The opening day of C2C in London on Friday, 13 March 2026 set the tone for a weekend of thrilling country music at The O2, blending fan favourites with fresh voices on one of Europe’s biggest stages. As the arena filled with anticipation, artists like Scotty McCreery, Ty Myers, Waylon Wyatt, and Noeline Hoffman delivered a mix of rich storytelling, powerhouse vocals, and rising‑star energy that showcased the diversity pulsing through Nashville’s newest generation. With packed sets and a buzzing crowd soaking up every moment, Friday’s performances proved that even before the headliner stepped on, the festival spirit was already in full swing for many despite a couple of mis-steps along the way.
The opening night of the UK’s biggest country gathering, the C2C: Country to Country at London’s cavernous The O2 Arena, delivered a night that perfectly encapsulated the sprawling modern definition of “country music.” Before headliner Zach Top took the stage (his set deserves its own discussion and you can find that right here), Friday’s lineup ranged from prairie-born honky-tonk to Appalachian folk stomp and blues-soaked guitar theatrics.
It was a stylistically varied bill that showcased both the promise—and the fragmentation—of the genre today.
Noeline Hofmann – Honky Tonk from the Canadian Prairies
Opening the evening was Alberta’s Noeline Hofmann, who wasted no time igniting the arena with the rollicking honky-tonk energy of ‘Lightning in July (Prairie Fire).' The song exploded into life thanks to a furiously sawing fiddle and barroom piano that clattered with the joyful chaos of a late-night saloon band. It was an inspired opening: loud, lively and instantly engaging for a crowd still settling into their seats.
She followed immediately with ‘Rodeo Junkies,' a smoother, retro-slick groove that leaned into the dusty romanticism of classic country bar bands. Hofmann’s group locked into a tight rhythm, her players moving effortlessly between honky-tonk swagger and Western swing flair.
Introducing a new unreleased track, Hofmann shifted the mood. The song carried a stark prairie atmosphere—quieter and darker, her voice echoing through the vast arena with a brooding quality reminiscent of the storytelling mood of ‘Folsom Prison Blues.' It was a striking contrast to the exuberant opening and a common tool and trope amongst the more introspective emerging artists working under the varied umbrella that is Country these days.
Hofmann's set continued to blend retro textures and modern songwriting, including an evocative fourth number with a lilting melody that felt transported from the Texas plains by way of Canada. One particularly adventurous moment came when she unveiled another brand-new song the band had only worked out “a couple nights ago.” The track returned to uptempo territory with a distinct 1980s honky-tonk flavour, complete with a keyboard solo that cleverly mimicked a saxophone. Hofmann stepped away from the guitar, letting the band stretch out into an extended jam on a song that felt like it could have been lifted from the soundtrack of Smokey and the Bandit.
The emotional centrepiece arrived with Hofmann's viral breakout ‘Purple Gas.' Delivered solo while her band stepped aside, the song’s stark reflection on her upbringing hushed the arena and highlighted Hofmann’s ability as a storyteller and plunged the arena back into that bleaker, starker space occupied by some many newer artists in 2026. She closed with a powerful cover of ‘Dublin Blues' by Guy Clark, her voice doing full justice to the Texas songwriter’s classic before the band returned for one final elongated jam. It was a confident and musically rich opening set that blended prairie storytelling with traditional honky-tonk energy.
Waylon Wyatt – The 19-Year-Old Folk Firestarter
If Hofmann brought honky-tonk authenticity, Waylon Wyatt delivered a youthful surge of rural folk intensity. At just 19 years old, Wyatt walked onstage with a harmonica rack around his neck and immediately launched into a stomping folk opener driven by fiddle and acoustic guitar. Pedal steel layered warmth into the mix while his lyrics—about starting a fire—carried the restless spirit of an artist clearly enjoying the biggest stage of his young career.
His band proved remarkably versatile. For the second song, ‘In Loving Melody,' the fiddle swapped for mandolin, producing a strummed folk rhythm punctuated by heavy drum thuds that helped the song surge toward its chorus.
“HOW WE DOIN’ LONDON?” Wyatt roared, visibly stunned by the scale of the crowd. He admitted it was the biggest show he’d ever played before launching into new dance song ‘Dead Man Walking'—a furious boot-stomper that had the arena’s lower floor on its feet. The momentum briefly slowed for a brooding ballad, ‘Arkansas Diamond,' where mandolin and pedal steel created a lush Appalachian texture beneath Wyatt’s echoing vocal. The performance showed another side of his artistry: intense, reflective and rooted in bluegrass tradition.
From there, the tempo surged again with rollicking fiddle-driven numbers reminiscent of the modern folk-country style popularised by artists like Sam Barber. Wyatt then turned to collaborations. ‘Jailbreak'—written with Bayker Blankenship—added grit and muscle, with his bassist filling the second vocal role before a blistering electric-guitar solo tore through the arena. Next came ‘Smoke and Embers,' his collaboration with Willow Avalon. With Avalon absent, Wyatt’s multi-instrumentalist handled the harmonies while pedal steel underlined the aching Western ballad. The set finished explosively with ‘Everything Under the Sun,' a thunderous fiddle-driven closer that transformed the aircraft-hangar acoustics of the O2 into something closer to a rowdy campfire jam. Wyatt ended with a primal scream that echoed around the venue—a fitting punctuation mark for the breakout set of the evening.
