www.stillisstillmoving.com

www.luckreunion.com

It’s been a Long year, but as it turns out, Luck is on our side. We’re pleased to announce that this fall we will be hanging out on the lawn with our old friends at The Long Center.

We’re joining forces with The Long Center for the first time to celebrate what we both care so deeply about: Austin’s creative culture. Our beloved artists are a part of it. You’re a part of it. We’re a part of it. Let’s come together to responsibly showcase what a bright spot the Live Music Capital of the World is to us all.

Join us as we bring the hill country spirit of Luck, TX to the Long Center Lawn, and let’s all remember what our community is capable of when we do it together. 

Join us as we bring the hill country spirit of Luck, TX to the Long Center Lawn, and let’s all remember what our community is capable of when we do it together. 

As a Luck subscriber, you’ll be the first to know event details and when tickets go on sale. Tickets will be limited and sold in pre-marked, socially-distanced squares on the lawn that each accommodate 4 people. Masks will be required.

As a Luck subscriber, you’ll be the first to know event details and when tickets go on sale. Tickets will be limited and sold in pre-marked, socially-distanced squares on the lawn that each accommodate 4 people. Masks will be required.

www.RollingStone.com
by: Patrick Doyle

The eighth annual Luck Reunion was supposed to draw around 4,000 people to Willie Nelson’s Texas ranch this week, with a lineup that included Nelson, Lucinda Williams, John Prine, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, and more. Those plans, of course, went out the window due to COVID-19.

Instead of canceling altogether, the small Luck Team — headed up by founders Matt Bizer and Ellee Fletcher — decided to get creative, reviving the festival as a livestream concert, with performers broadcasting from their homes for charity. The result was more impactful than any traditional festival could have been. With Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson hosting from Austin’s Arlyn Studios, artists checked in from around the world: Tami Neilson belted a fiery set from a record store in New Zealand; Paul Simon, Edie Brickell, and their daughter Lulu harmonized the Everly Brothers’ “Dream” with Woody Harrelson in Hawaii. The format was endearingly loose — the perfect reminder that we are all in this together.

Artists performed from their homes, with minimal production. Williams played a sparse, electrifying set from her home, under a painting of Jesus with an electric guitar. It was unclear if she knew she was being filmed between songs, but her banter with her band — likening the coronavirus to roaches (“There’s an old saying back home in Louisiana: You can live in a mansion or a shack, you’re still going to have roaches”) — felt like the beginnings of a song. Margo Price and husband Jeremy Ivey tried out some gorgeous new songs at their home piano, with a baby monitor close by. (They gave a window into their family dynamic; after Ivey made some dad jokes, Price rolled her eyes. “He hasn’t even had any weed,” she said.) Price also shouted out Fiona Prine, who was originally supposed to be at Luck with husband John, but is now at home in Nashville recovering from the virus. Tre Burt fingerpicked a powerful set of ballads despite a grainy camera connection. Nikki Lane apologized to viewers that she hadn’t turned in the music video she’d put together for the broadcast in time, and then filmed it playing from her computer with her iPhone. It didn’t matter; it was still great.

How did they pull it off? “We set up a mini TV studio, pulled together by friends,” founder Bizer explains. “Essentially, I screened people that called in on their Skypes, etc., and then pushed them over to an engineer with multiple feeds, and he switched between them all. Sort of a tiny team effort.” Bizer had a call with Paul Simon the day before, who needed to pre-tape his performance due to a shaky internet connection. (“They were all so sweet,” Bizer says.) That was when Simon decided to invite his neighbor Harrelson over at the last minute. “He was like, ‘I’m gonna go next door and invite Woody,’” Bizer says.

“Catastrophes seem to favor us,” says Fletcher, recalling a vicious storm that threatened the festival a few years ago. “We thought the crazy storm year of Luck in 2016 ended up being the most memorable and special of them all, but weirdly the year of no Luck is pretty up there for us. It was just really special to see our team rallying around this superfast idea, our fans coming to the plate to donate to artists, and our creative community coming together to just try to create a bright spot in this weird-ass time.”

