Noah Kahan, NEEDTOBREATHE, Stephen Sanchez serenade another rainy day at Pilgrimage Fest

The weather couldn't decide what it wanted to do on Sunday. Just as clouds would part and a sliver of sun would shine down on attendees of Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival , a black cloud would float over and open up, soaking the crowd for what felt like the hundredth time.

But in true festival fashion, attendees simply broke out their clear plastic ponchos (and even sunglasses, at times) and continued enjoying the musical lineup organizers had planned for the day.

We spent the day visiting as many stages as possible and have compiled our top musical moments from Sunday's festival.

Noah Kahan teases possible last show ever

Noah Kahan posted on his Instagram story midday on Sunday, "Last show tonight, Pilgrimage. Let's finish strong."

And that he did.

"This is our 225th show in two years," Kahan told the Pilgrimage crowd shortly after taking the Midnight Sun stage. "I am so grateful to everybody that listened to my music and supported me. I don't know if I'll be back here on a headlining stage, so if I'm not, let's make this the best f*ing last show ever."

Donning festival braids and a guitar, Kahan and his band rolled through favorites "Dial Drunk," "New Perspective," "Everywhere Everything," "Maine," "You're Gonna Go Far," "Northern Attitude," and of course, "Stick Season."

After playing a few songs, Kahan told the crowd he wanted to read some of the signs in the crowd. He saw one indicating the holder had come from Australia to see him play.

"You came from Australia to see this show?" Kahan asked. "I was just there. Oh ... you missed that one? Well, thanks for coming all this way."

Another sign read: "I'll trade you two Snickers bars for a guitar pick." Kahan asked: "You got them on you?" And a trade commenced.

Just when it seemed Kahan was going to miss so many great opportunities to have one of his many collaborators join him as a surprise guest on stage, during the encore he brought out indie folk singer Ashe to help him shut it down with "Stick Season."

"This may be the last time ever, y'all, so let's get sticky," Kahan said.

NEEDTOBREATHE gets the crowd dancing with a rotation of special guests

NEEDTOBREATHE 's drummer, Randall Harris, made an especially heroic effort to get to Pilgrimage this year. He and his family live in the Asheville, North Carolina area, which was devastated by historic flooding as the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved over the Southeast this week.

Harris and his family are all safe, and he managed to drive to Charlotte, North Carolina, to catch a flight and make the festival.

The rock band, which got its start on the Christian music circuit, has proven to have staying power for nearly 25 years now. The set featured a few pop-up guests, including Matthew Ramsey from Old Dominion, who joined lead singer Bear Rinehart for "Wasting Time."

Before launching into "No Excuses," Rinehart talked about how it was a song that flipped the script for him at a time he felt stuck and tired of writing about the same things.

"It was like I was writing it back to myself," he said.

The band got the crowd dancing with familiar hit "Girl Named Tennessee."

And what NEEDTOBREATHE set would be complete "Brother," their hit song that went platinum? Judah and the Lion members Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald joined the band on stage to close out the set a few minutes before 8 p.m. The crowd quickly began the hike across the grounds to catch Noah Kahan, who closed out the two-day festival.

Stephen Sanchez proves he is a rock star — and a gentleman

In arguably one of the most entertaining performances of the weekend, Stephen Sanchez pulled all the tricks out of his bag. There were moments of Frank Sinatra combined with moments of Jerry Lee Lewis and even Elvis, but delivered in a way that's all Sanchez.

After his announcer introduced him, Sanchez and the band opened with their viral hit "Evangeline."

Sanchez, clad in a dark suit and tie complete with a tie clip, monogrammed cuffs and shiny dress shoes and topped with a modern take on a pompadour, showed the crowd that class and rock star can coexist.

Just a few songs into his set, the crowd saw something they hadn't seen yet throughout the weekend: the sun.

"Y'all braving the rain and now sun and apparent heat?" Sanchez joked.

During his song "Most of All," Sanchez spotted something in the crowd and abruptly stopped the music.

"Stand by, folks," he said, clearly watching some sort of medical incident at the front of the crowd. "You alright, my dear? We'll just take a moment. It's OK, guys."

Once the crowd member was taken care of, he asked everyone to give her a round of applause before launching into "Be More." Sanchez then jumped into the pit and made his way up and down, waving and singing to the fans at the front risking another girl passing out at the sheer sight of Sanchez up close.

After blazing through a blistering version of Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman," and a new song Sanchez said they wrote while on tour, "Still Burning," the band closed it out with "Georgia." He invited the crowd to sing along. And, of course, they knew every word.

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Stephen Wilson Jr. times the rain perfectly

Stephen Wilson Jr. opened his set by greeting the crowd with "Happy Sunday! What a beautiful congregation we have here." Then via his deep voice and mad guitar skills, proceeded to bring the house down with songs about his rural Southern Indiana hometown and his late father.

"I was raised by a hillbilly," he told the crowd. "We have any hillbillies in the house? My dad taught me to make squirrel meat taste good. Can I get an amen?"

Then he moved into "Billy," the song that says: "You can call me Billy, but the hills come with me."

Wilson Jr. switched between two beat-up, old — and clearly irreplaceable — acoustic guitars that had been well loved and played nearly threadbare.

Then just as the skies opened up and began sprinkling the crowd with the first rain of his set, Wilson Jr. asked them if he could play a sad song.

"Looks like the rain showed up just in time, " he said. "I lost my dad six years ago. He was my best friend and my hero and his last words to me were: 'Write a good song for me.' I've been trying ever since and this is for my daddy. It's called 'My Father's Son.'"

The song is beautifully written and carries a message his dad is certain to be proud of.

Grace Bowers and the Hodge Podge kick off music at the Midnight Sun Stage

Nashville-based musician Grace Bowers and her band The Hodge Podge kicked off the day's music at the Midnight Sun stage on Sunday. Bowers joked that she only had a 15-minute drive to get to the stage.

That was right before she and her band tore it up.

They ripped through original song "Tell Me Why You Do That," and even wove in a little "We Want the Funk" in between other songs. Fronted by two powerhouse singers, their voices combined with the excellent musicianship on stage. The band showed they may be playing the early set this year — but hang on, because it won't be long before they have a prime spot and people who saw the show Sunday will be able to say "I saw them back when ..."

Bowers' backstory: Not your typical 17-year-old: Guitar virtuoso Grace Bowers rocks out to hair metal, blues

The band closed out their set with a song that was equal parts soft, touching and extremely powerful. Before they played the original "Wine on Venus," Bowers shared the story behind the song.

"Before my grandmother died, she told us not to worry about her because she would be drinking wine on Venus because it's the brightest star," she told the crowd. "I just thought that was the coolest, so I went and wrote a song about it."

After Bowers blasted through her solo, she sat down in an effort to give the spotlight to her band and singers.

I think it's safe to say that grandma raised her glass.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Noah Kahan, NEEDTOBREATHE, Stephen Sanchez serenade another rainy day at Pilgrimage Fest