Country Music Lovers Flock to Panama City Beach, Florida as The Gulf Coast Jams out at the Gulf Coast Jam 2022 on June 2-5, 2022

June 14, 2022
Central Florida Concert Reviews, Central Florida Festivals, Central Florida Galleries, International Concert Reviews, International Festivals, International Galleries
by Samantha Kerrigan Photographer/Writer

With record breaking numbers, Gulf Coast Jam 2022 is one for the books. To kick off their 10 year anniversary, COO Mark Sheldon and Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady gifted attendees with an extra night of fun making this a four day event. Headliners Brett Young, Old Dominion, Florida Georgia Line, and Brooks & Dunn rocked the house singing all their greatest hits. The energy at this year’s event was even more amplified than in 2021.

I feel that most concert/festival reviews are fairly generic and not always personable. So with that being said, I’m going to take a different approach and tell you about my experience at Gulf Coast Jam. This was my second year attending the festival and once again it has exceeded my expectations – from the performances to the people it was an unforgettable weekend.

Thursday, June 2

Day 1 was short but still filled with a bountiful amount of country music. I started the day earlier than most jammers and had the opportunity to visit Frank Brown Park hours before the festivities began. One of the upsides to working concerts is being one of the few to experience the calm before the storm. The park was quiet, but not in the literal sense considering bands were still sound checking, vendors were scrambling to finish up tasks, and employees were settling into their stations. There’s something special (and exciting!) about seeing it nearly empty. It’s similar to going to school after hours or seeing your teacher outside of class. It’s just unusual compared to its typical look – in this case jam packed with fans. Nonetheless, after picking up my passes I headed to my hotel to prep before returning to the grounds to begin working. I arrived back only minutes prior to the gates opening and was able to witness the rope drop. Truthfully, it wasn’t as chaotic as I originally expected. Attendance numbers for Thursday only reached around 10,000 fans so I think it was safe to assume many were unable to attend due to it being a week day. Regardless, the stage area began filling up right from the get go giving opener, Casi Joy, a crowd to interact with. Casi rocked the stage with a vibrant performance followed by Niko Moon. The “Good Time” singer pumped up the crowd by handing out fist bumps and high fives to those within reach – except for my best friend. *Here’s a great time to state that I attended GCJ with a friend of mine, Megan. It’s important to note that she was front row in the pit with me during the entirety of the festival.* This went on for the entire set. Each and every person received some sort of personal interaction with him, except her. As we began to notice this, I took it upon myself to document each time he was near to get the lack of high fives on video. Niko ended his set and made way for Jameson Rodgers. And yes, Jameson continued the trend of failing to fist bump Megan. After his performance, Brett Young closed out the night – but still no fist bump for her.

Day 1 Lineup:

Casi Joy

Niko Moon

Jameson Rodgers

Brett Young

Friday, June 3

Thursday’s energy was strong, but Friday’s was even more powerful with double the fans. 21,000 people all piled in to watch the day’s lineup. I unfortunately missed the opening sister duo, Presley & Taylor but was able to catch the second sibling act, Tigirlily. After photographing the first couple of songs I had to rush backstage to meet with Ryan Griffin and his team. (Check out my interview with RG on All Music Magazine!) I may be biased, but I think Ryan put on one of the best performances of the weekend. He played songs off his new EP, Slow Down Sunrise, including the hit ‘Salt, Lime & Tequila’. I’ve had the EP on repeat ever since – and I certainly suggest you listen to it as well. Jumping forward to Old Dominion’s set, they took every opportunity to hang out with the crowd towards the front of the stage. From my experience this band has never failed to put on anything less of an entertaining and amazing performance. If they’re coming to a city nearby, they are a must see!

Day 2 Lineup:

Saturday, June 4

Attendance numbers continued to rise on Saturday, pushing just over 23,000. The day started out just as the others, with artists sharing their music for all to enjoy. However, a thunderstorm began rolling in during Maddie & Tae’s set. Fortunately, they continued to play on and gave an outstanding show. They joined fans in the rain and poured their hearts into their music. Just about halfway in, lightning struck and concert goers were ushered out of Frank Brown Park and into their cars for just around an hour. During this time, Chris Janson was set to perform and prepped to give it his all once we were given the green light to head back in. Sadly, he was cut from the lineup and given no chance to make an appearance. Florida Georgia Line took the stage to finish out the night and from what I’ve heard from fans, it wasn’t their best act given the visible tension on stage. The beloved duo only have six more appearances this year before going their separate ways, so let’s hope they can end on a good note.

Day 3 Lineup:

Sunday, June 5

By the time Sunday rolled around, Megan and I had formed friendships with nearly half the entire Super VIP section. One thing that I really love about Gulf Coast Jam is the family-like atmosphere. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. Need sunscreen? They’ve got you covered. Want a better view? Don’t worry, the group in front of you will find you a space next to the stage. Looking for something to drink? Your new friends five feet away are passing out beers (to those who are 21+ of course). You enter as strangers and leave as family. And after a long, country filled weekend it was sad to say goodbye to our new found jam family and head back to reality. To finish off the weekend, 25,000 fans sang hits with Confederate Railroad, Elvie Shane, Corey Smith, Tracy Lawrence, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Scotty McCreery. And similarly to last year, Ron DeSantis made a guest appearance prior to the final act. Country Music Hall of Famers Brooks & Dunn closed out the festival and had us all singing along wishing there was just one more day. I guess you could say the event went well and I imagine next year’s will be just as energetic with headliner Morgan Wallen.

Day 4 Lineup:

Confederate Railroad

Special Guest: Gov. Ron DeSantis

Brooks & Dunn

And in case you were wondering, after 4 days of sitting in the front row and 20+ videos of rejection later, Megan finally received a high five from artist Scotty McCreery.

Until next year, Gulf Coast Jam.

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