I hereby nominate Willie Nelson for WFB Man of the Year.
The country music great played his 52nd show of the year on Saturday at Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Columbia, Md. After nearly six decades on the music scene, the Red Headed Stranger, now 81, proved he still has it.
Sixty-nine degrees and sunny, it was the perfect weather for a feel good show. The crowd was full of cowboys and cowgirls, hippies, hipsters, veterans, brothers, sisters, whatever. The only thing un-American about the show was the 17-year-old kids in neon green "STAFF" shirts telling smokers they couldn’t smoke outside. A man pushing 70 puffing on his pipe didn’t seem too concerned with their reprimand.
It wasn’t clear if the thousands of attendees were all there for Willie—at first. A drunk 20-something blonde asked if she had missed Kacey Musgraves, the first opener, when we arrived. "Ugh, that’s all I was here for," she said.
After Alison Krauss and Union Station finished their soulful set, concertgoers seated under the pavilion appeared to be running for the exits. They were actually headed toward the world’s longest bathroom line.
"Pffffft, are you kidding?" one woman said when asked if she was leaving. "Before Willie? Concert ain't over yet."
Older patrons had gotten there early, filling out the front of the lawn with their chairs and blankets. About 25 percent of the crowd finally stood up once Nelson started, the rest too lazy to be bothered out of their lawn chairs.
The crowd got younger and more energetic the further you climbed up the lawn. The aroma changed from popcorn to … something more exotic.
A 32-year-old man and his girlfriend approached us.
"Are you the girls who were smoking the delicious stuff?" the girlfriend asked.
We had no comment, but suggested they keep going higher into the crowd, keep following the scent.
"I've never smoked in my life," the man said. "It smelt so good."
The couple retreated down to their spot in the middle of the lawn. A few songs later it appeared they had found what they were looking for.
With 670,363 touring miles under his belt, he’s almost as well traveled as Hillary. Nelson plays more than 135 concerts a year, and doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
"I’m having fun, the audience is still there, seem to be enjoying the show," he said in a recent interview. "So, I don’t have any plans to quit right now."
Nelson released his 69th studio album, Band of Brothers, on Tuesday, and is planning to release another, December Day, this fall. Both albums consist of mostly new original songs. He’s been in a writing mood.
Nelson’s huge smile proves the sincerity of his lyrics from "On the Road Again."
I just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
After opening with his 1973 hit "Whiskey River," Nelson quickly played one song after another. Every song was a crowd pleaser and the setlist touched on his greatest hits throughout the decades: "Beer for My Horses," "Mamas, Don't Let You Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die," and "Crazy," the ballad he wrote in 1961 that was made famous by Patsy Cline.
His first comment to the crowd came 30 minutes into the show: "I hear ya. Thank you very much."
The cameras were constantly zoomed in on Nelson vigorously strumming Trigger, the guitar he’s had since 1969. Nelson says the Martin N-20 classical is as old and beat-up as he is, but his hand doesn't look a day older than 72. His shoulder seemed fine. A German doctor, whose patients include George Clooney and Kobe Bryant, fixed him up last year.
Nelson’s 23-song, 75-minute set was impressive, especially when compared to other singer-songwriters from his era. A decade younger, Bob Dylan can only "wheeze in the wind" these days. George Strait is riding away at the tender age of 62.
Nelson isn’t even the oldest member of his band. His sister, Bobbie Lee, energetically plays the piano, occasionally giving the pavilion the feel of a western saloon. Not bad for 83.
He goes through at least three of his signature headbands during his shows, throwing them into the crowd only to pull out another one.
The biggest applause of the night came about an hour in, when an American flag cowboy hat landed on the stage. The legend picked it up in stride, as he began to play "Night Life."
Everyone felt the end was near when Krauss, Musgraves, and members from their bands joined Nelson on stage. There was no encore. Nelson casually put down his guitar while the musicians continued to play Hank Williams’s "I Saw the Light." He walked around the stage waving to adoring fans, and picked up a bouquet of roses left for him. With one final wave, he turned around and sauntered slowly into the blackness of back stage.
Just a few minutes later the tour bus he sleeps in even when its parked outside his house was seen pulling out of the venue, on its way to Simsbury, Conn., where he played on Sunday.
"I'll never know when I'll be back again," Nelson had sung.