Hinterland Festival 2025: Day Two

Come Saturday afternoon, spirits continued to be up for Day Two of Hinterland 2025 with another beautiful day in the countryside of Iowa. Beautiful weather is a notable (albeit, uncontrollable) change from last year’s Hinterland, to say the least.

The temperature got up there a few times, but nothing compared to what I’ve heard about last year’s above 90-degree days, which inspired the implementation of Hinterland’s new “90-degree guarantee”, in which refunds could be requested if forecasts showed 90-degree heat or higher. The guarantee came alongside several other heat-related precautions taken throughout the weekend: at least 61,000 boxed waters were given out by staff around the venue and campgrounds throughout the weekend, as huge fans blowing mist into the crowd at the front of the stage and shady structures were placed in ADA areas and at the top of the hill, not to mention several more water stations than last year, with multiple spouts each. Personal water bottles were also allowed to be full upon entry — a major difference from many festivals and events!

Anyway, back to the music.

Hey, Nothing — an emo-folk duo out of Atlanta — began the day with sweet acoustics and sincere lyricism, followed by country singer-songwriter and true southern belle, Willow Avalon, who inspired many swing dancers in the back of the crowd. Gigi Perez was up next, bringing a raspy, yet powerhouse voice for her viral hit “Sailor Song”. Following Perez and bringing an air of mystery was Glass Beams, who took the stage clad in golden chain masks and desert style clothes. Reminiscent of bands like Kruanghbin, the Australian trio blends elements of Eastern music with psychedelic rock.

Role Model, aka Tucker Pillsbury, took the stage afterwards, with all smiles and good vibes, remarking that Hinterland was the “most laidback festival ever…” and telling fans “don’t get up” to stay comfortable throughout his performance if they wanted to. Towards the end of his set, he brought out María Zardoya (of The Marías, performing later that night) to be his “Sally” during the hit song, “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”.

The rest of the evening was set to be a beauty: Still Woozy, The Marías, and Kacey Musgraves. I had seen Still Woozy before and knew they were bound to be a good show; they were truly the perfect fit for Hinterland. Sven Eric Gamsky, the creator of Still Woozy, brings such an air of whimsy and silliness to his shows, noodling around onstage and having a good time with his bandmates.

The Marías brought a sharp vibe shift, but not an unwelcome one.

The band members sauntered onto the stage with the air of mysterious sexy vampires, if I’m being honest. María Zardoya’s alluring vocals led attendees through a floaty, hypnotizing setlist and the crowd obeyed every note. And finally, it was time for Saturday’s headliner Kacey Musgraves, admittedly, my most anticipated. Her Deeper Well Tour has been characterized by these beautiful, lush, earthy stage setup and her Hinterland performance was no different. Musgraves, donning glistening fairy wings, walked barefoot into her own landscape — a moss-covered stage. She looked and sounded like a true, pure source of light, adding little humorous addendums to/within her lyrics. Her dreamscape-country-acoustic sound fit in well with Hinterland’s aesthetic and the crowd was won over by her ethereal, healing lyrics and spoken messages of putting love into this crazy world and universe. She ended the night beautifully with the tour’s title song, “Deeper Well”.

Though the main stage’s lights were out, the party continued on in the campgrounds for those who wished to venture out for a late night set or two. Each night, a few acts played on the festival’s Campfire Stage and I was able to catch Nordista Freeze on Saturday night. The stage was tucked away at the bottom of a steep hill, where you truly had to follow the music to find it, as there wasn’t much of anything to light the way. But, once you got there, it was like a little pocket universe, a little musical secret kept hidden in a corner of the woods. Nordista Freeze provided equal parts chaos and party, for those who went to find it! Stay tuned for Day Three!

Photography by Elizabeth O’Guin

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