Ty Myers – Blues Virtuosity Meets Country Soul
Where Wyatt thrived on raw stomp-and-holler energy, Ty Myers brought a completely different mood. “Y’all ready for some blues music?” he asked before tearing into a scorching guitar intro that felt like Stevie Ray Vaughan jamming with Eric Clapton. The opener, ‘Can’t Hold Me Down,' mixed Southern rock swagger with soul-infused vocals, Myers delivering the line “Came all the way from Macon, Georgia… give me lovin’ that will drive me wild.” The song climaxed with an extended solo where Myers played the guitar behind his head while the band thundered underneath—a moment of pure showmanship.
Next came ‘Me Neither,' which Myers proudly noted was recorded at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. The track leaned into smooth Alabama soul, proving Myers is as comfortable in groove-driven balladry as he is in blues fireworks. In a nod to the British crowd he then delivered a bluesy cover of ‘Valerie' originally by The Zutons but popularised by Amy Winehouse—a classy and well-received tribute.
The emotional centrepiece of his set was ‘Through a Screen,' a viral hit exploring the complicated dynamics of Gen-Z relationships. Built around expansive piano and soaring guitars, it filled the arena with an almost cinematic melancholy. From there Myers leaned into a run of emotionally rich blues numbers, turning the set into more of a listening experience than a dancing one. A faithful rendition of ‘Gravity' by John Mayer reinforced his musical credentials before he closed with the slow-burn heartbreak of ‘Drinkin’ Alone.'
Musically superb, Myers’ set showcased remarkable guitar skill and songwriting maturity—but its introspective tone contrasted sharply with the more celebratory atmosphere many in the arena seemed to be craving on a Friday night.
Emily Ann Roberts – A Spotlight-Stage Star in Waiting
Between sets on the main stage, Emily Ann Roberts quietly stole a moment of the evening on the festival’s Spotlight Stage. With only a handful of songs—including ‘Whipped' and ‘Jack & Jill Daniels'—the East Tennessee singer charmed the O2 with witty storytelling and a playful stage presence reminiscent of a young Dolly Parton.
Her humour, biting sarcasm and confident streak of female empowerment struck an instant connection with the crowd. When she asked, “Can I let my East Tennessee show a little bit?” before closing with the fiddle-driven romp ‘Whole Lotta Little,' the answer was a resounding yes. It felt like a preview of someone who may well return to this festival on the main stage very soon.
Scotty McCreery – Delivering the Crowd-Pleaser Set
By the time Scotty McCreery took the stage as direct support for Zach Top, the crowd was ready for something familiar.
The set opened dramatically with the sound of a clock ticking, Big Ben perhaps, before McCreery launched into ‘You Time,' its big guitar intro setting the tone for a polished arena performance. ‘Can’t Pass the Bar' followed with thunderous energy as McCreery criss-crossed the stage while his band stretched into an extended jam. He then dedicated ‘It Matters to Her' to his wife back home—a moment that drew cheers from the women in the crowd, particularly when he sang the line about “shutting up and listening to her.”
During ‘Cab in a Solo' McCreery toasted the audience from a red Solo cup before transitioning into two of his biggest hits: ‘This Is It,' accompanied by footage from his wedding, and the emotional chart-topper ‘Damn Strait.'
McCreery then pivoted into a crowd-pleasing medley celebrating country tradition: ‘Forever and Ever, Amen' by Randy Travis, ‘Folsom Prison Blues' by Johnny Cash, ‘Chattahoochee' by Alan Jackson, ‘Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)' by John Michael Montgomery, and finally ‘Ain’t Going Down (’Til the Sun Comes Up)' by Garth Brooks.
The nostalgic run lit the arena up and seemed to be just what they were craving after some quite heavy tones and serious musicianship. His signature ballad ‘Five More Minutes' delivered the emotional peak of the set, with fans raising phone lights across the O2 while family footage played on the screens behind him. This is twice now that ‘Five More Minutes' has had this effect in the O2 arena for McCreery and he still talks about the first time it happened a few years ago at a previous C2C so this moment will have meant a great deal to him.
Then came the night’s surprise: ‘Bottle Rockets' brought out special guest Darius Rucker to sing his Hootie and the Blowfish part in real life! The crowd roared as Rucker joined McCreery before the pair closed the set with a raucous rendition of ‘Wagon Wheel' that had the entire arena singing.
Light and Shade
As the opening night undercard for Zach Top, Friday at C2C: Country to Country felt like a microcosm of modern country music itself. From the retro prairie twang and stark storytelling of Noeline Hofmann—particularly on ‘Purple Gas' —to the boot-stomping rural folk of Waylon Wyatt and the blues-driven musicianship of Ty Myers, the evening showcased a wide spectrum of sounds currently orbiting the genre. That diversity is exciting and reflects country music’s expanding boundaries. Yet in an arena the size of the O2, the stylistic jumps sometimes made the show feel slightly disjointed.
It ultimately took Scotty McCreery—along with the brief but electric Spotlight appearance from Emily Ann Roberts—to deliver the kind of upbeat, crowd-pleasing country music that long-time C2C audiences have come to expect. Hofmann, Wyatt and Myers all displayed flashes of brilliance, but much of the emerging roots music now marketed under the country umbrella leans darker and more introspective—often bordering on folk, blues or soul in disguise. McCreery’s set, by contrast, reminded the crowd why polished, melodic commercial country has been the backbone of this festival for more than a decade. And judging by the reaction inside the O2, it still works now despite the widening of the parameters and the influx of younger talent with different drivers, tastes and styles. There was a lot of talent on display inside the O2 tonight, a lot of talent, which is amazing for the future of the genre. Can you squeeze, jam or mesh all that diversity into one coherent, enjoyable festival experience inside what is essentially an aircraft hanger? The jury remains out on that.
Read a review of Zach Top's headline set on Day 1 of the C2C festival in London right here.
