Willie Nelson has had to postpone his annual Fourth of July Picnic due to coronavirus pandemic; as a result, his team came up with Outlaw Music Festival – a touring lineup now visiting venues including Pavilion at Star Lake this weekend.
Willie Nelson & Family will lead an impressive all-star cast in country and rock ‘n’ roll royalty for an all-star 25 date tour featuring Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Billy Strings, Brittney Spencer & Celisse of Southern Avenue as headliners. Bob Dylan will join on certain dates. Additionally, Dylan & Mellencamp may join for certain dates too!
Blackbird Presents and Live Nation Concerts have collaborated to craft an unforgettable summer concert experience through this innovative touring format, boasting a mix of genres and generations that is certain to please. With an outstanding line-up and stellar performers on each bill, these shows promise an unparalleled summer concert experience for audiences in the heartland.
Willie, who was celebrating his 90th birthday as of this writing, opened the night with an array of timeless tunes from across his career. Accompanied by his band, choir of singers and wife Kristina Doherty he performed classic tunes including “I Don’t Know What It Means to Be a Man” and “Crying”.
Although he never left his seat, the legend was in top form. It was evident he was enjoying himself and that made everyone in the venue happy as well. Over time he hit all his signature songs before gathering his band and audience members for an exhilarating rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros. invited all in attendance to join in a jam-heavy rendition of Grateful Dead classic “Uncle John’s Band“. As soon as it ended, rain began falling.
Though this Outlaw Music Festival was predominantly country-oriented, Blackbird Presents did an outstanding job of mixing in jam bands that kept audiences on their feet throughout. This kept performances engaging for longer.
This weekend, Outlaw Music Festival‘s tour continues in Cleveland before traveling to several more locations during September and October. For full schedule details and ticket purchases, visit the Outlaw Music Festival website.
I found the Outlaw Music Fest one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve seen for some time, so hopefully there will be more next year! Specifically, Chicago and other cities would benefit greatly from seeing it for themselves and I hope there will be another Outlaw Music Fest next year if this goes ahead! Thanks again to all the fantastic artists involved with creating it as well as everyone who braved the elements to attend this wonderful musical performance – See you next year Outlaw Music Fest! -John Payne-Musician/Writer