Live in the Vineyard Goes Country 2024: Three Days of Music, Wine, and Memories in Napa Valley

Live in the Vineyard Goes Country (LITVGC) returned to Napa Valley to once again offer an exclusive three-day experience combining country music, exquisite wines and delicious cuisine among the breathtaking backdrop of the countryside vineyards.

From April 23-25, attendees were invited to visit some of the most revered wineries throughout Napa Valley where they enjoyed intimate performances and also had the chance to make close connections with over 30 artists. 

The luxury event, presented by Visit Napa Valley, is private and only available to music industry professionals, ranging from music supervisors to radio programmers, label executives, corporate partners, Ensemble club members, and sweepstakes winners. In addition to the LITVGC main events, music programmers, music supervisors, and DSPs were treated to special VIP performances throughout the trip. 

The Mission Of Live In The Vineyard

Bobbii Jacobs, Founder of Live In the Vineyard Goes Country and President of FF Entertainment, kicked off the week by sharing her ongoing mission of LITV, which is to give artists a platform to put their talent on display for esteemed members of the industry at the only private music, food & wine festival of its kind. It’s safe to say that the 2024 event took this mission to heart as a slew of both well-established artists and emerging stars showcased the depths of their talent in a whole new way. This year marked the 16^th anniversary of Live In The Vineyard and the 5th installment of the Country–genre event.

“Live in the Vineyard, here we go,” Jacobs began. “This is the 16th year. We’re entering our 17th year here coming up and we’re so, so happy to be back in Napa Valley again with some beautiful weather.”

Kicked Off The Week With A Lineup Of Rising Stars

While sipping on whiskey cocktails by Garrison Brothers and dining on Sticky Business Barbeque, guests were treated to the first of many intimate acoustic sets by Emmet Stevens Jr., Anderson Daniels, Charly Reynolds, The Dryes and Owen Riegling.

Emmet proudly showcased a few tunes from his catalog as well as his next release, “Walked Away” while Daniels made the most of his time by sharing the stories behind several of his soulful tracks. Reynolds, The Dryes and Riegling all followed suit as they displayed a mix of heartfelt ballads and lively anthems brought to life with just the power of their voices and an acoustic guitar. 

Guests met back up for lunch on a 52-acre property that brought a bit of Tuscany to Napa and featured wine pours from the award-winning Backstage Winery and lunch bites from Valentina’s Kitchen. Just as the sun started to come out, artists like Wesley Dean, Chloe Kat, Ashley Ryan and Levi Hummon won over the audience with their stripped-down performances that highlighted some of their favorite writes. 

Prior to getting up to the mic to sing four all-new original songs, California native Ashley Ryan admitted she was feeling “blessed” to get the opportunity to be part of the star-studded lineup.

“I’ve never been in Napa so it’s really cool to be here in general,” Ryan told Country Now. “It’s so gorgeous…The scenery is literally insane. It’s just awesome to be here. I haven’t been to California in a long time and I’m just I’m very blessed.”

Hummon, who was a returning LITVGC performer, expressed the same level of excitement for his return to the event. However, he noted that this year is even more special as it is his first time getting to showcase his song “Paying For It” feat. Walker Hayes as a single on country radio. 

“It’s so unique that this is a place where all these different, really important gatekeepers in music come to find new talent and it’s the one location where you don’t have to travel around the entire country to make something happen, so I’m really excited,” he shared. 

The fun continued into the official welcome reception, where the stunning vocals of Callista Clark, Rodney Atkins and his wife, Rose Falcon, and the Grand Old Opry’s newest member, Scotty McCreery, blended effortlessly with wines from Peju Winery. 

McCreery’s appearance came just a few days after his recent induction into Nashville’s coveted venue and a few days prior to claiming his sixth No. 1 hit with his single, “Cab In A Solo.” In addition to offering a taste of his upcoming new album, Rise and Fall, through tracks like “Slow Dance” and “Fall Of Summer,” the North Carolina native also paid tribute to his loyal listeners with fan-favorites “It Matters To Her,” “Five More Minutes” and “Damn Strait.” He finished off his set with a medley of his favorite country classics. 

“I wish every show was like this,” McCreery admitted as he took in the breathtaking views. “Just hanging out. Good times. Everybody’s smiling. It’s beautiful around us in the vineyard. So it’s gonna be a good time.”

A lineup of five fresh new faces including DINER, Justbrandon, Brooke Moriber and Callie Twisselman closed out the evening by showcasing the vast range of their catalogs. Some celebrated the traditional sounds of country music while others pulled from their roots to offer a genre-bending display of songs from inside a romantic stone-walled cellar. 

Big Loud VIP Tailgate Takeover

One of the biggest highlights of the week took place on Wednesday morning when Big Loud Records hosted the brand-new VIP Tailgate Takeover. This event welcomed five country stars from the Big Loud roster, including ERNEST, Larry Fleet, Hailey Whitters, MacKenzie Porter, and Lily Rose, to take part in a songwriter’s round. This type of performance allowed each singer to strip down a few of their latest hits and give the lucky listeners a taste of songs from their latest projects. 

Porter was among those who opted to play a string of songs off her just-released debut album, Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart.

“The idea of it is we all start off so pure and innocent in life and then you go through challenges and heartbreak and work troubles and all these things. And by the end of it, you’re kind of this wrecked little mess of a person, but it’s really beautiful. Each one of these songs is my little chip in the heart kind of thing,” Porter explained of her newest collection.

Along with honing in on tracks from their own catalog, ERNEST and Larry Fleet also paid tribute to tunes they have written that have been recorded by other artists and turned into hits. This included Morgan Wallen’s “Cowgirls,” feat. ERNEST, and Fleet’s contribution to “Man Made A Bar,” another track that fell into Wallen’s hands and features Eric Church. 

In between this sunny tailgate and the late-night concert at the Uptown Theatre, Laura Bryna, Kelsey Hart and Kylie Morgan mingled with guests, took part in tastings from Goosecross Cellars wine and immersed themselves among the vineyards to establish a clear image of their artistry.

Emotions Were Heavy Inside The Uptown Theatre

Going inside the beautiful Uptown Theatre for the final event of day two, the audience took their seats and prepared to be engulfed in country music by Drew Baldridge, Josh Ross, Scotty Hasting and more. Emotions were running high as Baldridge celebrated his debut into the Top 30 at country radio with “She’s Somebody’s Daughter,” followed by veteran Hastings who induced a teary-eyed crowd by detailing his journey of having to relearn how to play the guitar after being shot 10 times while serving in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan. 

The lineup also enlisted well-established acts including Sara Evans, Runaway June and LOCASH who got everyone on their feet with their hilarious stories, up-close interactions with fans and electric performances that nearly brought the house down at the end of the night. 

As the final send-off, guests gathered once more for a serene brunch hosted at The Carneros Hilltop. Here, the unforgettable week was topped off with performances by Remy Garrison, Brittney Spencer and Julia Cole. 

The combination of epic performances, world-class culinary experiences presented throughout the duration of Live In The Vineyard Goes Country 2024 undoubtedly left a lasting impression on those fortunate enough to be invited to such a unique event.