Zach Bryan, Noah Kahan deliver lively sets on second day of Hinterland Music Festival

Guests at the Hinterland Music Festival spent Friday drenched in rain. On Saturday, they were drenched in sweat.

A lively day two at the St. Charles showcase featured sets from up-and-coming songwriting star Joy Oladokun and 2020 Grammy nominees The Teskey Brothers, while uproarious performances by a pair of 2023 breakout stars, Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan, punctuated a drier, humid night at Hinterland.

Bryan, known for his hit "Something in the Orange" and Kahan, currently at the height of TikTok fame for his "Dial Drunk" collaboration with Post Malone drew a swarm of fans to the Madison County music festival. The two artists first hit the festival scene two years ago, largely as unknowns.

Now a seasoned festival veteran, Bryan was in full form as a headliner for hundreds of excited fans who sang along to every lyric.

"Thank you Hinterland, to be better every year," he wrote on his Instagram story.

More:What to know about Hinterland Music Festival 2023 from Bon Iver and Zach Bryan

Noah Kahan kicks off lively evening at Hinterland Music Festival

Two days after his buzzworthy set at famed Chicago-based music festival Lollapalooza, up-and-coming music superstar Noah Kahan made an 8 p.m. appearance in St. Charles in front of a roaring crowd.

Kahan, a Vermont singer-songwriter with country-tinged vocals and occasional punk influence, is enjoying a breakout year.

Over shouts and screams, Kahan opened with "All My Love" off his 2022 breakout album "Stick Season." The crowd sang the chorus, "It's all okay, there ain't a drop of bad blood. It's all my love, you got all my love."

"Ioooooooowa!" Kahan screamed in between songs.

Then, he performed the folksy fan favorite "Everywhere, Everything" before quipping, "there's so many people here I'm going to piss my pants." Kahan's signature humor was on display during the set as he joked about being the "Jewish Ed Sheeran" and "Harrier Styles."

Later, he performed tracks "She Calls Me Back" and "False Confidence."

The crowd was whipped into a frenzy as Kahan performed “New Perspective,” a cult favorite among fans with its wispy guitar strums and lyrics about small New England towns. “Growing Sideways,” a sad, smooth track was followed by the folksy “Your Needs, My Needs” which sent the Hinterland audience swaying into the evening. 

“Northern Attitude,” with its spellbinding guitar strums and enthusiastic screams, pleased the thousands-strong audience. The set's highlight came as Kahan invited a fan onto the stage to perform “Dial Drunk,” which recently received superstar treatment with a re-release featuring Post Malone. The fan sang the second verse as the crowd cheered her on before she hugged Kahan and walked off stage as the song ended. 

“Can’t believe that there’s this many people listening to me and singing the words,” Kahan said on stage. 

Kahan performed “Orange Juice” and “Homesick” before the set's final song, “Stick Season,” sending the crowd into a joyous uproar. The single is Kahan's most recognizable hit, largely responsible for accelerating his climb to superstardom. 

“Now you're tire tracks and one pair of shoes and I'm split in half, but that'll have to do,” he sang. 

Then, Kahan and his band bowed. 

Zach Bryan brings rowdy 'Revival' as Hinterland's headliner

Zach Bryan's Hinterland appearance marked a return to the first music festival he ever played, where he performed an early set at the 2021 post-pandemic event. Bryan achieved another milestone as a festival headliner in front of a rambunctious crowd Saturday night.

The small-town Oklahoma singer-songwriter and U.S. Navy veteran's set displayed his mastery of the country genre during a no-frills appearance at the Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater.

Bryan opened his set with "Open the Gate" followed by a performance of "God Speed" that brought the thousands-strong crowd to church. Then, on the fifth day of August, alongside cornfields in Iowa, he delivered "Fifth of May," a track about coastal towns. "Whiskey Fever" came next as crowd members grasped boozy drinks before Bryan sang "Quittin' Time" and the slow-burning "Tishomingo."

The Madison County audience went crazy for "Dawns," Bryan's recent collaboration with fellow Hinterland headliner Maggie Rogers who will perform Sunday night. Songs such as the Oklahoma native's "Condemned," "Oklahoma Smokeshow," "The Good I'll Do" followed with strong crowd reaction.

"How's everyone feeling tonight at Hinterland?" Bryan asked at one point.

"Something in the Orange," the song that's helped cement Bryan's up-and-coming stardom, colored the evening as dozens held up their phones to record his performance. Then, after a slew of fan favorites including "Heavy Eyes," "Snow, "'68 Fastback" and "No Cure," Bryan sang "Heading South," another of the star's social media famous songs before pounding out "Burn, Burn, Burn."

"How's everyone feeling out there?" Bryan asked again.

The crowd screamed for an encore and Bryan came out with his large band to perform "Revival," the rabble-rousing song off his May 2020 effort "Elisabeth." The performance mirrored his set at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, a recording that was released in 2020. The crowd jumped up and down, singing "'cause we're having an all-night revival. Someone call the women and someone steal the bible" before Kahan reappeared to add a verse.

Then, the "Revival" ended. Hinterlanders carried beer cans and blankets up the hill.

"My name is Zach Bryan! Thank you, guys, so, so much."

On Sunday, some will return for headliner Maggie Rogers, who will take the stage at 9:15 p.m.

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.