show since those Pink Floyd Laser Light Shows took over arenas (and later, planetariums) in America, Paisley had a blistering set of hits that started with his outline all laser-fied.

Best dressed: The Unforgiven
If you're a band that was spawned by the idea of playing arena rock while dressed up in Spaghetti Western wear, you're The Unforgiven and you reunited at Stagecoach in the clothes in the crazy heat. If I deserve a merit badge for three weekends of coverage in Indio, The Unforgiven gets one for braving it in leather. They also win the best shout-out category for repeatedly giving props to the I.E. In all seriousness, I hope we get more shows from them now that they reunited.

The Stagecoach Country Music Festival has watched the sun go down on its sixth year, with lots of music, sunshine, and of course, beer.

The triple play of power with Kenny Rogers, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley capped the night. Here's a Storify about what people are saying before we say sayonara to Stagecoach.

STAGECOACH 2012: What people are saying about Sunday night

As the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival rides into the sunset, here are some of the things people had to say about the final night.

Storified by Vanessa Franko · Mon, Apr 30 2012 01:55:33

If there was any question about the crossover between pop rock and country, Sheryl Crow set the record straight with Sunday night sunset set filled with her pop hits at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

With a set that included her smash hits "All I Wanna Do," "My Favorite Mistake" and "Soak Up the Sun," Crow, who was the first performer to play the renovated Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside back in 2010, helped simultaneously wind down the Stagecoach crowd and get them amped and ready for the final performance of the festival--from headliner Brad Paisley.

Crow, who is a Nashville resident these days, is planning to release a country album next and is getting help from Paisley, who joined her on stage Sunday night for "Real Gone," playing the guitar. Martina McBride, who preceded Crow on stage, joined her for set closer "You're No Good."

Crow is a fun performer and the penultimate spot on the Mane Stage was a good fit for her, although I wish I could have seen both full sets from Crow and Kenny Rogers, who had a competing time slot over at the Palomino Stage.

Kenny Rogers dominated the Palomino Stage at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on Sunday evening as he rolled through a set of hits.

"Every song I do is gonna be a hit," he told the crowd early in the set.

Fans held signs for Kenny and he even stopped in between songs to acknowledge a light-up boot.

Dressed in a white button-down shirt and jeans, he walked around the stage, looking out at the massive crowd. He sounded good and the crowd loved it--when I took off to catch Sheryl Crow's set I had to fight through a few more rows of people crowded around the outside of the tent.

Thanks to my photographer friend Paul Hebert, who snapped a shot of the set list--here's what he played. I copied the titles straight off the set list so some of them may be in Kenny-speak but you can figure it out if you're a fan of more than just his rotisserie chicken.

Love or Something
Beautiful Life
Wanna Find Love
Old Medley (including "Through the Years" and "She Believes in Me")
"Ruby"
The Greatest
Coward
Daytime Friends
Buy Me a Rose
Condition
Love the World
Ol' Red
We've Got Tonight
"Have a Little Faith
The Gambler
Lucille
Lady
Islands in the Stream

Stagecoach is winding down, but we have Aaron Lewis, The Band Perry, The Unforgiven and the legendary Kenny Rogers.

STAGECOACH 2012: Soaking up the last bit of Stagecoach sun

We're into the final day of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival. Here's what everybody spent their day doing.

Storified by Vanessa Franko · Sun, Apr 29 2012 23:08:12

I'll have more on Kenny Rogers set that had the Palomino Stage overflowing in just a bit, but I just heard from a friend and colleague who is still at the stage (I ran off to catch Sheryl Crow, who sounds really great) that Rogers told the crowd "for God's sake, stop swaying. You look like thousands of Ray Charles" during "Lucille."

Goldenvoice should really consider doing a hybrid country/hard rock festival next year. Aaron Lewis' set at the Palomino Stage late Sunday afternoon was one of the highlights of the entire Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

Not only was the packed tent singing along to his solo country songs, but also his work from his hard rock group Staind.

yellow flag that read "Don't Tread on Me" and had a snake on it was waved by fans in the crowd.

