Paula Nelson and the Guilty Pleasures put on a great show Saturday Night at Willie’s Theater. And thanks to Willie Nelson, Luck Films and Willie’s NightLife Theater, the excited fans in that little Texas town were not the only fans who got to enjoy the concert. For the first time ever, the show was streamed live all over the world, to a computer near you.
Paula is recovering from an injury to her foot from a fall off a ladder, and she came to the stage on crutches. Sitting for her set didn’t slow her down any, and she enterentertained us all with one great song after another singing our favorite songs from earlier albums.
Paula and the band also introduced new songs which will appear on their new album, which will be coming out this spring. Her new material continues in the self-revealing style of all of Paula’s music — it’s emotional, it’s personal, and she doesn’t hold back anything when she sings it. Her voice is strong and more beautiful than ever, and when she sang her songs, she just lifted the audience up and took us all with her. She is such a good singer/songwriter, and she and her band continue to rise together with their talent.
The Luck Films crew were working hard, and those of us in the audience had to behave ourselves, a little bit, to accommodate their filming. Mostly, we had to sit down, which is always hard at a concert where Paula and her band are playing, and especially when Willie Nelson shows up to join his daughter. But I think we were well behaved, for the most part.
Paula introduced her dad by pointing out that she really didn’t need to introduce him to anyone. Willie Nelson is her Papa Bear, but she has been sharing him with us fans all her life. He came on quietly, almost like any other guitar player asked to sit in with the band, but of course he wasn’t just any other guitar player and the crowd went crazy.
Paula and Willie sang the Creedence Clearwater song, ‘Have you Seen the Rain,’ which will be included on her new album. On the album, Lukas Nelson joined his dad and sister, too. It was such a treat to see Paula and Willie sing this song together; it suits both their voices and I like it better than the original, with all due respect to CCR.
It was strange seeing Willie work his amp and equipment by himself throughout the show. He always cranks up his amp during his shows for different songs, but on Saturday, he was plugging into the amp, and worked with the Willie’s Place Theater Crew getting things set up right.
I didn’t get any good pictures of Paula and her dad singing that song. I had what I thought was the best seat in the house, but I think the film crew thought so, too, because they stood right in front of me and filmed Willie and Paula. I didn’t mind, though, I was so happy to be there and loved watching them sing over the photographer’s shoulder.
I’ve heard from several people who watched the live streaming of the show, and they were thrilled to get to be a part of the concert. I haven’t heard if the show will be archived, if we can watch it or if it will be released as a video for sale. I hope so! It was a great concert.
Thanks so much to Willie’s Place Theater, and Carl’s Corner. As always, they made us feel like special guests. The sound system is great, and it is a cozy place to see a show, if you get a chance. To find out who else will be playing there, visit their site:
www.WilliesPlacetheater.com.