Archive for the ‘Shows’ Category

Willie Nelson joins Chris Stapleton’s All American Road Show

Friday, October 27th, 2023

Willie Nelson & Family in Atlantic City (August 16, 2015)

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023
AviSteinhardt

www.philly.com
by Dan DeLuca

Willie Nelson is an extraordinary octogenarian. The 82 year old Red Headed Stranger – still ponytailed, though now mostly gray –  played outdoors at the Borgata Festival Park in Atlantic City on Sunday, and he was frisky and inventive all night long.

The tour stop with openers Old Crow Medicine Show was billed as a “Willie Nelson & Family” concert, but with Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah off backing up Neil Young this summer, the only family member on stage throughout the briskly paced, 90 minute set was his piano playing older sister Bobbie.

The other band members, though – starting with drummer Paul English and harmonica player Mickey Raphael, who have both been aboard since 1973 – are so simpatico with their boss that they might as well be blood relatives. And they follow their amiable Abbot, Texas-born national treasure leader – with a beat-up gut string Martin classical guitar, nicknamed Trigger, hung around his neck with a red white and blue strap – wherever he takes them.

On this breezy evening at the spiffy Festival Park, where the crowd mellowed out on a field of Astro-Turf and marveled at the high quality bathrooms (air conditioned trailers, not port-o-potties), the masterfully understated, nasal-voiced singer led the way on a gypsy jazz tour of the country, blues and roots music that is commonly known as Americana but might just as accurately be called Willie Nelson Music.

Kicking off with his version of Johnny Bush’s “Whiskey River,” Nelson dove right in to the stream of Zen wisdom that coarses through his ragged but right body of work, calling out for “Still Is Still Moving To Me.” “I can be moving or I can be still,” the (still) always on the road singer sang. “But still is still moving to me.” The set that followed was full of forward momentum as it delivered self-penned signature songs (“Nite Life,” “Crazy,” “Always On My Mind”) that were tinged with melancholy as Nelson, as his wont, let his scratchy voice linger as he sang behind the beat, pulling out hard earned life lessons (“Love’s the greatest healer to be found”; “Little things I should have said and done, I just never took the time”) as he moved steadily along.

There were covers of favored songwriters, with Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind” slyly packaged with Billy Joe Shaver’s “Georgia On A Fast Train,” and nods to Tom T. Hall and Hank Williams. The only guitarist in the confidently ambling band, Nelson played brittle, expressive leads, saying as much, as always, with the notes he didn’t play as with those he did.

Two thirds of the way through, he got around to Django & Jimmy, his new album with old pal Merle Haggard, named after their heroes Reinhardt and Rodgers, with the jokey but well crafted “It’s All Going to Pot.” The song was a cheery crowd pleaser fro the intergenerational audience, but its puns about the passage of time and the recreational weed that Nelson’s name is synonymous with gave way to songs that each, in their own way, were about death.

Nelson brought Old Crow on stage for two spirited hymns that confront the afterlife with doubt and belief in “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” and “I’ll Fly Away.” And he also he another cheeky marijuana song – sung in the set and then reprised as an encore with his openers – that suggest that best use for his remains when he passes away: “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.”

Nashville string band Old Crow’s members switched up their instruments – guitars, banjo, mandolins, harmonicas, fiddles – throughout an hour plus set full of breakneck speed fiddle tunes and two stepping honky tonkers. Leader Ketch Secors is relentlessly energetic showman, and  he fronts a spirited unit whose fleetly-flecked idea of a good time is expressed in the song “8 Dogs, 8 Banjos” from 2014’s Remedy, which celebrated various pleasures including “hot coffee, sweet tea” and “corn whiskey, dirt weed.”

Willie and Waylon in Chicago

Wednesday, August 9th, 2023

Two big stars for ChicagoFest will be country music singers Waylon Jennings on August 8 and Wilie Nelson on Aug. 9.  Willie, who likes only Southern cooking, is bringing his own chuckwagon and chef.  Joe drives the chuckwagon with his motorhome behind it.  

Willie Nelson and Family @ Airway Heights, WA (July 31, 2011)

Monday, July 31st, 2023
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Photos by Matt Auclair

http://checkitoutmusic.com

Opening his set with “Whisky River” Willie Nelson kept the music train rolling for us on the last night of July 2011. The sun was shining down on us with the perfect breeze as the crowd sat in their seats and respectfully loved every song Willie Nelson performed for us tonight. It was a relaxing night of music, that often I caught myself swaying my hips too.  The only thing that was missing was a dance floor.

