Country Singer Nate Smith Calls Rain-Soaked Festival Performance the 'Best Show Moment' of His Career (Exclusive)

Rachel DeSantisTue, June 30, 2026 at 9:16 PM UTC

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Nate Smith at Dauphin's CountryfestCredit: @mikey.photograph -

Nate Smith's headlining set at Dauphin's Countryfest was interrupted twice due to severe weather and a tornado warning

Despite the interruptions, Smith performed an acoustic song in the rain, calling it the best moment of his career

Dauphin's Countryfest is Canada's longest-running country music festival and featured artists like Jelly Roll and Tyler Hubbard

Nate Smith didn't let a little rain put a damper on his headlining set at Dauphin's Countryfest this weekend.

The country singer rolled with the punches after his performance at the Canadian festival was interrupted just four songs into his set on Sunday, June 28, due to a tornado warning and lightning.

When the crowd received the all clear after taking shelter, Smith, 40, returned to the stage to sing "Bulletproof," "Fix What You Didn't Break" and a cover of Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" — only to be told that the weather was taking a turn again.

"I looked up at the sky, saw lightning and it started pouring. In my ears, my team said, 'Nate, we gotta pull it,'" Smith tells PEOPLE. "I said, ‘How in the hell am I supposed to walk away from 10,000 screaming fans for the second time?'"

As the crowd chanted "One more song!," Smith rolled up his sleeves, grabbed an acoustic guitar and shared a special intimate moment with the drenched — but pumped up — crowd.

"It was the closest I've ever felt to the crowd and without a doubt the best show moment of my live career so far," he says.

Nate Smith performing in the rainCredit: @mikey.photograph

Dauphin's Countryfest is Canada's longest-running country music festival, and took place this year from June 25-28. Other performers included Jelly Roll, Tyler Hubbard, Cameron Whitcomb and Brett Kissel.

While backstage during the pause, Smith shared a video to Instagram apologizing for the hiccup.

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"I wanna get back on stage so bad, and I'm so sorry, guys, that we had to… It was out of my control," he said. "We're just waiting. So keep waiting and hopefully here in a few minutes we'll hear something and we can get the show going. I was having so much fun with you guys hanging out in the pit and stuff."

He later shared a second video to Instagram before taking the stage again, saying he was "so fired up."

Nate Smith performing in the rainCredit: Courtesy of Nate Smith

"It's gonna be a way better show even than it was before," he said. "I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

Smith previously opened up to PEOPLE in July 2025 about turning his life around after a period of overeating, drinking too much and sinking into depression.

"I didn't like the way I looked. I didn't like the way I felt. I didn't like how I was out of breath all the time and how I'd get dizzy just tying my shoes," he said. "I felt like I was slowly killing myself, and I didn't know what to do about it."

The star embarked on a successful weight loss journey and cut back on alcohol.

"I'm happier and more confident," he said. "It's changed the way I perform onstage. I have a lot more energy."

He released his second studio album, California Gold, in 2024.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”