Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Party at the Hollywood Bowl

Just want to take a moment to share some thoughts from Willie Nelson's 90th birthday show at the Hollywood Bowl. It took me a week to digest the cultural specialness of the experience.

How often do we, collectively, as an audience, get to celebrate an American music icon who seemingly transcends the boundaries of space and time? I'm still pinching myself over it.

At this point in my life (late 30s), I'm a pretty seasoned concert-goer. Last year, I went to 18 big shows, excluding smaller acts here and there around Los Angeles. I collect and cherish these experiences like an avid birdwatcher meticulously logs rare and captivating ornithological sightings, each one a unique and treasured encounter, enriching my life's tapestry with every memorable observation.

In the realm of concerts, Willie's 90th celebration resembled a journey to a remote land, indulging in a rare and exotic gastronomic treasure, savoring each morsel and the ambiance of the moment, only to truly appreciate its distinctiveness once back home, trying to articulate the experience to others.

I'm so lucky.

Maggie and I landed tickets to the show in the pre-sale. I constantly strike out at scoring tickets to high demand events, so I'll chalk this up to Lady Luck - I was in Vegas the morning the tickets went on sale at a conference. I think the WiFi at the Palazzo worked in my favor.

At one point in the lead up to the weekend, I saw a two pack of tickets for the show reselling for $3000 on StubHub. There was some serious demand to be there IRL.

My Journey with Willie: From High School to Hollywood Bowl

I've caught Willie live two other times before. Prior to his 90th birthday throwdown, a couple of years ago at the Hollywood Bowl on the Outlaw Tour with Sturgil Simpson, Margo Price, and Phil Lesh.

In high school, I saw him open up for Phil Lesh and Friends on a rainy Saturday in July at Hershey Park. It was a classic Willie show, bookending with "Whiskey River", weaving in staples like "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Crazy", "Nightlife", and all the usual covers like "Me and Bobby McGee", "City Of New Orleans", and "Pancho & Lefty". A memory that sticks out from that show is the diversity of the crowd - people of all ages, wearing Willie Nelson t-shirts and hallmark red bandanas, belting out the lyrics to "Whiskey River", cranked loud as hell on the stadium's PA.

It was my first taste of outlaw country music live - a raw and electrifying experience that made me forever a fan of a genre that thumbs its nose at the ridiculousness of Nashville's good 'ole boy music gatekeeping. It was a moment where it clicked: Like Yosemite, Route 66, and a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western, Willie Nelson is a national treasure, part of a soundtrack that absorbs its way into the soul of the American experience.

Willie Nelson's Timeless Tunes

Let me wax for a second here, then I'll shut the hell up and get into the show itself.

Willie's tunes thunder through generations like a desert freight train, uniting folks with iconic jams like "On the Road Again," "Always on My Mind," and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." Gritty, emotive, and unapologetically American – his music captures the essence of love, loss, and dreams. It paints vivid scenes of ephemeral romance, expansive horizons, and rowdy watering holes. The essence of Willie's art tugs at our heartstrings yet leaves our toes tapping while playfully tipping his hat to human vice:

Playing poker, puffing on joints, and whiskey-fueled good times. It's the Willie Nelson canon in a nutshell.

Celebrating a Music Icon: Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Show

I tried to do my best to document each night of the showcase on Twitter, in real time. I also gave a tour of the Hollywood Bowl's many wonderful escalators over on my Instagram. I'm thinking about making escalator tours on my adventures my silly signature "thing".

It was a hoot to share the going-ons of the evenings. The show was being filmed for release down the road and not live streamed, so it was fun to share the theater of it all in the digital realm.

While trying to share the moment, I also unintentionally captured someone trying to do a Bart Simpson-style slide down a Hollywood Bowl railing on Sunday night and pwning themselves. Watch the guy in the LAX hoodie. It makes me chuckle:

Wipeout!

Anyway!

Each night opened with Billy Strings ripping through "Whiskey River", staying true to the classic Willie Nelson format. Each night concluded with an "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" sing-a-long with the whole evening's ensemble on the stage. Some of the MCs over the two nights included stars of stage and screen like Texans Ethan Hawke, Owen Wilson, and Woody Harrelson, along with Jennifer Garner and dame Helen Mirrem.

Musically, the all-star lineup couldn't possibly have been more eclectic.