I couldn’t believe that Willie Nelson still plays “Trigger!” For those of you unfamiliar with Trigger, it is Willie Nelson’s Martin N-20 Guitar; which is so old it has a hole in it! If you can ever get close enough Trigger is even inked with over 100 signatures. Such a cool piece of Willie Nelson.

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Willie Nelson causally stood on stage singing and playing his guitar the entire night. He had a stripped down band on stage with him that featured a harmonica player, bass player, occasional piano player, and a gentlemen on a smaller drum setup. Sometimes the audience was so excited, after or even sometimes before songs would start , they would stand up and scream “We love you Willie” or wave at him. He is quite the legend to have come to Spokane.  At the age of 78 Willie’s still kickin’ right along!

Willie Nelson performed a song for Waylon and one for Hank, along with “Crazy,” “Whiskey River,” “On The Road Again,” “Still Is Still Moving to Me,” “Always On My Mind,” “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “Georgia On My Mind – Hoagy Carmichael,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Move It On Over,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Beer For My Horses” and many more. Every song sounded fantastic!

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On our way out the door a guy was telling us how pissed he was that he got kicked out from the show for his “good reefer.” We told him we were sorry, but honestly he probably could of just sat by his car and heard the last few songs… it is an outdoor venue. Besides, it’s a Willie Nelson concert no one should get kicked out for that.

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Photos courtesy of Matt Auclair.

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Willie Nelson, George Strait, Carrie Underwood & more at AT 2023

Thursday, July 13th, 2023

www.whiskeyriff.com
by: Casey Young

ATLive Announces Stacked Lineup For 2023 Event Including George Strait, Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood & More

The event, which is scheduled for October 20th and 21st, will feature country’s finest in George StraitWillie Nelson and Family and Carrie Underwood on Saturday night, in addition to a performance by Little Big Town.

Friday night features performances by artists across genres from mostly latin music.

Doug Roberts, vice-president of stadium events and premium sales, AMB Sports and Entertainment, says he can’t wait for fans to see the unique mixture of genres under one roof at Mercedes-Benz this fall.

“We are extremely excited to once again bring an incredible lineup of artists to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for ATLive.

The ATLive concert series has quickly become one of the can’t-miss concert events of the year and we look forward to welcoming fans of both Latin and Country music for two great nights at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in October.”

Tickets for each night go on sale Friday, July 21 at 10AM ET.

Willie Nelson & Family in Moorhead, MN (May 22, 2023)

Monday, May 22nd, 2023

Willie Nelson & Family opened show at the Bluestem Amphitheatre with familiar strains of “Whiskey River,” and the crowd of 3,500 were on their feet. Actually, we were already on our feet when he took the stage and waved at his fans. And the fans went crazy, so happy for chance to see Willie Nelson and Family in concert. First time or 50th time, everybody was so glad to be there.

The Bluestem is a medium sized amphitheater on the banks of the Red River, outside of Moorhead, Minnesota next door to it’s twin city to Fargo, South Dakota. Logan Metz sat in on keyboard.

I know fans go to hear Willie sing, but everyone goes home blown away by the power of Willie Nelson’s guitar playing! He is so good and his band is the best: Lukas Nelson on guitar, Billy English on Drums, Kevin Smith on bass, Mickey Raphael on harmonicas. Logan Metz sat in on keyboards. The band sounded so good.

Willie Nelson & Family in Moorhead, MN (5/22/23 – 5/23/23) SOLD OUT!

Monday, May 22nd, 2023

Bluestem Amphitheater
801 50th Ave S, Moorhead, MN

Texas icons Willie Nelson, ZZ Top team up for Whitewater concert

Sunday, April 16th, 2023

photo: Gary Miller

www.expressnews.com
by: Hector Saldana

Willie Nelson and ZZ Top together on one stage is as epic as it gets. 

Expect something big — from “Crazy” to “La Grange” — when Texas icons Nelson and ZZ Top perform at sold-out shows this weekend at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels.

Texas Monthly calls Nelson the unofficial patron saint of Texas music. ZZ Top is the sharp-dressed version.

What that makes Trigger, Nelson’s battered Martin guitar, or Gibbons’ trademark beard is anyone’s call.

The magic of the current moment is not lost on guitarist Billy Gibbons, founder of ZZ Top.