Lewis had the loudest crowd response of the weekend when the fans sang along to a goosebumps-inducing acoustic version of "It's Been A While," which was a monster hit for Staind.

But while that was a big success for Lewis, his own country songs were, too, including "Red White and Blue," which had the Palomino Stage denizens chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" after he finished.

Another loud sing-a-long song was Lewis' set-closer, "Country Boy."

Lewis sat on the stage with an acoustic guitar and was joined by the talented pedal steel player Ben Kitterman.

Lewis grew up on country music and as he starts his solo career in the genre, he already has a lot of growing support of the fans and will transition over just fine.

After more than 20 years, The Unforgiven reunited with rock at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio on Sunday. 

Dressed in the Western garb that inspired the very idea of the band, The Unforgiven played songs including "Hang 'Em High" and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They."

Singer Steve Jones reiterated that the band was from the Inland Empire during the set and thanked Goldenvoice head honcho Paul Tollett for getting the band back together (he approached them about a reunion two years ago) and praised Stagecoach and Coachella, calling them "crown jewels." 

"We just had this idea of going out and dressing like our favorite Western heroes and playing arena rock," Jones said. 

He also spoke of the band being discovered and getting a helping hand from Willie Nelson. They played the first Farm Aid and a number of Nelson's famous picnic concerts. 

Jones said the best thing about being part of the Willie Nelson family was how everyone played together and sang together. 

One of the people the band came across during that time was Kris Kristofferson. On stage during one of the shows, Jones told the crowd "Days Like These I feel like I could change the world."

After the set, he found himself in a headlock by Kristofferson who told him that was the band's next song. 

They wrote "Days Like These" and played it at Stagecoach Sunday and ended the set with a raucous version of "I Hear the Call" that ended with the band bringing up an Inland-based drum corps to finish the song. 

Welcome back, guys. Here's hoping we'll see more shows from you soon. 

I've been in the desert for both editions of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as well as this weekend's Stagecoach Country Music Festival and people have been asking me what the differences are between the fests. 

Here's a quick, snarky look at my thoughts on them. 

Coachella: Hybrids
Stagecoach: Pickup trucks

Coachella: Falafel, organic flatbreads
Stagecoach: Barbecued pork, brisket, more meat

Coachella: Heineken 
Stagecoach: Budweiser

Coachella: You can't get cell service after 6 p.m.
Stagecoach: You can't navigate the field after 7 p.m. with the hard-partying fans. 

Coachella: Beer can only be consumed in fenced-off beer gardens
Stagecoach: BEER! EVERYWHERE!

Coachella: Kids spend all day dancing to the biggest names in electronic music in the Sahara Tent. 
Stagecoach: Pay your respects to country legends like Kenny Rogers and rock out to alt-country like the Mavericks at the Palomino Stage. 

Coachella: Campground activities include dancing to DJs until 3 a.m.
Stagecoach: Campground activities include spinning on stripper poles. 

Coachella: If you're too drunk, you end up doing something stupid that your friends or strangers put on YouTube once you can get a cell signal again. 
Stagecoach: If you pass a Breathalyzer you can test-drive a Toyota.

Coachella: Special guest is Tupac Shakur hologram during Dre and Snoop's set.
Stagecoach: Original "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson joins Jason Aldean on the video screen, but RaeLynn from "The Voice" actually showed up with Miranda Lambert on Saturday night and Brad Paisley appeared for Sheryl Crow's Mane Stage set before his headlining slot Sunday night.

Coachella: David Hasselhoff is there. 
Stagecoach: David Hasselhoff is there. 

The Stagecoach Country Music Festival wraps up today at the Empire Polo Club and eople have come in and marked their places for Brad Paisley tonight.

Last night people partied hard and there's one more day to get through. Take a look at what people are saying and shooting today at Stagecoach.

