Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic & Fireworks returns to Austin, TX
Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, The Mavericks, Asleep At The Wheel, and Tami Neilson The tradition continues! Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic and Fireworks is returning to Austin, TX, this time at Germania Insurance Amphitheater on July 4, 2025. America’s beloved icon Willie Nelson, who created this annual event in 1973, is bringing a star-studded lineup back to Austin, TX, featuring Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, The Mavericks, Asleep At The Wheel, and Tami Neilson.
“I’m 92 years old and I’ll be there so you have no excuse,” said Willie Nelson. “I look forward to bringing back my annual 4th of July Picnic to the city I love and sharing this special event with all my Austin fans.”
Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, March 7 at 10 AM CT at Ticketmaster.com.
In addition to eight hours of great live music, fans can expect delicious food, drinks, and fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July holiday.
GET PRESALE TICKETS STARTING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5 AT 10AM CT. USE PASSCODE: PICNIC25
Thanks so much to Paul Martell for sharing his great photos from the Outlaw Music Festival in Milwaukee. Paul has been sending me photos from concerts for years. This is show #47! for Paul.
Hello again Linda, I enjoyed the Outlaw Music Festival this past weekend and felt I should pass on some photos for you and others to enjoy again. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. Amongst all of the memories created, I recognized Mickey Raphael casually moving through the stands with a few others. I approached him and asked if I could get a picture with him. He was very gracious and so it was done. Later in the early afternoon, after Lukas had performed he too was mingling amongst those in the stands stage left. I approached him as well and he too was very receptive and gracious. Those photos are on my phone and I will try to transfer them later as they are great demonstrations of how we love them and they care for and appreciate us. (I jokingly tell all of my friends that I believe I am now part of Willie and Family. Acceptance into through commitments to his shows. That was #47 for me ? Paul
Very few artists have had the impact that Elvis Presley had on popular music in the 20th century and beyond. He was the King of Rock and Roll for a good reason. A fearless innovator, Elvis rewrote the book when it came to rock. Anything he touched turned to a hit. Elvis’ Las Vegas stints are legendary. So was his 1968 comeback special, when he was at the height of his looks and vocal power. (Remember that sizzling black leather getup he wore?) One of his songs even became a classic for another seminal figure in music, Willie Nelson.
Per Songfacts, Wayne Carson who wrote “The Letter” which became a smash for The Box Tops, was away from home on business for longer than he anticipated. His wife was pretty irked. He told her that she was always on his mind, and thus the memorable song of that title was born.
According to Songfacts via the Los Angeles Times, Carson recalled, “It just struck me like someone had hit me with a hammer. I told her real fast I had to hang up because I had to put that into a song. All that ‘Always’ was about was one long apology. I guess there are a lot of people in the world who were looking for a way to say that in a song.”
Elvis Presley recorded “You Were Always On My Mind” in 1972. It was moderately successful. But ten years after that, when Willie Nelson recorded the song, per the outlet, it “became the definitive version and the first to make the Hot 100 (#5; it was also a #1 Country hit).”
Nelson loved the tune right away. In his autobiography via Songfacts, he wrote, “‘Always On My Mind,’ bowled me over the moment I heard it, which is one of the ways I pick songs to record. There are beautifully sad songs that bowl me over… haunting melodies you can’t get out of your mind, with lines that really stick.”
Nelson wasn’t the only person who rhapsodized about it. The song was an unqualified monster hit. It was the CMA’s Single of the Year in 1982, plus it hauled in three Grammys – for Best Country Song, Song of the Year, and Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Impressive! To this day, it’s one of Nelson’s signature songs.
Paper tickets make such great souvenirs from a Willie Nelson & Family shows! The show in Duluth last night had paper tickets, picked ’em up at Will Call before the show.
DULUTH – “Willie Nelson for President 2024? proclaimed the $5 bumper stickers in the official merchandise tent Thursday night at Bayfront Festival Park.
The country music legend came to Duluth for the first time since 2011, giving his usual stump speech, er, concert. He started with the pleading “Whiskey River” and ended with the tongue-in-cheek “It’s Hard to Be Humble.”
If you’ve seen Willie in recent years, you’ve likely heard these same songs before. But there were many first-timers on Thursday like singer/songwriter Geno LaFond from Grand Marais and mining heavy equipment operator Allen Pangrac from Embarrass, Minn.
Willie Nelson is such a chill dude, he just feels like someone you’d want to hang with. Well, we can assure you that he really is as cool as you think he is. Loretta Lynn can back us up.
“Willie Nelson is what you see on TV,” she told us. “He never changes. I mean he’s just Willie all the time. He’s not a loud person. He’s really laid back, and he’s a good guy.”
And as a member of the SiriusXM family, we’ll take any opportunity to celebrate him, but especially his birthday(s).
And we say birthday(s), because fittingly, Willie Nelson was born in the middle of the night so he celebrates his birthday on both April 29 and April 30. That means we get to party through the night in his honor!
First off at 6 pm ET at Willie’s Roadhouse (Ch. 59), we’re airing a special concert from Willie Nelson & Family, including his sons Lukas and Micah, which was recorded at the recent Luck Reunion held at Willie’s private ranch in Luck, Texas. Next up is Willie’s 83rd birthday episode of Austin Outer Limits with Ray Benson at 8 pm ET. Kicking off day two of the birthday extravaganza, Willie’s daughter Paula Nelson hosts a birthday party in her father’s honor, starting at 11 am ET.
