Willie Nelson: Outlaw Music Festival (Mystic Lake Amphitheater, Shakopee, MN 9/19/26)

I approached seeing Willie Nelson at his Outlaw Music Festival as the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae that was the other six festival acts. My wife and I had low expectations for Willie – the last time we saw him in 2019 was a poor performance (to Willie’s defense, he was hospitalized a few days later with pneumonia). Recent recordings have displayed that Willie’s vocals are in decline. We considered skipping his set, but stayed out of honor to a truly American musical institution and living legend (and let’s face it, there can’t be many Willie performances left). We were pleasantly surprised by his performance. Granted, he remained seated for the performance; his voice was weak, his guitar playing muted, and he was heavily supported by “the family,” yet the spark was still there: I got goosebumps several times throughout the hour-long performance.

The show opened with Willie singing his classic “Whiskey River,” and it was rough. You could barely hear him. I could not tell whether his sound team had a problem or were intentionally hiding his voice by keeping the volume low. Eventually, Willie’s voice grew stronger and/or the sound was adjusted. We were no longer distracted by this and could enjoy the show.

The playlist (see below) featured Willie classics and some curveballs, like a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe,” which really works as a Willie song. It is a song about love, gratitude, and the briefness of life.

Lukas Nelson took the lead on his song “(Forget About) Georgia,” which worked perfectly in the context of this set. Lukas told the background: he had broken up with a lady named Georgia, yet had to perform the standard “Georgia” with Willie. Next, Micah Nelson sang his song “Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven),” with Willie delivering the punchline:

Micah: And if I die when I’m high
I’ll be halfway to heaven

Willie: Or I might have a long way to fall

Overall, the setlist was a wink to the audience that Willie understands this is likely the last time you will see him, and he hopes you are ok with that (he seems ready, but not impatient).

Willie doesn’t have much in the tank, but he can leverage what he has to create great drama. For example, on “You Were Always on My Mind,” he used pauses to heighten tension and emphasize the regret in the lyrics.

Willie is an underrated guitar player with a jazzy aesthetic. I assumed that he had lost his ability and that his guitar, Trigger, was merely a prop at this stage of his career. But in the second half of the set he squeezed out some tasty guitar solos. The big screen zoomed in on his hands, and they were remarkably dexterous. When his son Micah took a noisy solo on “Everything Is Bullshit,” and the camera zoomed in on his hands, I was shocked by how similar Willie’s (age 93) and Micah’s (age 36) hands looked (the circle remained unbroken).

My wife and I were deeply moved by Willie’s performance and were grateful we had stayed to witness the set. The cringe of the beginning of the set made the payoff of the rest of the set that much sweeter. The bonus of the performance was that each time Willie finished a song and received an ovation, he would respond with a wry smile we will never forget. A truly magical performance.

Setlist:

1. Whiskey River
2. Stay a Little Longer (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys cover)
3. Bloody Mary Morning
4. I Never Cared for You
5. (Forget About) Georgia (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real cover)
6. Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven) (Particle Kid, AKA Micah Nelson, cover)
7. Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
8. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
9. On the Road Again
10. You Were Always on My Mind
11. Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings cover)
12. Georgia (on My Mind)
13. Just Breathe (Pearl Jam cover)
14. Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson cover)
15. Everything Is Bullshit (Particle Kid cover)
16. Last Leaf (Tom Waits cover)
17. Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
18. Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
19. I’ll Fly Away