Saturday at Boots was a hot one—welcomed, honestly, after the rain that delayed and canceled sets on Friday.
Kelsi Mayne kicked things off on the Front Porch stage, followed by Karli June. With the sets overlapping, I didn’t get to see much of Karli’s, but the songs I did catch early on were, as always, fantastic. From there, I made my way over to the main stage for Hailey Benedict. Her performance was full of energy and fun—a perfect way to launch the day’s main stage lineup. Hailey told the crowd how much she appreciated everyone singing along to Things My Mama Says and Carl Dean, which she also revealed will be her next single headed to radio. She closed her set with Damn You July and invited fans to stop by the merch tent for a meet-and-greet and photos.
While Hailey was on the main stage, Hannah McFarland finally got her moment on the Coors Rooftop Stage after her Friday slot was cut short by the storm.
Next up on the Front Porch stage was Kolby Cooper, one of country’s fast-rising stars who’s been making the festival rounds across the U.S. He pulled a strong crowd for such an early slot, and it looked like at least half the audience knew the words to almost every song he played during his 40-minute set. Afterward, I spotted him wandering backstage with a fishing pole, heading for the ponds—safe to say he enjoyed his time north of the border.
The Band Perry hit the main stage at 4:30 p.m.—a little lower on the lineup compared to their 2013 appearance when Boots was still at Mosport in Bowmanville, Ontario. This time, there was a lineup change, with Neil Perry replaced by Johnny Costello. Kimberly Perry introduced him to the crowd as her “baby daddy,” acknowledging the band’s new chapter. They opened with one of their biggest hits, Better Dig Two, and drew an impressive mid-afternoon crowd. For many in the audience, it was likely their first time seeing the group live after years of hearing their songs on the radio. It was a high-energy set throughout. Near the end, Kimberly told the crowd it was a beautiful day to hear Canadian voices singing along, and launched into their #1 chart-topper If I Die Young. They closed with DONE., leaving fans wishing they had another half hour to dig deeper into their catalogue. Hopefully, a Canadian return in 2026 is on the cards.
As The Band Perry wrapped up, Noeline Hofmann took over the Front Porch stage before High Valley prepared to light up the main stage. High Valley is practically family at Boots and Hearts, having played in all of their incarnations—first as three brothers, then two, and now with Brad Rempel carrying the torch solo. Their upbeat blend of country and bluegrass delivered nothing but good vibes for a full hour. They ran through Single Man, fan-favourite County Line, their recent radio single Buy a Boy a Baseball, and closed with Make You Mine.
By then, I was already heading back to the Front Porch stage to catch Owen Riegling’s set. He kicked off with Moonshines and Bud Light the Way, the latter being the track that launched him on a massive cross-Canada tour of small towns and bars, including his hometown of Mildmay, Ontario. Tickets there were like gold dust. Halfway through, he played Church, his tribute to Eric Church, which cleverly weaves in over a dozen Eric Church song titles. At one point, they even broke into Drink in My Hand before wrapping the track. Riegling closed with Old Dirt Roads, and admitted he and his band hadn’t slept yet after flying in from a show out west the night before.
Chase Rice followed on the main stage—a familiar face at Boots. He ran through a mix of older hits and newer material before bringing Hannah McFarland back out for a song they’ve recorded together. Hannah announced the single would be released in September, prompting Chase to laugh, “Well, that’s news to me.” With only a few songs left, Rice launched into Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen., and surprised fans by bringing his black lab, Jack, on stage. Jack was geared up with a backpack carrying half a dozen beers, which Rice happily tossed into the crowd. He also couldn’t leave without performing his biggest songwriting success—Florida Georgia Line’s monster hit Cruise—marking the second time the Boots crowd got to hear that song live over the weekend. By the end of his set, Chase had the audience more than ready for the night’s headliner.
Sam Hunt closed out Saturday night, greeted by deafening screams as the lights dimmed. He opened with 23, Outskirts, and Country House right out of the gate. About six songs in, the stage suddenly lost power—the screens and lights went completely black. Crew members scrambled, and within a minute or two, things flickered back to life in stages. Hunt carried on smoothly, even performing songs he’s written for others, like Keith Urban’s Cop Car and Kenny Chesney’s Come Over (which Sam only learned was being released hours before it hit radio).
He closed with Body Like a Back Road and House Party, but fate struck again. Not even a line into House Party, everything went dark for the second time. This time, the lights and sound never returned. But the beauty of festivals is the crowd itself—thousands of voices took over, belting out every lyric of the song while the band played in the dark. Crew members even climbed onto risers with flashlights so the musicians could see their way off stage. Sam walked to all sides of the stage, mouthing “I’m sorry” and “Thank you” to the crowd.
It was tough luck for Hunt—no headliner wants to lose power once, let alone twice, especially on their final song. But for the fans, it turned into one of those once-in-a-lifetime festival moments they’ll never forget.
