Concert Review: Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

6/20/2008 Bennett Gordon Hall at Ravinia Festival Grounds, Highland Park, IL

Grade: Americana at it’s finest…

By: Brent Owen

It’s safe to say that there are few singers as prolific as ol’ Willie. There are few singers as resilient as ol’ Willie. And there are few singers as universally recognizable as ol’ Willie. All of these reasons and many more are exactly why everyone should see Willie at least once…he’s an institution. He hasn’t changed in fifty years and probably won’t change for another fifty years because with Willie it’s simply a case of getting what you get.

If nothing else, spending a night with Willie’s songs is kinda like spending a night with old friends. Nights which usually end up filled with lots of drinking, smoking, and pining over lost loves – but then again, what are old friends for?

Nelson takes the stage with his road wary band while the sun is still up. Most of these guys have been with him since at least the mid-70’s; the only exception would be the recent addition of a couple of his children to the line-up: his son is playing guitar and his daughter sings back-up. But once he breaks in to the opening song, his classic “Whiskey River”, it’s apparent how well this band knows each other, they tear these songs out like they were born playing them. And Willie’s familiar voice wraps around you with the comfort of your grandmother’s quilt.

The band then continued to rip through the many of the countless gems in Willie’s catalogue, at a break-neck pace. They did faithful renditions of “On the Road Again”, “Always On My Mind”, “Ain’t It Funny How Time Slips Away”, “Crazy”, and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”. Willie also played some of his favorite duets “Whiskey for My Men (beer for my horses)”, “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys”, and “Good Hearted Woman (in love with a good timin’ man), of course these were sung without his partners Toby Keith and Waylon J

ennings respectively. But at 75, Nelson still has the uncanny ability to sing each song as if a day hasn’t passed since their initial recording. His voice is still affectingly thin and sweet, a

nd yet there is toughness to it that garners a certain respect from the most rigid of men.

Willie and Co. also have fun tinkering with some great covers throughout the entire set. They tore into a blistering version of the Stevie Ray Vaughn gem “Texas Flood” – it’s truly surprising how well a country legend can do with a blues classic. And when they turned the Hank Williams Sr. classic “Hey Good Lookin’” into an upbeat rock-a-billy number – the energy among everyone in the audience surged almost instantaneously. Finally, the set was closed with the Carter Family classic “May the Circle Be Unbroken” – bringing the show to a satisfying end and reminding us once again that Willie was here before most of us and will probably be here long after all of us.