A little rain won’t ruin the beer, the freedom or the country music

When it rains at Rock the South, it rains cats and dogs. But that also applies to the beer.

The second day of Alabama’s premier country music festival saw crowds of people pouring in. But no one seemed to mind if their boots got a little wet, as long as the music kept playing and the drinks kept flowing.

The journey to York Farms in Cullman and the parking lot to enter the grounds can, like any major music festival, be a test of your patience, especially if it rains incessantly.

You drive along Interstate 65, take exit 305 and pass one “Trump Country” sign after another on various country roads and area residents using their front and back yards as parking lots.

In my case, a friendly and obviously mustached police officer took a bite of a granola bar and told me I couldn’t get into my parking space from here, even after waiting my turn in a line of cars, most of which were souped-up pickup trucks.

He directed me a little further up the road, a few steps further, to exit 308, as the rain continued to beat harder. I turned left onto County Road 473, and drove for a mile or two along the beautiful, winding, tree-lined two-lane road, eventually finding Parking Lot B.

Once I found a parking spot on the lawn, the gray sky of Cullman collapsed and I quickly realized that bringing those rain boots had been a smart move on my part.

I waded through the muddy puddles that I hoped wouldn’t trap me in, hours later, trying to find an exit to walk alongside some real Alabama country folk, without a raincoat in sight. Mostly just cowboy hats, cowboy boots, jeans or shorts (phones in back pockets), shirts optional for the guys, beer can in one hand, tailgate chair in the other — all headed for the good old days.

A trail of fog greeted me as I walked through the main entrance—perfect on a muggy Alabama day, but somewhat unnecessary in a storm (still appreciated). Concession stands and merchandise booths flanked fans as they avoided large puddles or simply walked through them to find a place to drink, sing, and dance for the next six hours, some of it a few football fields from the stage.

To his and his band’s credit, Gavin Adcock played through the rain, which no doubt felt like a welcome little shower to the similarly shirtless Watkinsville, Georgia native. After the “Bonfire Blackout” singer’s set wrapped, an emcee said, “We told Gavin he’s gonna headline Rock the South in a couple of years,” so keep your eyes peeled.

This allowed the audience to hydrate with water, lemonade, Gatorade, beer or whatever to keep going until the next performance: Nashville superstars Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson.

The break allowed them to soak up the atmosphere. After Thursday’s “Party in the USA” theme, with fans dressed in red, white and blue, day two was “Duck Calls and Overalls,” with fans wearing mostly camo, jeans, bright orange hats, crop tops and overalls — and yes, I heard a duck call or two.

The Rock the South crowd often treats the event as a quasi-political rally, with ardent supporters of former President Donald Trump showing their love in colorful ways (many wearing hats and shirts that read “You missed, bitch,” in a reference to the recent assassination attempt). Though some of them can get pretty crass and obscene in their opposition to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Between acts, one emcee even implored fans to vote for Trump, before launching into an impromptu recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. At various points, chants of “USA!” and “Trump!” were heard, particularly when performers like Big & Rich (who did not publicly endorse any candidate onstage) took a moment to praise nearby veterans.

After a thundering performance of “Comin’ to Your City,” which 99.9% of fans also recognize as the theme song for ESPN’s pre-game “College GameDay,” John Rich invited a veteran onstage to express his gratitude and serve whiskey shots to the man who served the country as the band launched into their next song.

Special guest Gretchen Wilson had everyone whooping, hollering and singing along as much as anyone else all day long. People went wild when the “Redneck Woman” singer/songwriter from Pocahontas, Illinois, took the stage for a handful of her hits before headliners Nelly, Oliver Anthony and the evening’s closer Hardy filled out the Friday bill.

Last year, Rock the South broke attendance records, with more than 35,000 people attending each day of the festival, which equates to more than 100,000 people over the three-day event, according to a spokesperson. I suspect that number will continue to grow, and that they will only add to the collection of A-list artists who will top the lineups in the years to come. Rock the South has become a powerhouse on the festival circuit, and has now even spawned Rock the Country festivals, which are coming to Mobile in 2024.

No matter your musical taste or political ideology, festivals like this are meant to blow off steam and have a good time. It might get rowdy and you might see a shirt or sign you don’t like (or you might love it, it depends), but Rock the South is without a doubt one of Alabama’s biggest cultural events, drawing tens of thousands of people each day — all to celebrate something, whether it’s music, America, beer, a politician, freedom or love.

Sometimes it feels good to see people enjoying the elements without a little rain spoiling their fun. In some of the larger puddles that cover a fair amount of the York Farms grounds, people plopped down on their bellies and slid around like they would in their own backyards, turning an expensive festival ticket into what it feels like to be a kid on a warm summer day.

Photographer Alex Kiker captured a beautiful image of a couple embracing with a kiss as the rain fell at its heaviest, while others ran for cover or unpacked their ponchos. These two ignored the storm, lost themselves in the moment, and seemed to realize that it was all love, or at least it should be.

Check out the photos in the gallery above or below.