Day Three of BeachLife Ranch may have been just a little shorter due to the headliner taking the stage at 7:30 (by local ordinance), but it certainly wasn’t short on talent. There were southern rock legends, part-time actors/singers, vocalist beyond compare, Neotraditional country performers, Grammy winners, and guitar slingers.

Early in the day, The Marshall Tucker Band took the Highlands stage. Lead singer and original MTB band member, Doug Gray was definitely enjoying himself and invited the entire audience to visit him at his home for a drink. Of course, they would have to go to South Carolina to do so. The band has hits that seem to be a part of our collective DNA. “Heard It a Love Song”, “Can’t You See”, and “Fire on the Mountain”, led to audience sing-a-longs. But beyond the recognizable tunes, there were guitar duels and center stage flute solos that showed the musicianship behind this trailblazing southern rock band.

Next on the Lowlands stage was British-born, Yola. This currently orange-haired singer-songwriter has been nominated for Grammy Awards in the Americana category and has won major awards in the U.K. She is a total force on stage with a voice of incredible range. Speaking of range, that was Yola playing "the Godmother of rock and roll", Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the biopic, Elvis.

Later on the Lowlands stage was Parmalee. This four-piece country band hails from, you guessed it, Parmalee, North Carolina. The band features two brothers and two close friend and have known each other for years and it shows on stage. But even though they are country through and through, lead singer Matt Thomas, leaned into the beach part of BeachLife Ranch with a colorful unbuttoned flowered shirt that stylishly moved with the breeze coming off the ocean close by. Parmalee put on a great set and got the audience ready for what was to come next.

Which was Chris Issak. Issak does it all. Singer. Songwriter. Guitarist. And yes, actor. He put everything to use during his set on the Highlands stage. He came out resplendent in a light blue rockabilly outfit immediately let the audience know that his voice is a gift to all. By the time he got to his mega-hit, “Wicked Game”, it was hard to believe that he could show his range even more. But then he and the band went acoustic to cover Roy Orbison’s “Only the Lonely.” Absolutely incredible. But Issak isn’t just a musician. He’s a showman. And as the day headed to what people refer to as “Golden Hour”, Issak came out in his famous mirror suit. I doubt anyone would have minded if he kept going, but there were still two more performances to go.

Along with the sunset on the beach came Midland on the Lowlands stage. The main members are lead vocalist/guitarist Mark Wystrach (who also acts, kind of a theme this day), guitarist Jess Carson, and bassist Cameron Duddy. These guys all sing, and the harmonies are reminiscent of California Laurel Canyon days, but with a lot more fun thrown in.

It’s good to be Brad Paisley. When the Day Three headliner took the Highlands stage, anyone in the audience could tell that not only would Brad make sure they would have a good time, but he would also make sure HE would have a good time. In his roughly 90-minute set he played hits, took selfies with an audience member’s camera (as well as searched through her photos), he gave his Telecaster to a young girl in the audience (perhaps creating a future Taylor Swift), he let a couple get engaged to the audiences wild applause while he performed a guitar serenade, and had his very own Brad Paisley mascot come out on stage. He moved around enough to sing at four different microphones stationed across the stage. Oh yeah, he also ripped through blistering guitar solos showing the prowess that has gotten him accolades throughout his career. At times it felt like this was Brad Paisley’s world and we were just living in it. One thing’s for sure: For about an hour and a half at BeachLife Ranch, it was true. And the audience wouldn’t have had it any other way.