“To borrow from the late Doug Sahm — Texas me, Texas you, Texas us, or maybe just ‘Texus,’ ” Gibbons said via email when asked how he would describe the pairing — and fans’  love for it.

And when it comes to talking about legacy, Gibbons keeps it equally simple, humble and down home: “We came to play. and people liked what they heard, and our hope is that we’ll be remembered for doing that for all those decades.”

Read article here.

Willie Nelson and ZZ Top, Whitewater Amphitheater (April 13, 14)

Thursday, April 13th, 2023

Fairwell Festival, Redmond,Oregon (7/23/23)

Friday, March 31st, 2023

Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival 2023

Thursday, March 30th, 2023

Willie Nelson & Family at the Fillmore in New Orleans (February 27, 2019)

Monday, February 27th, 2023

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photo:  Joe Del Tufo

www.nola.com
by:  Doug MacCash

Willie Nelson, Gucci Mane, the Avett Brothers, and other stars are headed to New Orleans in 2019, where they’ll perform at the new second-floor nightclub at Harrah’s Casino. Inspired by San Francisco’s fabled hippie-era Fillmore theater, the new Fillmore New Orleans venue is set to open with a pair of shows by the Foo Fighters on Feb. 15-16 (both shows are already sold out).

The 2,200-capacity club will be operated by the Live Nation music production company. In a June interview, Live Nation chief operating officer for theaters and clubs Ben Weeden. Explained that though New Orleans has similarly sized venues, such as the Saenger Theater (which has a 2600 seat capacity) and the Mahalia Jackson Theater (which has room for 2,243), they are sit-down theaters that don’t provide the wide-open dance floor experience some traveling bands and music fans seek.

Weeden said that New Orleans sometimes loses out on shows that hop across the country because there’s no space available. The Fillmore New Orleans is meant to fill that void. Weeden also pointed out that Live Nation produces shows of all sizes in New Orleans, from 300-fan concerts at the House of Blues, which they operate, to occasional mega tours at the Superdome. Adding their own mid-sized venue completes the company’s “vertical integration” ladder.

Here’s the rest of the upcoming lineup:

  • Feb. 19 – Duran Duran
  • Feb. 21 – Blackberry Smoke
  • Feb. 22 – Gucci Mane
  • Feb. 25 – Cypress Hill / Hollywood Undead
  • Feb. 27 – Willie Nelson
  • March 1 – Dropkick Murphys
  • March 4 – Steel Panther
  • March 15 – The Avett Brothers
  • March 16 – The Avett Brothers
  • March 19 –  Nothing More and Of Mice And Men
  • March 29 – Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
  • April 5 – STS9
  • April 6 – STS9
  • April 19 – Chevelle
  • April 26 – The Disco Biscuits
  • April 27 – The Disco Biscuits
  • May 10 – Garbage

Willie Nelson at new Austin City Limits at New Moody Theater in Austin (February 13 & 14, 2011)

Monday, February 13th, 2023

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The new Austin City Limits studio is on Willie Nelson Boulevard – 310 W. 2nd Street, Austin. 

“In with the old, in with the new”
www.acl-live.com

by: Jackie Vega, Pamela Cosel
www.kxan.com

Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, John Mellencamp, Gipsy Kings, Tony Bennett and Jeff Beck will be among the first to grace the new Austin City Limits studio in Downtown Austin.

ACL Live at the new Moody Theater launched its website Friday morning, making the much-awaited announcement about the first round of concerts that includes two nights with the big names. The first event on the calendar is the Imagination Movers on Feb. 10.

Still, not all the shows will be broadcast as part of the “Austin City Limits” show on PBS.

“Austin City Limits” will be taped inside the new Moody Theater, but Austin City Limits Live is something entirely different – with a wide range of its own concerts that also happen inside the Moody Theater.

Beginning in March, the Moody Theater inside the W Hotel will be the new home of the historic ACL television show, which had its last run at the University of Texas’ Communications building Nov. 8 inside the familiar Studio 6A – home to the show for 36 years.

Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode of “Austin City Limits” – before the iconic Austin city skyline backdrop was installed inside the studio – so it’s only fitting that he be among the first performers inside its new state-of-the-art home all these years later. The new studio is on Willie Nelson Boulevard – 310 W. 2nd St.

While photos of the inside of the new theater are prohibited — for now — ACL Live staff gave KXAN Austin News a sneak-peek inside the venue at the W Hotel on Tuesday afternoon.

ACL Live at the Moody Theater can host 2,700 concertgoers — just shy of nine times more than the old venue.