Some artists called in for surprise performances. Neil Young performed a gorgeous fireside version of 1974’s “Vampire Blues,” one of the few times he’s performed it acoustically. But the highlight was Willie, Lukas, and Micah Nelson. Sitting in the Texas living room where they grew up playing music together, they launched into Willie’s main live opener, “Whiskey River.” WiIlie’s voice was strong, and he looked thrilled to be at work again. (“Dad would never have [taken time off], and we would have never had this time if we had not been forced to,” Lukas told RS.)

“Stay safe and stay sober,” Willie told his viewers before cracking up. Next, his sons played their own originals: Micah played “Everything Is Bullshit”; and Lukas played his moving ballads, “Set Me Down on a Cloud” and “Just Outside of Austin.” (“That’s a good song,” his father told him.) Lukas wrapped with “Turn Off the News (and Build a Garden),” which includes the line: “I just want to love you while I can/All these other thoughts have me confused/I don’t need to try and understand/Maybe I’ll get up, turn off the news.”

“Watching the broadcast go so well last night really gave me hope that the musical world will be able to be a major healing force and remind us not to lose our humanity during this time,” says Lukas. “As soon as this is over and it’s safe, I’m going to run out and hug friends, kiss them, and be more grateful for the physical act of love than I ever have. I hope to see many pictures like the famous kiss at the end of World War II.”

The Luck Reunion is still available to stream on Twitch. Venmo donations went to the artists and their favorite charities; at press time, they raised more than $190,000.

www.JamBase.com
by: Scott Bernstein

Organizers of the Luck Reunion “anti-festival” have put together Til Further Noticce, a live stream event that will start on Thursday, March 19 at 6 p.m. CT via the Luck Reunion’s website and Twitch. Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson, Nathaniel Rateliff and Jewel are among the performers confirmed to participate.

Micah Nelson, Paul Cauthen, Margo Price & Jeremy Ivey, Randy Houser, David Ramirez, Tre Burt, Ian Ferguson, Devon Gilfillian, Early James, Sunny War and Ida Mae are also aboard for Til Further Notice with more to be announced. Luck Reunion was originally slated to take place at Willie Nelson’s famed Luck Ranch in Luck, Texas on Thursday, March 19 but was canceled due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

Those performing for Till Further Notice, which is expected to span four hours, will play call-in sets filmed at their own homes by the artists themselves. “Everyone in our community is gutted. We are gutted. We couldn’t just sit around on Thursday when our event was supposed to take place, knowing that other producers and artists in our industry are also isolated and out of work. This is our effort to bring back a bit of the Luck spirit, and to try to raise money for the people and charities we care about so deeply,” said Matt Bizer, co-founder of Luck Productions in a statement.

While the live stream will be free, viewers are encouraged to contribute via a digital tip jar. “Tip donations raised will be divided equally, and transparently, among all performers. Should an artist wish to donate their share to a charity of their choice, or to a fellow artist in need, they will be able to do so,” notes a press release.

Turn out the lights.
The party’s over.

We’re lucked if we don’t…for now.

We are devastated to announce that today we were notified by Travis County officials that Luck Reunion 2020 must be rescheduled. We agree with the decision and stand with the county in taking all precautions to protect your health and safety first.

We plan to introduce additional programming and are in the process of deciding how to best proceed. We will honor any tickets purchased this year for what we anticipate will be a fantastic 2021 Luck Reunion.

This is a blow to our business, workers, community of artists, sponsors, and most all you, our loyal friends and fans.

We will pick up the pieces together and continue to support local businesses in our shared commitment to good music and art.

For ticketholders looking for further information on deferring tickets please contact support@amplitix.com

Thank you for all your support and understanding. We’re not done yet.

Travis County officials confirm the music event Luck Reunion at Willie Nelson’s Luck Texas Ranch is on. The festival will go on, even though Austin’s SXSW music and tech festival have been cancelled, the first time since it started 34 years ago.

The county reevaluated the event’s permit request, and felt it met the county’s new terms.

Hi Linda, thanks for checking in! Official statement from Luck is below:

We’re lucked if we do, lucked if we don’t. 

We are working diligently with Travis County officials regarding Luck Reunion 2020. We are still in conversation with officials and plan to share more information next week.
The safety of our fans and community is of the utmost importance to us. Please be patient with us as we work through this unique challenge.