We used to say the special guest pairings at Stagecoach pale in comparison to those that can be seen during the prior two weeks at Coachella.
But then came last year’s star-studded Saturday night Jelly Roll set, which saw drop-ins from the likes of MGK, Wiz Khalifa, “Ordinary” singer Alex Warren and so many other big stars that our setlist cataloguer struggled to keep up.
Seemingly not wanting be outdone, Luke Combs brought out some notable friends of his own the next night, including fellow Stagecoach Bailey Zimmerman and, more surprisingly, pop punk band Good Charlotte. But he saved the best for last, stunning the crowd when he started to sing “Friends in Low Places” only for none other than Garth Brooks to join him onstage.
So, after last year’s festival reset the bar for surprises, we think it’s probably wise to expect at least a couple of big guest appearances again this year that will get everyone talking.
In fact, the only thing that dulled our imaginations turned out to be the lengthy list of potential guests who have their own shows scheduled elsewhere during the festival, which sadly includes everyone from Dirks Bentley to Zach Bryan to Shaboozey.
Still, we found a few promising names who appear to have room in their schedules. So, here’s some predictions about who we could see join the headliners (and some other major acts) during their shows this year.
Lainey Wilson could bring out Jelly Roll (or Dolly Parton)
Third time could indeed be a charm for fans clamoring to hear the collaborative version of Jelly Roll’s “Save Me” that helped launch both him and Wilson into superstardom. So far, the stars have not aligned with Jelly Roll performing the song solo during his Stagecoach debut in 2024 and then being joined by Lana Del Rey who sang Wilson’s part to a rapturous reaction from fans when he headlined last year.
But the pairing could work out this time with the Empire Polo Club potentially making for an appealing stop as part of what could be an extended SoCal stay between Jelly Roll’s scheduled shows in Austin on April 23 and Los Angeles on May 8.
If a Wilson/Jelly Roll pairing is just not meant to be, we think Wilson could also opt to highlight her status as one of just a handful of women to headline the country festival by bringing out one of her own idols, Dolly Parton. While the Queen of Nashville has famously never played Stagecoach, a guest spot with Wilson could be a memorable way for the 80-year-old — who made her first public appearance after a series of health issues last month — to finally make her debut.
Post Malone could bring out Megan Moroney (or Alan Jackson)
No artist on the Stagecoach lineup comes with quite so many enticing guest possibilities as the “Circles” singer. After all, his last album, F-1 Trillion, featured collaborations with what felt like half of Nashville and he even debuted the album’s biggest hit “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen during the latter’s 2024 Stagecoach headlining set. Plus, Malone followed up a surprisingly guestless Weekend 1 Coachella headlining set last year with a star-filled weekend 2 show that saw appearances by stars both expected (Jelly Roll) and less so (Ed Sheeran).
With Malone saying he will release two new albums this year, the potential guests seem more wide open than ever with the festival seeming to be a natural place for him to debut another big-name collab just as he did with Wallen. So, it’s little more than a gut feeling when we throw out Megan Moroney — who, at this point, is one of the few big current names Malone hasn’t performed or collaborated with — as our shot in the dark.
Our eyes also briefly lit up when we imagined Post bringing out a fellow Texan like George Strait or Willie Nelson, an excitement that lasted only until we checked their tour schedules and saw both artists have their own shows on April 25 when Malone is headlining. But if Malone were to go the legend route, it would be hard to top bringing out Alan Jackson, who could give another last look ahead of his planned farewell show in Nashville later this year.
Other Post Malone possibilities are the following artists who are featured on “F-1 Trillion” and aren’t performing elsewhere during Stagecoach: Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Dolly Parton, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Brad Paisley, Sierra Ferrell, Chris Stapleton and Billy Strings.
Cody Johnson could bring out Parker McCollum (or Carrie Underwood)
Given his unflashy cowboy persona, old school, acoustic-oriented sound and comparative lack of collaborations with major stars, Johnson seems less apt to bring out a big guest than his fellow headliners. But Carrie Underwood did just surprise the crowd by joining Johnson to sing their song “I’m Gonna Love You” at Rodeo Houston just last month. So we suppose we can’t rule out a repeat performance.
But we think it’s more likely we could see Johnson bring out one of his more recent collaborators, fellow Texan Parker McCollum, who featured Johnson on the 2025 release “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues.” McCollum is joining for the European leg of his tour later this year.
Brooks & Dunn could bring out Kacey Musgraves (or Ella Langley)
Texan country star Kacey Musgraves made a big splash at Coachella after being added as the “surprise” last-minute add for Weekend 2. She epically rode into her show on horseback, debuted multiple songs from her soon-to-be-released album “Middle of Nowhere” and even charmed the crowd by throwing fruit to people in need of help breaking a dry spell.
So it definitely seems on the table that Musgraves could’ve stuck around in the desert (a place she seems to love) long enough to join Brooks & Dunn to sing their collab version of “Neon Moon,” which happens to be one of the best reinventions of a country classic we’ve ever heard.
It’s a possibility that feels especially fitting after Musgraves recently surprised the crowd at a Nashville honkeytonk by showing up dressed as Brooks & Dunn singer Ronnie Dunn and performing the hit. If nothing else, it would be a great way to further keep the album top of mind ahead of its May 1 release date.
But if Kacey can’t make it, we wouldn’t be surprised to see them sing instead with another rising country singer from the Stagecoach lineup who is, dare we say, in Musgrave’s vein — Ella Langley. It would be similar to how Brooks & Dunn brought out Lainey Wilson to sing “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” during their 2023 set.
Three other guest pairings we could see:
(This story was updated to add links and a gallery.)
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Our Stagecoach guest predictions, from Jelly Roll to Kacey Musgraves
Reporting by Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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