Luke Bryan had the ladies screaming Saturday evening for his set on the Mane Stage at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, but I just heard a tale about him being in public.

One of the nice ladies who has been checking wristbands as you come in from the parking lots stopped me and told me that Luke Bryan was there Thursday night trying to get back to the artist area. She said she's heard his music, but didn't know who he was until fans stopped and took pictures of him. She said Bryan was gracious and incredibly friendly.

Did anyone get to meet him?

If you want to see some photos of Luke's performance Saturday, check out the photo gallery of Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Steve Martin and Chris Isaak.

We're in for the final day of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival and Inland-based rockers The Unforgiven will be reuniting on stage in just an hour at the Palomino Stage.

However, someone was having fun with the band before the day even started. At the portable restrooms just outside the walkway for day parking, someone put dressing room signs on the doors for The Unforgiven and singer Steve Jones.

I snapped a photo on my way in.

Well cowboys and cowgirls, we have one more glorious day in the desert for the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival, with Brad Paisley and Sheryl Crow on tap for tonight. But, if you're looking to remember what happened on Saturday, here are some of the highlights.

First, check out our photo galleries shot by yours truly and awesome photographer Rodrigo Pena, who has been shooting Stagecoach since the first one.

Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Steve Martin, Chris Isaak, The Mavericks |

Old Man Markley, J.D. Crowe and the New South, Sunny Sweeney and fans enjoy the fest
Actor who can really play: Steve Martin
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers had the Mustang Stage overflowing with fans on Saturday evening. It was tough to hear if you weren't up front, but Martin cracked jokes during technical difficulties early in the set. It wasn't a comedy routine, though--the music is stellar.

Best set most fans missed: The Mavericks
Forget Coachella--The Mavericks staged a reunion at Stagecoach, but it was while Blake Shelton was on stage so most of the crowd missed it. However, those who were in attendance were treated to a special night of music and new tunes from the alt-country band. We're also happy to see Raul Malo look so happy.

Best non-traditional instrument: Old Man Markley
Old Man Markley wins first, second and third place in this category between an Autoharp, a washboard, and our personal favorite--a wash tub upright bass covered in punk rock band stickers.

Best fake-out: Blake Shelton
When Blake Shelton started talking about fellow coach on "The Voice" Cee Lo Green and covered Green's "Forget You," we thought for sure Cee Lo, his fluffy white cat or at least a hologram would show up. We were wrong.

Sweet farewell: J.D. Crowe and the New South
Crowe is hanging up music after his tour, which kicked off Saturday at Stagecoach.

Oddest set: J.D. Souther
Stagecoach got jazzy when the singer/songwriter brought out a piano, an upright bass and had a combo that was more fitting for New Orleans than Indio this weekend. Have you ever heard a jazzy version of Souther's song (and Eagles' hit) "Heartache Tonight"? You did if you caught this set.

Best duet: Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, "Home"
Move over, Tim and Faith, it's all about Blake and Miranda when it comes to country power couples.

Hottest set: Chris Isaak
This was hot for a few reasons--Isaak and his band worked up a sweat in their wool suits with a fantastic performance. The ladies in the audience were swooning over the ever-charming Isaak. Finally, he set the piano on fire for a cover of "Great Balls of Fire." That was the most smoke we've seen on stage since Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at Coachella the last two Sundays.

The second night of the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival ended with the hottest power couple in country music--Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.

The Mane Stage was running just a few minutes behind as Shelton took the stage first with his version of the Kenny Loggins classic "Footloose." Shelton remade the hit for the remake of the film that came out last year.

He played his biggest hits as well as gave a nod to one of his fellow coaches on reality singing competition "The Voice," Cee Lo Green. Shelton sang the clean version of Green's "Forget You," but the R&B singer was nowhere in sight--not even as a hologram. Maybe his flight was late like it was for Coachella in 2011 when he showed up on stage late and then was upset his set was truncated.

