Some of the most unexpected performances in recent country music history have occurred at Stagecoach, including a surprise appearance from Axl Rose who joined Carrie Underwood during her set.
Stagecoach Festival, or Country Music’s Biggest Party, is known as much for surprise collaborations as its star-studded lineup. The annual music festival takes place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and draws roughly 80,000 country music fans for the three-day event.
In 2022, Carrie Underwood headlined the festival and delivered a rousing set that included songs from her impressive catalog and a surprise collab that fans are still talking about.
Carrie Underwood is a lifelong fan of rock music and incorporates covers of some of her favorite rock hits during her concerts. Her Stagecoach performance was no different. Midway through her Stagecoach set, Underwood kicked off a stunning rendition of Guns N’ Roses’ 1988 chart-topping hit, “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” After the first verse and chorus she told the crowd, “Welcome to the greatest night of my life. Give it up for Axl Rose!”
The surprise collab marked the first time Carrie Underwood and Axl Rose teamed up, but wasn’t the last.
In March of 2023, Rose once again surprised Carrie Underwood fans by joining her onstage during a date on her Denim & Rhinestones Tour. During her Los Angeles tour stop, the American Idol champ closed out her show with a couple of rock hits and invited Axl Rose on stage to help her sing “Welcome To The Jungle.”
Later that year, Guns N’ Roses invited Carrie to be their opening act for select dates on their stadium tour. Carrie delivered some of her own songs during the run, but also gave the crowd covers of some of her own favorite rock songs. That list included renditions of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation,” Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.”
Underwood also joined the band on stage during those shows to reprise her and Axl’s Stagecoach performances of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Paradise City.”
