Get the latest gossip

Country, Southern Rap & Sunburn: Morgan Wallen’s Sand In My Boots Festival Takes Over Gulf Shores


Sand In My Boots Festival: Morgan Wallen's musical vision takes over Gulf Shores, Alabama.

This means that not only did I stick out like a sore thumb among the sea of body glitter, mesh cover-ups, star-spangled bikinis, ruffled mini-skirts, Hawaiian shirts, baseball jerseys, abundant camouflage, and yes, cowboy boots, I also cultivated the worst sunburn of my life within roughly 40 minutes of my arrival on day one. So I slathered on some sunscreen, chugged some water (plus a mysterious blue cocktail billed as “Electric Lemonade”) and made my way past rows of booths selling “Cowboy Nachos,” “Boot-Scootin’ Smoothies,” and discounted cans of Zyn (Sand in My Boots’ preferred nicotine delivery unit) towards the Dangerous Stage, where all of the day’s rappers were performing. After another absurdly lavish dinner (peel-and-eat shrimp, crab legs, oysters, Lyonnaise salad, chicken piccata) I post up at the main stage, where 25-year-old Bailey Zimmerman is bouncing around in jean shorts before a band whose members all looked vaguely like Skrillex, reminding the crowd: “God is good all the time!” Until 2019, the Southern Illinois native had never sung outside of drunk karaoke; he worked on a gas pipeline, then gained some fame on TikTok for his videos tricking out his GMC truck.

Get the Android app

Or read this on Billboard

Read more on:

Photo of gulf

gulf

Photo of Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen

Related news:

News photo

The true nature of Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae's controversial relationship... and her telling response to THOSE closet Republican rumors, revealed by insiders

News photo

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Rihanna, Morgan Wallen, Jin & More

News photo

New Music Friday May 16: Rihanna, Jin, Morgan Wallen, Latto, Nick Carter, Jessie J and More