(Speaking of planes, I think someone broke that FAA No flying within two miles of the fest at low altitude rule tonight right around sunset).

Anyway, getting back to Shelton--he was a consummate performer that had fans buzzing about his set.

After Shelton left the stage, his wife, Miranda Lambert, started off an explosive set. One of the coolest things about the 2012 lineup for Goldenvoice head Paul Tollett is that Lambert and Friday night headliner Jason Aldean both appeared at the inaugural Stagecoach back in 2007 when they were both just starting to get widespread stardom. Five years later--they're closing out nights of the show.

Lambert is a really fun live show--dynamic and still very human, even though she's a megastar. One of the set's highlights was her classic "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF MIRANDA LAMBERT AND BLAKE SHELTON AT STAGECOACH

Lambert brought her own guest on the stage, too. RaeLynn, who had been competing for Shelton's team on "The Voice" came out and joined Lambert for Maroon 5's "Wake Up Call." For those of you at home, Maroon 5's singer is Adam Levine, who is also a judge on "The Voice."

Did anyone out there catch any Christina Aguilera references that we can include?

Lambert and Shelton also sang "Home" together.

We've got country's most famous "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Miranda Lambert, hubby Blake Shelton, RaeLynn from "The Voice," Chris Isaak setting things on fire and so much more in this story from Saturday evening/night at Stagecoach 2012.

STAGECOACH 2012: Scenes from Saturday evening and night

Here's a look at what happened at the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival on Saturday evening and night.

Storified by Vanessa Franko · Sun, Apr 29 2012 03:29:07

Yes, the Mane Stage has the flashy stars at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, but the Palomino Stage was packed for the early evening set of the charming Chris Isaak, who performed one heck of a set with his band that included fire, a red Solo cup, and a crowd visit.

Isaak, making his Stagecoach debut, had a full tent that had an even larger crowd after Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers wrapped up their set.

Dressed in a blue sparkling suit, Isaak said that being at Stagecoach in the desert playing in a tent where there were bales of hay for benches made him feel like he was back at home in Stockton at a 4-H meeting.

Those kind of one-liners permeated his set, and the third song in, he took a trip into the crowd to sing to the people. Before that, he grabbed a red Solo cup and toasted the audience from the stage.

He brought up crowd members to dance and when he covered "Great Balls of Fire," he actually set the piano on fire.

"Wicked Game," "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" and his set-closing cover of Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" were all high points of a spectacular set.

Stagecoach please bring Chris Isaak back every year.

Here's my kind of blurry shot of the fire from the crowd.

While everyone is camped out in anticipation of the artists on the Mane Stage at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, I highly recommend visiting the Palomino and Mustang Stages, where country got a little more punk rock today.

Up first, I caught the gang in Old Man Markley who rocked not only a guitar, banjo, fiddle and drums, but had an upright washtub bass plastered in punk rock stickers, an Autoharp and an awesome washboard.

I knew I would like any band signed to Fat Wreck Chords, (the label of Fat Mike from NOFX) and Old Man Markley didn't disappoint with an energy-filled set that made the Mustang Stage a little more rowdy than its usual mellow bluegrass crowd. It was a blast.

The band said they're starting their tour here at Stagecoach and ending it at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. That is totally, totally appropriate. They're also doing Goldenvoice's OC rockabilly punk party Hootenanny on July 7, as is the Inland's own Sandbox Bullies, plus the Reverend Horton Heat, Rancid, Lucero, Bouncing Souls and so many more.

Then it was on to the Palomino Stage (where I plan to spend most of my evening before Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert) to catch Downey's own Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones.

Alvin spoke warmly of Stagecoach--he performed here a couple of years back with The Knitters. He's also done Coachella with X. Really, all we need is him to play with The Blasters out here at the Empire Polo Club and the circle will be complete.

He opened with a solid version of "4th of July," even though the band was having a few technical difficulties, Alvin said, and then played a great version of "Harlan County Line," which you might have heard on TV's "Justified."

