Fancy Hagood, Molly Grace and More Slay at Nashville Pride

Nashville Pride returned to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on Saturday, with summer showers helping tame the June heat and a kaleidoscopic array of top-notch musicians (and drag stars and DJs) taking the stage.

Carmen Dianne brought powerhouse vocals and a smooth country twang to the day’s first set on the main Equality Stage, her first performance leading her own band at Pride. The Nashville native and “local lovergirl” opened with a cover of “Tennessee Whiskey,” which paired poignantly with “Sober,” a song of her own. “No more double visions, seeing other women, I’ll focus on you,” she promised, as a growing crowd gathered around her. Dianne’s bass training and multifaceted influences bring a rich sound to her work: A reggae take on her country ballad “Better” paired perfectly with a grooving cover of Estelle’s “American Boy.”

Kyleigh kept the mellow vibes going with vulnerable, shimmering R&B. “Today I’m gonna take you on a journey through my deepest, darkest secrets,” she promised the crowd, before a set that combined covers and originals to take us through the ins and outs of her relationship with love. Performances of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love” and Rihanna’s “Kiss It Better” shone, as did her originals — like “Bad Tattoo,” a heartfelt reckoning with a toxic relationship. Between songs, a fictional radio spot for a drug called “Elsewhere” played over the speakers, while refreshing sunshowers cast rainbows over the park.

Gay Ole Opry Nashville brought a rock revue to the party, showcasing the talents of three acts in one tight, polished set. Laken Campo opened with heartfelt indie rock in shades of Gigi Perez and Phoebe Bridgers, including her recent Heated Rivalry love song “Stuck.” Lauren Horbal brought a rollicking, ’90s-influenced style with what she’s dubbed her “gay ass band,” performing cathartic odes to bad relationships and life in the service industry. Horbal and guitarist Margot Biever stayed onstage to play with Again and Again — whose tongue-in-cheek trio of tunes began with a roaring cover of the theme from The L Word and closed with a shredder about scissoring.

At 3 p.m., drag crew Glam Squad dazzled the Equality Stage. The five Nashville queens — Perplexity, Kennedy Ann Scott, Donna Sivan, Carmen Triple Cee and Ivy St. James —  burst onto the stage in costumes that reimagined Toy Story. Woody, Mrs. Potato Head, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep and an Alien hyped up the crowd. They lipsynced to iconic pop songs, wrapping up their performance with — naturally — “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” 

A few minutes after Glam Squad sashayed away, singer-songwriter Saaneah took over. The Nashville native blew away the audience with her soulful vocals and high notes. Her six-song set included great covers, but her originals really stood out, including the ferocious “At Your Service.” She slowed things down with “Just Try Me,” an emotional ballad that she introduced saying, “If you love somebody, let them know.”   

When she emerged, Nashville pop princess Molly Grace’s energy radiated through the crowd as she took command, telling us, “The only rule is to dance.” That was the overall theme of her show, aided by the incredible choreo she shared with her Lover Girls dance crew. Her set featured 15 songs running the gamut from a cover of “Lady Marmalade” to some of her earliest singles, unreleased material and her breakout songs “F.E.M.M.E” and “Heaven Sent.” While this was Grace’s first time onstage at Nashville Pride, her confident presence made it feel like she’s done this a hundred times.

In the thick of it all, over at the Rainbow Stage, soul-driven folk singer-songwriter BODHI serenaded passers by. Their raspy voice and haunting narratives were like a siren song amid the happy chaos, drawing in a crowd and offering them a moment to breathe. 

While vendors sold tie-dye T-shirts and passed out condoms, a sea of fans in rainbow tank tops and face gems gathered at the main stage for the Nashville Drag EXTRAvaganza’s production ’90s Y2GAY. Queens and kings like Chazz Sanders, Ki’Ari and Femnasty 777 dressed to impress in bright, cyber-futuristic athleticwear for a boisterous performance. That included remixes of throwback classics like Brittney Spears’ “Stronger,” keeping the crowd hyped even through a downpour.

The shower soaked the sun-baked crowd, leaving us with freshly soaked hair and skin glistening like we’d been doused with tiny jewels as we awaited the final act of the festival: Nashville’s own country-queer champion Fancy Hagood. Stepping onstage wearing jeans ripped from the upper thigh down and an armless flannel decorated not-so-sparingly with shiny rhinestones, Hagood greeted Pride with his ’90s country take on Lucie Silvas’ “My Old Habits.” 

The show was peppered with heartfelt songs from his 2024 record American Spirit and humorous anecdotes involving lake trips and LSD trips here in the South. The set was billed as “Fancy Hagood and Friends,” and with the connections he’s made with so many phenomenal artists in and around the country world, he was in fantastic company.

Recent-ish Nashville transplant She Returns From War joined in, as did Joy Oladokun, who performed a hair-raising rendition of “Sweet Symphony.” The Kentucky Gentlemen poured smooth, sultry vocals over the crowd’s clacking fans as they played the slow-dance jam “To the Moon” from last year’s Rhinestone Revolution.  

Katie Pruitt, who recently announced their next LP Fools for the Fleeting (due in September), joined Hagood for a country-pop-rock rendition of Chappell Roan’s “Casual,” and sisterly duo SistaStrings came out for a wild bluegrass rendition of the Disney classic “Colors of the Wind.” As if on cue, the rain came back to add a layer of drama to Michelle Branch’s duet with Hagood on her driving punky pop hit “Everywhere.” 

Hagood also took a moment to look out at the steps up to the state Capitol, visible from the stage, and reminded us we’ve still got work to do. 

“I’m so proud to call this home,” said Hagood. “It’s so good to be here in community with y’all. We’re here, we’re queer — and to that building right there, we’re not freaking going nowhere.”

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