Alternative-country rockstar Orville Peck brought his ‘Stampede Tour’ to Mesa, Arizona for a night filled with incredible outfits, amazing music, and an all-around great time.
This tour was a highly anticipated event. Back in June of 2023, Peck took to Instagram to announce he would be postponing his ‘Bronco Tour’ to focus on his physical and mental health.
In Phoenix, Peck took a moment to thank the crowd in an intimate moment of vulnerability. “I’m really glad I did [postpone the tour],” he admitted. “Because I’m happier and healthier than I’ve ever been.” The crowd erupted in supportive cheers. “But, I did wanna say a genuine ‘thank you’ to anybody who lost out on their ticket last time for being patient, and letting me go away and do that,” he continued. “Because it saved my life.”
He then went on to perform Hexie Mountains, which he says was the first song he’d written about his struggles with his mental health. “It became a very cathartic song for me,” he told the crowd.
Stampede is a duets album, filled with features from some incredible vocalists like Willie Nelson, Elton John, Teddy Swims, Noah Cyrus, and more. Peck’s guitarist Emily Rose joined him for a rendition of ‘How Far Will We Take It?’ I got full body chills listening to the two of them sing this song. Peck’s vocals were so strong, and he had the biggest smile strumming along with Rose during the song.
“Not only did Willie Nelson want to do a song with me. But, he wanted to do a song about gay cowboyws,” Peck told the crowd when talking about the album and the legendary duet him and Nelson have. “I have no idea why,” he joked cheekily. Then, he laughed. “Just kidding, I know why.”
“So, please welcome to the stage,” Peck signaled towards the side stage. The venue filled with screams, fans eagerly waiting to see Willie Nelson walk to the stage. However, the excitment was cut short when Peck laughed and announced he was kidding. “That was mean, I know. I’m sorry,” he said. And it seemed like his apology was immediately accepted as he began singing ‘Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other’ and the crowd erupted in cheers, yet again.
Peck also showed off his full range of musical talent, playing the piano for ‘Drive Me, Crazy’ and pulling out a harmonica for the beginning of ‘Kalahari Down’. This was all in addition to playing guitar for 90% of the setlist, and maintaining such a soulful, full vocal tone.
His stage presence is passionate and firey, which he sustained well even in the Arizona heat. Any moment he could take to step away from the microphone and dance around, he would. During fast-paced songs like ‘Lafayette’ and ‘Any Turn’ (which Peck told the crowd was a “good one to dance to”), he strummed his guitar with insane fever and kicked his feet out and around anywhere he could.
He also found moments to interact with the crowd, dancing at the edge of the stage, pointing to fans, and even dedicating ‘Drive Me, Crazy’ to truck-driver Shawn (whose name took Peck a few tries to figure out). The concert had such a fun, care-free, supportive energy from everyone in the crowd, and Peck’s intensity on stage added something beautiful to the show.
For the encore, Peck stepped out in his old fringe mask, telling the crowd he wanted to “slip into something more comfortable,” before serenading fans with his rendition of ‘Unchained Melody’. Even though he had been singing and dancing for the last hour and a half, his vocals soared during the song, with help from the hush over the crowd. To end the night, he performed the crowd-pleaser ‘Bronco’. Despite being the last song, or maybe because it was the last song, Peck put his all into the number, the audience dancing along with him.
Peck puts on an incredible show, with such an evident love for the music as well as the performance. It seems his year off did him well and he got on stage and seemed so comfortable and full of passion and heart. With the ‘Stampede Tour’ coming to an end, hopefully he will be taking beautiful memories home with him, as the people who got to attend sure did.