I've often said it's just not Coachella until I see David Hasselhoff, but it looks like I might need to say that for the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, too.

Here's a look at The Hoff, snapped by Karista Smith, plus all of the fun, kiddie pools and more happening on Saturday at Stagecoach.

The Stagecoach Country Music Festival officially kicked off Friday afternoon with hot weather and hot tunes from artists including Alabama and Jason Aldean.

See photos of Jason Aldean and Alabama at Stagecoach.

See photos of Sara Evans and Friday afternoon at Stagecoach.

Top celebrity sighting: The Hoff
Karista Smith, who is a talented singer and former Stagecoach performer in her own right, tweeted at us at David Hasselhoff was back in the desert and behind her while she was in line for food. We want to know if he was just sleeping somewhere on the festival grounds for the last two weeks.

Best Dressed: Sara Evans
Sara Evans had a sparkly sand-colored shirt that also looked comfy as she emoted from the stage. She waved and smiled and cheered for the crowd all throughout her set Friday evening, but what was up with that bruise on her arm?

Best Souvenir: Free lineup poster
The Toyota Hangout area was printing up silk-screened posters of the lineup again this year. Get there early before they run out.

Most covers: Brett Eldredge
At some point, Eldredge's Mane Stage set had a cover of Bruce Hornsby and The Range's "The Way It Is" morph into Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me." We're still confused.

Loudest sing-a-long: Alabama
Alabama's set-closer "Mountain Music" not only had people singing, but clapping along, too.

We'll be back out there again today, when we get three stages of music going at once, including a set from Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers and Chris Isaak.

Best Surprise: Kelly Clarkson
Sure, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had 50 Cent, Eminem and hologram Tupac Shakur, but did they have the ORIGINAL "American Idol"? Nope. Jason Aldean brought Kelly Clarkson out for the end of his headlining set. Well, she showed up on the video screens--the debate is still raging as to whether or not she was actually on stage. We can only hope this means Kenny Rogers will bring out Dolly Parton for a rousing rendition of "Islands in the Stream" on Sunday night. UPDATE: I have official word that she was just on the screen.

Want to know what happened at Stagecoach Friday night? Here's a look at some images and observations from real people in the crowd. The big news is that Kelly Clarkson showed up with Jason Aldean tonight. Take that, Tupac hologram at Coachella. Kelly Clarkson is real and still the original "American Idol."

This year marks the first time the Stagecoach Country Music Festival has expanded to three days since 2008, a move organizers did then because of the availability of The Eagles and now because everyone shows up on Thursday to camp anyway.

"It's nothing but more excitement and fun for us," said Steve Tilley, of Yorba Linda, who is attending his third Stagecoach.

However, he said that the price of partying one more day brings another rough morning, but friend Justin Wills, also of Yorba Linda, had a strategy for that, too.

"If you don't stop you'll never kill your momentum," he said.

Here's a look at some of the goings on for Friday afternoon at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, which has acts going on the Mane Stage today. So far Eli Young Band and Brett Eldredge have played, with Sara Evans, Alabama and Jason Aldean on deck for tonight.

Here's another helpful tip if you're attending the Stagecoach Country Music Festival--stand out in the crowd.

Ashley Williams, Emily Motroni, Michelle O'Hara and Rachel Rossicone, all of San Luis Obispo, knew that their American flag bikinis and cowboy hats wouldn't cut it, so they got creative and had giant cutouts of the head of Willie Nelson and a caricature of George W. Bush attached to pool noodles.

It's not about a political statement, either.

"It's more to find our friends," Rossicone said.

Rossicone, who attended the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival April 13-15, said she got the idea from friends there.

I just ran into Ashley Finley and Tiffany Ashby, both of Modesto, who are attending their first Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

While I was interviewing them about their feelings on the festival, they turned the tables on me and asked me for some tips.

I thought it might be good to spread these around, too, especially if this is your first time.

