Festivals
Boots & Hearts Festival 2025 – Day Four Recap & Photos
By the time Sunday rolled around at Boots & Hearts 2025, the sunburns were deep and the cowboy boots had taken a beating, but you wouldn’t know it from the crowd. If anything, the final day at Burl’s Creek felt like one big rally. With ten acts across two stages, the day stretched from rising talent to stadium-level headliners, and it ended in a way only Boots knows how: loud and unforgettable.
The afternoon kicked off with Jessie T on the Front Porch Stage, who mixed her country roots with a pop-rock punch that fit right in with the weekend’s genre-bending mood. Fresh off a string of award nominations and wins, she’s clearly on an upward swing.
Lakeview then jolted the Main Stage awake with a set that leaned heavier than most on the bill. Their mix of rock grit and country storytelling drew a roar from the crowd. It was a welcome shake-up after days of more straight-ahead country sounds.
On the Front Porch stage, Andrew Hyatt gave one of the most memorable sets of the day, bouncing between full-throttle crowd pleasers and stripped-down ballads. His raw take on “Time After Time” held the audience in absolute silence, while his rollicking cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” sent them into pure chaos.
Meghan Patrick owned her main stage slot with a performance that was equal parts powerhouse and personal. She flexed her rock side with covers of Led Zeppelin and No Doubt, reminding everyone why she’s one of Canada’s sharpest country stars.
Default (Dallas Smith included) proved their reunion since 2018 was more than nostalgia. Their fiery side stage set included a blistering version of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” which pulled even the beer tent crowd back into the sun.
As the sun started to come down, the rock-leaning streak kept rolling. Daughtry tore through his hits before slowing things down for a heartfelt duet with his daughter on “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” easily one of the most emotional moments of the weekend.
Texas wild card Koe Wetzel kept the energy rough and rowdy, paving the way for Hardy’s headlining slot.
Then it was time for Hardy to close the festival. Playing to about 30,000 fans, his set was a heavy, unapologetic mash of country grit and rock ferocity. The crowd screamed every word to tracks like “Truck Bed.” He even treated the crowd to a surprise duet with Meghan Patrick on “Wait in the truck.” In true Hardy fashion and similar to Chase Rice the day before, he pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels, daring the crowd to finish it before the band stopped playing. They did.
By the time the last chord rang out, the festival grounds were buzzing, even as campers started packing up for Monday’s noon cutoff. Boots & Hearts 2025 will be remembered for its mix of country tradition and rock rebellion, but more than anything, for the gathering of people who love this music enough to stand shoulder to shoulder in the August heat until the very last note.
Stay tuned for our artist portraits!
Check out our favourite photos of the day below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
HARDY
KOE WETZEL
DAUGHTRY
DEFAULT
MEGHAN PATRICK
ANDREW HYATT
LAKEVIEW
JESSIE T
All Photo Credit: Kieran Delport
Festivals
All Things Go DC Adds Remi Wolf, Underscores, Sierra Ferrell to the lineup + All Things Go NY Adds Ethel Cain
All Things Go Festival 2026 has added more names to its 12th annual DC-area edition, bringing back festival favourite Remi Wolf alongside new additions Sierra Ferrell and underscores.
The expanded lineup joins previously announced headliners Hayley Williams, Brandi Carlile and Zara Larsson, along with All Things Go alumni Mitski, MUNA, Lola Young and Ethel Cain. The three-day festival returns to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, from September 25 to 27, with artists performing across two stages.
The festival has sold out for five consecutive years and has built a reputation for its carefully curated, fan-first lineups. This year, that approach extends beyond music, with comedian Robby Hoffman joining Friday’s DC lineup.
Ethel Cain is getting double duty at All Things Go this year. Last week, she was announced as a co-headliner for the festival’s third New York City edition at Forest Hills Stadium, marking her final show of 2026 on the Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour.
The New York lineup features Zara Larsson, who will perform her first-ever headlining festival set, alongside Brandi Carlile, MUNA, Lola Young and Carly Rae Jepsen. The three-day event will feature a mix of established acts and emerging artists, including The Beaches, Rebecca Black, Cara Delevingne, CMAT, Jensen McRae and Hemlocke Springs. Comedian Meg Stalter joins the NYC lineup, marking the first time the festival has added a comedian to its New York edition.