Willie's buddies and their family members from over the years were all there: Kris Kristofferson singing "Loving Her Was Easier" with Roseanna Cash. Willie's sons, Lucas and Micha. Also, modern country scene icons like Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Charley Crockett, Chris Stapleton, Jamey Johnson, Margo Price, and Tyler Childers, who sang "Healing Hands of Time" and "Time of the Preacher" on Saturday night. Margo, a Midwestern farmer's daughter, thanked Willie for his work on Farm Aide over the years.

Sturgil Simpson, who's been MIA in the music world for a minute, told the audience "there’s only one reason I’m not on a beach in South Asia right now and because it’s Willie Nelson’s birthday." Then he launched into a hauntingly beautiful rendition of "I'd Have To Be Crazy."

You could hear a pin drop.

The Chicks performed a wonderful rendition of "Bloody Mary Morning" on Saturday night - one of my favorite Willie tunes since the first time I heard Yonder Mountain String Band cover it back in the day. Dwight Yoakam did "Me and Paul" on Sunday night. Lyle Lovett offered up "Hello Walls" on Saturday and "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" on Sunday.

Norah Jones played "Down Yonder" as a tribute to the late Billie Nelson, along with soulful versions of "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" with Kris Kristofferson on Sunday

Warren Haynes did "Midnight Rider", a song he knows like the back of his hand. On Saturday, Leon Bridges and Gary Clark Jr. performed "Night Life," with Gary Clark Jr. launching into "Texas Flood" afterwards.

Beck offered up "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" and "Hands On The Wheel." Bob Weir, of Grateful Dead fame, also offered up a rendition of "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" on Saturday, along with "Staying All Night" with Margo Price and Billy Strings on Sunday.

Willie's Farm Aid brother-in-arms Neil Young and Stephen Stills graced the stage to shred through "For What Its Worth," with Willie joining them on stage for "Are There Any More Real Cowboys?" I joked on Twitter that their guitar tone, barrel-aged from their CSNY days, remains one of the eighth wonders of the world. I could listen to that clawing, distorted rock sound forever.  

Tom Jones came out both nights to do "Opportunity to Cry" and "Across the Borderline"

Jack Johnson sang a song in his trademark laid-back vibe about Willie taking all his money in a poker game after a smoke sesh in Maui.

Dave Matthews appeared on Sunday night, telling a story about leaving Willie Nelson's tour bus in a haze, then crooning out "Funny How Time Slips Away"

Emmylou Harris  beautifully sang "The Maker", a beautiful Daniel Lanois song I always associated with Dave Matthews, even though its been covered by Willie, Emmylou Harris, the Jerry Garcia Band, and certainly many others.

Sheryl Crow sat down with Willie on Sunday night to sing "Crazy." Billy Strings, a genre-defining generational talent, joined Willie to sing their new song "California Sober" together.

Speaking of all things green and dank-smelling, Snoop Dogg's viral moment came on Saturday when he joined Willie onstage for "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" after suggesting they perform in the key of smoke. It was a lot of fun to hear Snoop sing a tune with his old pal.

Ziggy Marley showcased how Willie transcends genres by performing their collaborative reggae song "Still Movin' With Me."

Before Willie took the stage on Sunday night to sing "Stardust" with Booker T on the organ, Lukas Nelson, Particle Kid, Shooter Jennings, Rossana Cash - the children of the original Highwaymen - sang "Highwayman." It was a concert moment that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

To close things out on Sunday night, Keith Richards made a rare appearance to join his old friend on a poignant performance of "We Had It All" and "Live Forever".

The place lost it when he came on stage on the second night.

It was one of those shows that was impossible to not leave a little misty-eyed, like you just went to church and walked away with your soul filled with a myserious spirit that flows like a river through everything.

Music as a Family Legacy: Bloodlines and Connection

I'm definitely missing some moments here, but that was a pretty long-winded recap. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

I also want to note that we had lovely show neigbors too. Sisters from Australia visiting Los Angeles for the concert, along with a rancher family from rural Colorado. It was cool to talk to each of them about how they grew up listening and loving Willie via their parents. Both modern stewarts of cowboy culture. Just reaffirms my belief that music is a magical thing when it runs through bloodlines and kindles family history and connection.

It's kind of amazing that Willie is still going strong at 90 years young. The Hollywood Bowl shows were a kickoff to his 2023 Outlaw Music Festival tour, which runs 16 dates through the middle of August this year. He's joined by Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, along with Bob Weir and the Wolf Bros, the Avett Brothers, John Fogerty, and more.

When you've done something for so long and its cherished by so many people, spanning four generations now, why stop?

Thanks for reading. Here's to Whiskey Rivers that never run dry.