-If you love free stuff, Stagecoach is the place for you. You can get everything from free paper fans from local radio stations to a high-quality souvenir from Toyota. I recommend stopping by the Toyota tent (where the Gobi Tent was last week at Coachella) for a silk screen poster. It's different each year and only available while supplies last. They also have Stagecoach bandanas, which are a must on a hot weekend like this.

-Visit I Love Spicy Pie. The pizza vendor has been at Coachella since the beginning and with all the beer being drunk at Stagecoach, it's a good match.

-Get a date shake! Shields is back on site with the desert delicacy of the date shake.

-If you want a spot close to the Mane Stage, get there early. Even if you just set up a blanket, if you're not ready when doors open, you'll be in the back. People take their spots very, very seriously at Stagecoach.

--Get out and explore the tents. Some of the best music happening at Stagecoach is in the bluegrass-themed Mustang Stage and the alt-country/country legends playing in the Palomino Stage. Kenny Rogers is going to be there Sunday night and all of the music ends in those tents before the headliners.

The campers have settled in, the red Solo cups are full of something and people are ready for a party at the Empire Polo Club in Indio today as the Stagecoach Country Music Festival returns for its sixth year.

The show is sold out, but you can get updates right here and on Twitter with the #pestagecoach hashtag.

If you're going, please feel free to use the hashtag with your photos and Tweets and you can see them right here and on PE.com

Songstress Sheryl Crow has joined the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival lineup.

Read more about it over at the iGuide's Stagecoach headquarters.

Crow was the first performer at the reopening of the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside after a $32 million renovation back in January 2010.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds may not want to fly too high at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April. We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Airplane Boys might want to watch themselves, too because the FAA is coming to town.

That's right, the Federal Aviation Administration will be on hand at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival April 13-15 and April 20-22 and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival April 27-29 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio thanks to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

The FAA is issuing a Notice to Airmen that aircraft should not fly below 2,000 feet when within a two-mile radius of the event and will have monitors on site to ensure compliance.

Back in 2008, the year of Prince covering Radiohead and Roger Waters sending a great big inflatable pig into the ether, there was a plane that flew overhead and dropped what the press release called "confetti" (and what I remember as pamphlets for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama) on the crowd and into people's nearby swimming pools.

Indio Police Chief Richard Twiss brought up the concern of the low-flying plane and the leaflet drop, which was not planned by concert promoter Goldenvoice, to Boxer, who took it to the FAA.

Also, it is illegal for aircraft to drop any items during the concert, so if your next great marketing plan was to blanket the crowd in something during Dr. Dre and Snoop's epic Sunday night sets, you have less than 30 days to come up with a new brilliant idea.

But if you want to do some jet-setting music exploration without getting in trouble with the FAA, check out our interactive artist map for the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Each marker tells you a little about an artist. Click the link inside to go to a page to hear some of their music. Click the map below to start exploring.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, two of the headliners at the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio April27-29, will appear at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The married couple will open the Feb. 5 event by singing a duet version of "America the Beautiful." A recorded vesion will be available on iTunes Jan. 31.

After the Super Bowl, Shelton will be returning to the second season of the hit show "The Voice."

If you're looking for tickets for the Stagecoach Festival, you're out of luck.

The 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival has officially sold out, the festival announced this morning.

For its sixth year, the festival, set for the Empire Polo Club in Indio April 27-29, will feature headliners Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton.

This marks the second time (and the first since 2008), that the festival has expanded to three days. In 2008, the expansion happened because of country rockers The Eagles.

Stagecoach has been increasing in popularity since it started in 2007 as the country sister of fellow Goldenvoice event the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

In the years since, Stagecoach has taken off, becoming the premier country music event on the West Coast and arguably the largest outside of Nashville.

Nearly every modern country superstar has performed at the festival, from Kenny Chesney to Tim McGraw to Rascal Flatts, as well as country legends, including George Jones, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.