The venue will be a mixture of the old and new. “Austin City Limits,” the TV show, will share the space with the new venue, ACL Live, soon to be a concert facility with capabilities to house large, small or private events of all kinds.

Staff is developing a show series now to include big names in the entertainment world. They’re big names that will come to Austin’s newest performing venue that features a soon-to-be-glass enclosed balcony, walkways and 25 points of sale for bars and outdoor eateries.

The worst seats in the house will be nearly as good as the best seats, with no one seat being further away than 75 feet from the platform.

The stage itself is raised only four feet from the main seating level. It measures 40 feet by 33 feet, and is surrounded on three sides by three levels: main, mezzanine/club and balcony seating.

Various group and private dressing rooms and a green room are backstage, still to be constructed with drywall, paint and flooring. A smoking area is outside backstage, and is named for Willie Nelson — Austin’s own famous musical genius, a new statue of whom will be installed outside at the bottom of the main staircase to greet visitors to this new performing hall.

Willie Nelson & ZZ Top show at Whitewater Amphiteater (April 14,15, 2023)

Monday, December 19th, 2022

www.fortworth.culturemap.com
by: Hannah J. Frias

“Shotgun Willie” may sit around in his underwear but next April, he’ll be a “Sharp Dressed Man” Taking the iconic stage at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, Willie Nelson and ZZ Top will perform together on April 14 and 15, 2023.

The shows come before ZZ Top teams up with Lynyrd Skynyrd at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena on July 29, 2023.

While Nelson is known, among many things, for his perpetual tour (think: On the Road Again), ZZ Top tours are few and far between. This will no doubt make their two-night appearance in New Braunfels all the more special, especially as Nelson approaches his 90th birthday just a few weeks after these April shows.

Nelson will be joined by his family band, albeit without his pianist and sister, Bobbie, who passed away in 2022. ZZ Top also lost a beloved member of the band in recent years when bassist and founding member Dusty Hill passed away in 2021. Elwood Francis stepped into the role for ZZ Top’s recent tours, which have included mostly Texas stops of late.

Nelson was recently nominated for four Grammys in the upcoming 65th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Country Solo Performance (“Live Forever” Willie Nelson); Best Country Song (“I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die,” along with Rodney Crowell and Chris Stapleton); Best Country Album (A Beautiful Time); and Best Roots Gospel Album (The Willie Nelson Family).

The shows will take place on Friday, April 14, and Saturday, April 15, both starting at 8 pm (doors at 6:30 pm). Tickets are already on pre-sale through the venue’s website (sign up for the venue’s newsletter to receive the pre-sale code).

Super fans can also purchase special VIP packages. A ZZ Top Gold Premium Ticket Package available directly through the venue’s ticketing site includes one GA standing ticket, early entry, a limited edition concert poster, and a copy of ZZ Top’s “RAW” Standard Edition LP.

Meanwhile, members of Nelson’s Club Luck Presale can nab a special VIP package consisting of a seated ticket with early entry, loads of exclusive Willie Nelson merchandise and keepsakes, an MP3 digital download of the live show, and more.

Willie Nelson and Family concert in Maui (12/23/22)

Monday, November 7th, 2022

www.mauinow.com

The holidays on Maui will be highlighted this year with a special Willie Nelson & Family concert Friday, Dec. 23 outside under the stars in the MACC’s A&B Amphitheater and Yokouchi Pavilion. This concert is only happening on Maui and only happening at the MACC, featuring music legend Willie Nelson joined by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Particle Kid (Micah Nelson).

The concert starts at 6:15 p.m. and gates open at 5 p.m.

Tickets go on sale online only at MauiArts.org to MACC members Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. and to the general public Saturday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.

With a seven-decade career, Willie Nelson has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor, and activist.

He continues to thrive as a relevant and progressive musical and cultural force. In recent years, he has delivered more than a dozen new albums, released a Top 10 New York Times’ bestselling book, again headlined Farm Aid, an event he co-founded in 1985, been honored by the Library of Congress with their Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, received his 5th degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul, headlined the annual Luck Reunion food and music festival during SXSW, launched his cannabis companies Willie’s Reserve and Willie’s Remedy, and graced the covers of Rolling Stone and AARP The Magazine.

In July 2020, Willie released his album First Rose of Spring – an atmospheric soulful showcase of beautifully written songs and poignant performances.

September 2020 brought a memoir with his sister and pianist Bobbie Nelson titled, Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of The Family Band.

