Stagecoach 2023: 5 moments we loved from Trixie Mattel's debut festival set

Drag superstar Trixie Mattel made her Stagecoach country music festival debut on Friday as she rocked the Palomino Stage.

Mattel, who is known for her high camp comedy and acoustic musical styles and for winning "RuPaul's Drag Race All Star," went through a number of perfectly pink outfits, showed her sharp comedy skills and serenaded audience members with her guitar (and another lesser-known instrument). She is the first drag queen to perform at the annual country music festival, taking place through Sunday in Indio.

Here are some of our favorite moments from her set.

Outfits galore

While performing “We Got The Look,” we got not one, not two, but so many outfits that it was hard to keep track! She stepped out in a pink and white-striped dress then took it off to reveal a floor-length summer dress, which then hid a 1960s-esque black and white dress. She then had two "unsuspecting women" help her change into a multi-colored jumpsuit, and then just for fun, changed into even more pink looks, all without skipping a beat while performing.

Along with a possible record number of outfit changes during a set, the drag queen kept the jokes flying throughout. She described the crowd's outfits as a mix between “Brokeback Mountain” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” When she performed a cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games,” for which she busted out an autoharp for, she specifically asked the “bottoms” in the crowd to sing along.

A stand on Tennessee and Bud Light

Mattel took hits at recent anti-drag laws and controversies surrounding a popular beer brand.

At the beginning of her set, she said she was happy to be performing at Stagecoach and in California because if she was in Tennessee, she’d “already be in the back of a police car.”

Tennessee became the first state to ban drag shows in public spaces. As written, the law would have not outright banned drag performances in the state, but it does deem "male and female impersonators" as adult cabaret performers. It also bans "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors" from taking place on public property and in the presence of minors under 18. The law was set to take effect April 1, but a federal judge in Tennessee issued a temporary restraining order on the law.

She also took aim at Bud Light, which recently found itself under attack from Right-wing commentators after TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney posted a sponsored video during the brand's March Madness campaign. Mulvaney is a transgender woman, and many conservatives were not happy that Budweiser was associating with a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I was dressed normally (earlier) and then I had one sip of Bud Light and this just happened magically,” she joked about her drag appearance.

'The gay stage'

Earlier in the day, Mattel saw singer Melissa Etheridge passing by in a golf cart and chased her down to get a picture. Mattel said she specifically started playing music because of the Grammy Award singer.

In addition to Etheridge, who performed at the Palomino earlier in the day, Mattel also shouted out Orville Peck. who had his Stagecoach performance at the same stage last year. Both performers, along with Mattel, identity as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“This has really become the gay stage,” she said, which was met with cheers. “Even the band before me, ZZ Top, that sounds like a Grindr profile.”

Fun visuals

Mattel's outfits and vocals weren't the only thing keeping the Palomino crowd entertained.

As the "All Stars" winner performed, the visuals behind her elevated her songs and frankly made plenty of people laugh. There were plenty of Barbie dolls showcased throughout her set (her last name pays homage to the company that manufactures the popular doll), and "Hello Hello" featured several phone motifs. When she stepped away for a costume change, a commercial for the unfortunately named discontinued appetite-suppressant candy AYDS played, which made many in the audience laugh.

Tribute to a country great

There's plenty of people who have inspired the singer to pursue her musical career, and one of those is country great Loretta Lynn. Lynn's career spanned six decades, and she released multiple gold albums. She died in October.

Mattel paid tribute to the late singer with her upbeat rock song, "C’mon Loretta," which got the crowd dancing. The song is off of Mattel's double album, "The Blonde & Pink Albums."

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Stagecoach 2023: 5 standout moments from Trixie Mattel's set