Willie Nelson, a living American icon, celebrated his 90th birthday doing what he does best, playing music surrounded by friends. The 12-time Grammy-winner packed the Hollywood Bowl for the first of two nights for a show billed “Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90.”
The diverse list of those who appeared on stage to wish the Red Headed Stranger a happy birthday proved the breadth of the performer’s appeal. Guests included Snoop Dogg, Beck, Stephen Stills and Neil Young, Miranda Lambert, the Chicks, Bob Weir, Margo Price and Nathaniel Rateliff, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, George Strait, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson, the Lumineers, Ziggy Marley, Tom Jones, Lyle Lovett, Lukas Nelson, Billy Strings, Gary Clark Jr., Leon Bridges, Daniel Lanois, Edie Brickell, and Warren Haynes. Celebrity emcees included Owen Wilson, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren (!), and Jennifer Garner.
The young jam-bluegrass sensation Billy Strings kicked the marathon evening off with a version of “Whiskey River,” backed by Nelson’s band Family (audience-captured videos are online for now), but it was Neil Young who had the honor of bringing out the headliner later in the night. After he and former bandmate Stephen Stills tore through a few tunes (including a particularly ragged version of “For What It’s Worth”), Young started in on “Are There Any More Real Cowboys?” a Young-Nelson collaboration from 1982. As if in response, Nelson came out on stage to the roar of the audience.
“I want to thank all the artists who came out tonight to help celebrate whatever it is we’re celebrating,” he joked, playing up some “old man” schtick.
Nelson, who remained seated for the night (he’s 90!) then brought out George Strait for “Sing One With Willie.” If you take a look at this little clip and are wondering, “why is Willie Nelson’s guitar clearly damaged?” know that you are looking at Trigger, the hardest-working six-string in American music, Willie’s trusted companion for over 50 years.
“As a kid growing up in Texas, it seemed like there was nothing bigger than Willie Nelson,” Owen Wilson said during one of the ready-the-stage moments between guests. “And looking out at the Hollywood Bowl tonight, it still feels like there’s nothing bigger than Willie Nelson.” Producer Don Was acted as musical director for what easily could have been a chaotic night.
Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, and moved to Nashville in 1960. It was there where he found success as a songwriter, penning pillars of American music like “Night Life,” “Hello Walls,” and, most famously, “Crazy”—songs so foundational to our culture you can hardly believe there was a time before they existed, let alone that that person still walks among us. In 1972, Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, to pretty much invent the sub-genre of outlaw country with albums like Shotgun Willie, Red Headed Stranger, and The Troublemaker (before making an unexpected left turn with his twangy collection from the Great American Songbook, Stardust, a work of art for which there was almost no precedent.)
Jordan Hoffman
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