Photographer: Sarah

Orville Peck’s show in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 30 was a perfect start to Halloweekend. The stage was set like an old honky-tonk bar, and the band sauntered in, hugging their friends and having a drink before performing for an audience of glittery cowboys, ghosts, and rodeo clowns.

photo by Sarah

Orville Peck’s mask could never hide his charm or character. His confessional-style lyricism, mixed with his taste for theatrics, gives the audience something raw and real that they feel truly connected to. His magnetic stage presence and golden voice captivate audiences, and the message behind his craft is clear: country music should be for EVERYONE, no matter who you love or what you’re going through. It’s a reaction to feeling like an outcast and being oppressed, not a submission.

photos by Sarah

We’ve been led to believe that country music belongs to a country that has killed the belief in the American Dream, but artists like Orville Peck are here to help us reclaim its true meaning.

photos by Sarah