Wild Horses Festival hits it out of the ballpark again

Review and photography by Andy Bartotto

The third edition of Wild Horses Festival at Petco Park took place this Saturday, Dec. 27, under clear skies. The cold weather couldn’t stop the fans from stomping their feet and having a great time.  The event was headlined by England’s Mumford & Sons, with support from Lord Huron, Sierra Ferrell and Lily Meola.

First up was semi-local singer Lily Meola, born in Hawaii and currently residing in San Diego’s North County.  She brought her own style, along with some nervous laughs and jumping jacks, she was a good act to start the show.

Next up was Sierra Ferrell, who has been having a great year.  She won four Grammys in February: Americana Album (“Trail of Flowers”), Americana Performance (“American Dreaming”), American Roots Song (“American Dreaming”) and American Roots Performance (“Lighthouse”).

Ferrell also performed here in 2023 at the first Wild Horses, which was headlined by Zach Bryan.  Ferrell brought her signature blend of “gypsy jazz,” bluegrass and old-time folk to the stadium stage, proving she can command the crowd at Petco Park.

The performance by Lord Huron was nothing short of a cosmic fever dream. Lord Huron didn’t just play a set; they transported San Diego into the dusty, haunted world of Whispering Pines.

Coming off the release of ots 2025 album, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, the band has reached a level of theatricality that few indie-folk acts dare to attempt. Here is a breakdown of the night:

The stage design was a masterpiece of “Mid-century Macabre.” Flanked by large rocky sculptures and a massive video screen, the centerpiece was a glowing, vintage phone booth that Ben Schneider used to deliver haunting vocals during “Who Laughs Last.”

The visuals shifted between sweeping vistas of the American West and grainy, psychedelic starscapes, perfectly mirroring the band’s signature “space cowboy” aesthetic.

This wasn’t just a random list of songs. The set featured silent actors—a sharply dressed man and a ghostly woman in a white dress—who wandered through the “rocks” on stage, acting out the stories within the lyrics.

The “Rock” Edge: One of the biggest surprises was the heavy rock rendition of “Frozen Pines.” The band swapped its usual folk-leanings for a high-energy, distorted sound that had the crowd at Petco Park roaring.

Predictably, “The Night We Met” was the emotional peak of the evening. As the opening chords rang out, the stadium turned into a sea of phone lights, and the narrative actors shared a final, tragic dance before disappearing into the stage haze.

Mumford & Sons headlined the Wild Horses Festival.  The performance was a high-energy capstone to their 2025 tour, blending their classic folk-rock anthems with previews from their upcoming album, Prizefighter.

The set was characterized by the band’s signature “backyard” intimacy despite the stadium setting.  They played heavy hitters like “Little Lion Man,” “The Cave” and “The Wolf.”

Marcus Mumford once again shows his musical talents as he got behind the drumset and played and sang “Lover of the Light.” 

Fans were treated to several tracks from their upcoming album, including the lead single “Rubber Band Man” and the title track “Rushmere.”In keeping with their collaborative spirit, the band invited Ferrell to join them for “Here,” “Awake My Soul,” and a rendition of Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” 

The night famously closed with “I Will Wait,“ accompanied by a fireworks display over the stadium.