Other top acts performing at the 2012 festival include Alabama, Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers and Luke Bryan.

We'll have more updates throughout festival season at our Stagecoach 2012 page.

It's January, which means it's time for everyone to start going crazy with the Coachella 2012 rumors.

Last year, festival producer Goldenvoice posted some videos of artists who were set to appear at Coachella before the lineup officially dropped.

Today it looks like there's been some movement over at the Coachella website. There's a video for "212" by Azealia Banks. That means we may very well see the up-and-coming New York electro rapper in Indio for the twin weekends (April 13-15 and April 20-22). Or, Coachella could just be messing with our minds.

For kicks, here's one Coachella poster that has already popped up.

Either way, you know that as soon as I have the lineup, I'll be posting it. We usually get it in mid-late January and I tend to spend a few nights cuddling with my iPhone waiting for the announcement. It will be over at our Coachella 2012 page as soon as I get it.

Now, onto the other major festival in the desert.

If you haven't bought tickets for the Stagecoach Country Music Festival yet, you might want to.

The Stagecoach Country Music Festival appears to be getting close to selling out for 2012. This year, the festival expanded to three days (April 27-29).

The Stagecoach website has an image with text that reads "The well is almost dry" with a caption urging people to pick up passes before they're gone. Purchase tickets through the Stagecoach website. We'll have more updates throughout festival season at our Stagecoach 2012 page.

As of 1:50 p.m., it looks like all of the camping passes for the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival have sold out, according to the purchasing page from Frontgate tickets. That means all RV camping and car camping is gone.

General admission passes are $199 and still on sale. The limited amount of tickets priced at $149 went quickly. The top-tier of reserved seating at $999 is also sold out. It looks like there are still some $749 reserved seats available.

There's been a lot of chatter on Facebook and I've even fielded a phone call about people's experience getting tickets this morning.

This is like Coachella-level of ticket craziness. For those of you out there who are going--what made you jump on to get tickets so early today? Was it the limited amount of $149 GA passes? Do you always try to camp in a certain spot? Feel free to comment below.

UPDATE: I just went back on at 12:19 p.m. and Frontgate is saying that there are still some $749 second-tier seated passes available.

So tickets for the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival went on sale this morning and from what I'm seeing those limited $149 passes three-day general admission passes are already sold out.

According to the Stagecoach site, the GA passes are up to $199 now. Even now, two hours after the tickets went on sale initially, there's a waiting room to purchase the passes.

Here's the update from Frontgate at 12:07 p.m.

GA Festival Pass - currently available at $199
P1 Reserved Seating - SOLD OUT
P2 Reserved Seating - SOLD OUT (At 12:19 Frontgate had $749 passes back on sale)
Eldorado 1 RV Package - currently 50 AMP POWER only option available
Eldorado 2 RV Package - SOLD OUT
International RV Package - currently still available
Car Camping - SOLD OUT

I think this is the biggest Stagecoach yet.

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It wouldn't be Stagecoach without some major legends coming to Indio and Stagecoach 2012 is no different.

The festival announced its lineup today and the concert has expanded to three days. It will be held April 27-29, 2012 at the Empire Polo Club. We'll be looking at the initial lineup all day today.

Read about the full lineup.

KENNY ROGERS

STAGECOACH VISITS: None
DOWNLOAD THIS: "The Gambler," "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," "Islands in the Stream"
THE DETAILS: Making his Stagecoach Festival debut is country legend Kenny Rogers. The man known as "The Gambler" (who even has his own slot machine) is heading to the desert. Rogers is celebrating 50 years in the business (and probably just as many awesome duets).

