The legendary red headed stranger made a tour stop at Western New York’s Artpark in Lewiston on Saturday night. It was a beautiful night jam-packed with both melodic and outlaw country music. Willie Nelson took the stage shortly after 9:30 PM and opened up with “Whiskey River.” Fans of all ages were standing up and cheering as Willie Nelson struck the first note on his famed Martin N-20 “Trigger.” Nelson and Trigger really got into their groove a few songs in with “Beer for My Horses.”
With six decades of music behind him, Willie performed a mix of classics and cover tunes and even new original material from his upcoming album ‘Band of Brothers’ scheduled to be released later this month. The title track, “Band of Brothers, Sisters and Whatever” was a real treat. With so much to cover, there wasn’t much talk. In fact, Willie performed a whopping 25 song medley with complete fluidity from one song to the next. While this performance is certainly something to see, close your eyes for a moment and take a trip back in time. See it, feel it and experience the “family” band. Classic riffs coupled with Willie’s sing-speak style, continuous tempo changes and pieces of songs all meshed together like the fabric of this outlaw country legend’s bandanna. Speaking of his bandanna, he took it off during “Shoeshine Man” and tossed it into the audience. He put on a new one and periodically replaced it, each time giving the worn one to an adoring fan.
During “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” members of the opening acts on this triple bill joined Willie Nelson on the stage for an encore performance. Willie then introduced “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” as a Gospel song. A standing ovation continued throughout the final number “I Saw The Light.” When Willie Nelson finished singing, the band played on as he shook hands with and signed autographs for his fans.
The triple bill began with Kacey Musgraves. She’s a refreshing young artist with solid vocals, fun lyrics, and a tight backing band donning matching western suits. During their final song, a harmonious vocal version of “Happy Trails,” they literally turned themselves on by lighting up their matching suit coats.
Perfectly placed between Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson was Alison Krauss and Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas on a particularly shiny dobro. They played all acoustic with two guitars, an upright bass and Krauss with her fiddle. The musicianship for this portion of the evening was nothing short of amazing. Her song selection included pieces that have spanned her career, including a heavy dose from the soundtrack for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” This was another treat because I was not previously aware that band member Dan Tyminski was George Clooney’s singing voice in the movie. The second set, a four song encore, included hits “When You Say Nothing At All” and “Whiskey Lullaby.” Personally, I loved it when they gathered around a single microphone in true Bluegrass fashion and brought it home with “Down to the River and Pray.”
This concert brought generations of country music together and was simply a great night of entertainment.
Willie Nelson setlist:
Whiskey River
Still is Still Moving to Me
Beer For My Horses
Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings cover)
Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys (Ed Bruce cover)
Funny How Time Slips Away (Billy Walker cover)
Crazy
Night Life
Down Yonder
Me and Paul
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Georgia On My Mind
Shoeshine Man
-Instrumental-
Jambalaya (On the Bayou – Hank Williams cover)
Hey Good Lookin’ (Hank Willams cover)
Move it on Over (Hank Williams cover)
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
On the Road Again
Always on My Mind (Brenda Lee cover)
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Band of Brothers, Sisters and Whatever (new song)
Will the Circle be Unkbroken
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
I Saw The Light
Alison Krauss and Union Station setlist:
Let Me Touch You for Awhile
Dust Bowl Children
-Instrumental-
The Lucky One
Baby, Now That I Found You
Ghost In This House
Rain Please Go Away
Sawing On The Strings
Wild Bill Jones
Every Time You Say Goodbye
American Tune (Paul Simon Cover)/Spain (Chick Corea Cover)- Dobro Solo
Hey Brother
The Boy Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn
Paper Airplane
Man of Constant Sorrow
Encore:
When You Say Nothing At All
Whiskey Lullaby
Down to the River to Pray
Your Long Journey
Kacey Musgraves setlist:
Trailer Song
Stupid
Silver Lining
High Time
It Is What It Is
I Just Want to Dance with You (George Strait cover)
Merry Go ‘Round
Follow Your Arrow
Happy Trails (Roy Rogers cover)
Photos by Gus Griesinger. We would like to thank Elaine Shock of Shock Inc. PR for the credentials to review the show.