For 2021, he released a new studio album That’s Life, Willie’s second album of standards and classics made famous by Frank Sinatra (his first, 2018’s My Way, earned Willie the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album). In June 2021, a collection of his thoughts on America, family, faith and music hit shelves as a new book titled Willie Nelson’s Letters to America. In November 2021, Nelson released the new studio album, The Willie Nelson Family, a collection of country gospel-flavored songs performed by Willie’s Family Band.

April 2022 brought another new studio album, A Beautiful Time, which includes a variety of newly-written future pop-country classics including five new Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon compositions. These creative endeavors as well as new songs and performances that add to his classic catalog, find Willie Nelson rolling at an artistic peak, writing and singing and playing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that comes from the road.

One of the finest, in-demand rock ‘n’ roll ensembles working today, Lukas Nelson & POTR (Promise of the Real) have been bringing their powerful, joyous live show to concert stages everywhere. The live shows promise well-known POTR hits alongside new favorites, with a recent review proclaiming “[their] set was nothing short of inspired.”

Fresh off the band’s success with 2019’s Turn Off The News (Build A Garden), in 2021 their widely acclaimed studio album, A Few Stars Apart — with standout singles Perennial Bloom (Back To You) and Wildest Dreams — once again catapulted POTR to #1 on the Americana albums charts for seven non-consecutive weeks. Declared “His best album, yet” by Rolling Stone, A Few Stars Apart is Lukas Nelson’s testament to finding a human connection: between close family and friends, as well as one’s own heart.

“The game, for me, is to find a unique way of expressing something that we all feel,” said Nelson. “In spite of being influenced by so many different types of music and musicians, country music, in particular, seems to pull the strongest. Country songs can really get you in the gut, you know? And the simplicity on the surface, with the underlying complexity, fascinates me.”

Lukas Nelson & POTR (bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony LoGerfo, percussionist Tato Melgar, and multi-instrumentalist Logan Metz) have wowed audiences and won fans with their fiery stage performances and singular sound, which smoothly straddles rock & roll, country, soul, folk and R&B. Since their debut over a decade ago, the band has toured relentlessly, playing countless sold-out one-night shows and festivals around the world, and occasionally serving as Neil Young’s road band. Nelson also co produced the Grammy-winning music for 2018’s lauded A Star Is Born film.

Composer/multi-media artist Micah Nelson has a remarkable output that spans the creative spectrum unlike few others. The Los-Angeles based visionary, who produces art under the moniker Particle Kid, finds no boundaries in his creativity. Particle Kid has also released six albums of his original music, including his April 2022 release Time Capsule, a 26-song musical journey through time, space, and consciousness. It features guest appearances from Jim James, Sean Ono Lennon, J Mascis, Margo Price, The Lovely Eggs, and Micah’s dad Willie Nelson on three tracks including Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven). His previous albums – self-titled debut Particle Kid, Everything Is Bull#hit, Particle War, Window Rock, Live!

Underground – are just part of the catalog of work Nelson has amassed with other artists and musicians. He often joins his brother’s band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and is part of Neil Young’s band, touring and recording with Young as well as part of his full-length film Paradox. For Record Store Day in 2018, he released Lucky Wheel, a split 12” vinyl collaboration with punk legend and X co-founder John Doe. He created the cover art on Willie’s recent studio album First Rose of Spring. (Willie coined Micah “Particle Kid,” when he misspoke a “prodigal son” greeting.) On tour year round, Particle Kid has headlined shows around the world as well as opened for The Flaming Lips, Tinariwen, Margo Price, and Sheryl Crow, and been part of the lineup for Luck Reunion, UTOPiAfest, and the Outlaw Music Festival.

This concert is presented by Bill Silva and BAMP Project.

Tickets are $55 (GA), $65, $85, $125, and $195 (Gold Circle), all plus applicable fees. Gold Circle tickets offer premium seating and exclusive access to the Yokouchi Pavilion bars and restrooms. Tickets go on sale online only to MACC members first Wednesday, November 9 at 10 a.m. and to the general public Saturday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. To become a MACC member and receive advance purchase privileges among other benefits, log on to MauiArts.org/membership. MACC members at the ‘Ohi‘a Level and above qualify for advance ticket purchases and ticket limits apply.

All ticket sales are online only at MauiArts.org. The MACC Box Office is not open for window sales but is available for ticketing inquiries only Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., by phone at 808-242-SHOW (7469) or email boxoffice@mauiarts.org.