I saw Willie Nelson perform on Sunday, and here’s something I didn’t realize about Willie until he walked out on stage: He’s 88 years old.
88! And still performing live, currently on a 14-stop tour over two months in 10 states!
Now, at that age, nobody’s expecting Willie Nelson to go out and play a marathon set. But I was impressed by the way Willie still found a way to put on a great show:
• He limited the set list to an hour — he’s played about 11 songs per night on the 2021 tour so far, instead of what had been 17 song sets pre-pandemic, per data on Setlist.fm.
• He loaded the lineup with not one but three openers, stretching what would be a normal concert into a six-hour-long festival.
• He toured with his son, J. Micah Nelson, and let him take lead on a few songs. (Willie’s kids can really play, so fans didn’t mind Willie taking a step out of the spotlight for a few minutes.)
• He didn’t waste much time with banter, saying a few words between songs — or just moving right into the next number.
All in all, it meant a set with a lot of hits and very little filler. I’m sure Willie would love to have the energy of a younger artist, able to go out and play for 2+ hours as a headliner. But he’s 88, and he’s got some limitations — and he still found a way to make it work.
As Willie sang that night: He’s still not dead, and still on the road. Impressive stuff.
———
———
That’s a photo I took of Willie and his band on September 12, 2021, in Saratoga Springs, New York.