ALABAMA

STAGECOACH VISITS: None
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Mountain Music," "Love in the First Degree"
THE DETAILS: One of the legendary country groups of the 1980s, Alabama has stayed relevant and is even nominated for "Best Single By A Vocal Collaboration" for "Old Alabama" with Brad Paisley at this year's America Country Awards.
PERSONAL NOTE: I will always remember them as being the first country band I ever heard. We didn't listen to country music in my house growing up, but when my mom bought her 1985 black Mercury Cougar, she had a free tape from Ford that showed off the fancy cassette deck in the car. The first song on side A was Hall & Oates' "Maneater." The second one was Alabama's "Mountain Music." I played the heck out of that song and whenever I heard it, i still think of that free tape.

MARTINA MCBRIDE
STAGECOACH VISITS: None
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Happy Girl," "Wild Angels"
THE DETAILS: People call her the Celine Dion of country music. She has a huge soprano voice and has been in the music business for more than 20 years.

With the 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival lineup out today, it's time to take a look at the performers.

The festival has expanded to three days and will be from April 27-29, 2012 at the Empire Polo Club. We'll be looking at the initial lineup all day today.

Read about the full lineup.

Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton are the top headliners of the 2012 fest.

BRAD PAISLEY

STAGECOACH VISITS: 2009
DOWNLOAD THESE: "American Saturday Night," "We Danced"
THE DETAILS: Paisley, one of the biggest stars in country music today, makes his second return to Stagecoach in April. The accomplished guitar player just announced a 2012 tour, which will also include The Band Perry, who is also slated to perform at Stagecoach (as well as Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage on Oct. 29 and Pala Casino Spa & Resort on Oct. 30)He's also hosting the CMA Awards with Carrie Underwood on Nov. 9.

JASON ALDEAN

STAGECOACH VISITS: 2007
DOWNLOAD THESE: "She's Country," "Dirt Road Anthem," "My Kinda Party"
THE DETAILS: Aldean, who is from Macon, Ga., has been one of the fastest rising country stars since he appeared at the first Stagecoach in 2007. He's cemented that with a headliner spot now.

MIRANDA LAMBERT

STAGECOACH VISITS: 2007, 2009
DOWNLOAD THESE: "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Kerosene"
THE DETAILS: If there is a Joan Jett of country music, it is Miranda Lambert. She's tough, she rocks out and she has more rock star moves than most of the bands you see at Coachella. Lambert is married to fellow headliner Blake Shelton. Could we see some Tim McGraw/Faith Hill duet action on stage?

BLAKE SHELTON
STAGECOACH VISITS: None
DOWNLOAD THESE:"Home," "Some Beach"
THE DETAILS: Shelton already has a tie to the Inland region. He was the mentor for Temecula's own Xenia Martinez on "The Voice." He also performed at the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival a couple of years back. Since new wife Miranda Lambert is also headlining, the duet possibilities are endless. Since country stars are fond of covers, I can only hope we get an "Islands in the Stream" homage to fellow Stagecoach 2012 star Kenny Rogers.

The 2012 Stagecoach Country Music Festival has been announced and the festival has expanded to three days next April.

The festival will take place April 27-29 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, with Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton as the headliners.

Other top acts include Stagecoach newcomers Alabama, Martina McBride and Kenny Rogers. Additionally, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Chris Isaak, The Band Perry, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band, The Mavericks reunion and more.

Steve Martin's The Steep Canyon Rangers,The Jayhawks, The JaneDear Girls, The Del McCoury Band, Brett Eldredge, Aaron Lewis, Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys, Uncle Monk, JD Crowe & The New South, Sara Watkins, Sunny Sweeney, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones, The Unforgiven, Greensky Bluegrass, Split Lip Rayfield, Elizabeth Cook, JD Souther and Old Man Markley.round out the initial lineup.

Tickets go on sale Oct. 28 for the show at 10 a.m. via the Stagecoach website. Three-day weekend passes start at $149 for a limited time and promoter Goldenvoice is bringing back the layaway options, too.

Among the ticket options are reserved seating, camping and RV packages. For a complete breakdown of available ticketing and onsite camping/RV options, please visit www.stagecoachfestival.com. Children 10 and under will be admitted for free.