'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy': Jubilant Country Thunder crowd turns Fort Calgary into world's biggest honky-tonk

Grammy winner Tim McGraw headlined Day 2 of Country Thunder at Fort Calgary Saturday. (Photo: X@CountryThunder)

Fort Calgary once again came alive for Day 2 of Country Thunder on Saturday, when the wind stayed away and the sun came out.

In fact, the autumnal weather made things pretty comfortable for the huge crowd that gathered in the dirt to watch an evening lineup that included Kip Moore and headliner Tim McGraw.

Moore and his guitar-driven band raised mayhem for a Saturday night crowd that was hell-bent on having a party for 17,000 or so folks, including the odd spontaneous line dance breaking out for the well-lubricated, boisterous fans.

There's always a lot of heart in country tunes, and maybe Moore described the night best when he sang "Dirt Road":

But unless it's got a dirt road/Leadin' down to a fishin' hole

With a little piece of moonlight/A couple cans of Coors Light

The crowd spread out over an expanded site Saturday that included a second stage featuring up-and-comers such as Saskatchewan's Brayden King, who performed a happy hour set Saturday.

It felt as if there was more room for the huge throng to navigate around Fort Calgary Saturday, and the mild temperature was perfect for a night of country music, which included an announcement of the 2024 headliners – Luke Combs, Hardy (in a return visit after a 2022 appearance) and Dallas Smith.

Before three time Grammy winner Tim McGraw came on, the crowd performed for itself, creating a massive singalong to "Sweet Caroline" and Big and Rich's "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy."

In an age of late-arriving headliners, McGraw appeared onstage two minutes early, singing "How Bad Do You Want It."

"Hi, I'm Tim," he said. "Better known as Faith (Hill's) husband.

"I don't like to talk a lot," he said. "I just like to play music."

That was fine by the jubilant crowd at Fort Calgary, who have turned the East Village into the world's biggest honky-tonk for the weekend.

Sunday dawned a bit smoky, but the smoke was forecast to clear out by the afternoon.

Sunday's mainstage features The Prairie States, Mackenzie Carpenter, Nate Smith, Bailey Zimmerman, Carly Pearce and headliner Keith Urban.