Lola Young is returning to the festival after previously appearing at All Things Go.
“All Things Go, we have unfinished business. I feel blessed and ready to take it to the next level. Thank you for having me back.”
The festival’s reputation extends beyond its lineups. All Things Go has developed a strong sense of community among its audience, with its inclusive atmosphere earning affectionate nicknames such as “Gay-chella,” “All Things Gay” and “Lesbopalooza.”
That spirit was summed up by Lorde during her appearance at the All Things Go Toronto stage earlier this year.
“This is my second All Things Go! I’m trying to catch them all. It’s a Pokémon situation for me. This is, without a doubt, the coolest festival in North America. It’s the girls, the gays and the theys.”
The Toronto edition took place June 6 and 7 at RBC Amphitheatre, with Lorde, Kesha, The Beaches and Wet Leg among the headliners.
Tickets for the New York festival are already sold out for all three days, September 25 through 27. Remaining single-day tickets and two-day combinations are available, along with three-day tickets for the DC festival, through the official All Things Go website.
All Things Go at Merriweather Post Pavilion
Friday, September 25, 2026
Mitski
Ethel Cain
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Magdalena Bay
Slayyyter
Stella Lefty
Ninajirachi
underscores
Balu Brigada
Robby Hoffman
Rico Nasty
SYML
Gates open at 3 p.m.
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Hayley Williams
MUNA
Zara Larsson
Suki Waterhouse
Del Water Gap
She & Him
The Beaches
The Beths
Rebecca Black
Naika
Hemlocke Springs
Haute & Freddy
Grace Ives
Zolita
Love Spells
Susannah Joffe
Glom
Kevin Atwater
Gates open at 11 a.m.
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Brandi Carlile
Lola Young
Remi Wolf
Father John Misty
Sierra Ferrell
Tinashe
Flipturn
Wolf Alice
CMAT
Jensen McRae
Ryan Beatty
Rochelle Jordan
Tiny Habits
Trousdale
Violet Grohl
Natalie Jinju
googly eyes
Jake Minch
Wes Parker
Gates open at 11 a.m.
All Things Go at Forest Hills Stadium
Friday, September 25
Zara Larsson
Lola Young
Rebecca Black
Cara Delevingne
Blu DeTiger
Chloe Qisha
Gates open at 2 p.m.
Saturday, September 26
Brandi Carlile
Ethel Cain
CMAT
Jensen McRae
Meg Stalter
Natali Jinju
Gates open at 2 p.m.
Sunday, September 27
MUNA
Carly Rae Jepsen
The Beaches
Hemlocke Springs
Grace Ives
Cherry Bomb
Gates open at 2 p.m.
Festivals
PNE Summer Night Concerts – Pierce The Veil
By the time Pierce The Veil took the stage at Vancouver’s Freedom Mobile Arch on September 5, the place was packed and the anticipation was impossible to miss. As part of the PNE Summer Night Concerts, the San Diego post-hardcore veterans delivered a set that mixed nostalgia and chaos.
The show opened with “May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight” and “Hell Above.” From there, the night barely let up. “Bulls in the Bronx” got the crowd going, followed by “Circles” and “I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket.”
There was plenty for longtime fans, too. “I’d Rather Die Than Be Famous,” “Yeah Boy and Doll Face” and “Floral & Fading” reached back into the band’s catalog, while their cover of the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” provided one of the evening’s fun surprises.
Visually, Pierce The Veil made the most of the outdoor stage. Tony Perry and Jaime Preciado were constantly moving, throwing themselves around the stage with guitars in hand, while drummer Loniel Robinson provided the thunder behind them. At the centre was Vic Fuentes, whose voice still carries the emotional weight that has defined the band since its early days.
The emotional high point came with “Hold On Till May,” a song that has become deeply personal for many fans as phones went into the air and voices rose across the venue. Predictably, the place lost its mind when they ended with “King for a Day.”
After nearly 20 years, Pierce The Veil still know exactly what their music means to their fans. On this night, Vancouver gave that love right back.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
PIERCE THE VEIL
All Photo Credit: Kelli Rothwell