Willie Nelson Returns to The Stage After Illness
Willie Nelson is a country music icon who has been in the genre for seven decades, from writing Patsy’s Cline’s 1961 classic “Crazy” to his latest album, The Border, released earlier this year. But the 91-year-year-old has missed a lot of shows lately, with his son Lukas filling in for him at shows at his Outlaw Festival. But Willie is on the road again, so to speak: yesterday, he performed at his Fourth of July picnic in Camden, New Jersey, yesterday.
In the YouTube video below, Nelson sits down and performs his signature song, “On The Road Again,” surrounded by his family band. At one point in the video, he brings his hand to his mouth and coughs but appears to be well and in good spirits.
Willie’s official Instagram posted a clip of the music icon taking the stage for the first time after his illness yesterday (7/4) as the crowd cheers. They captioned the post, “He’s bbaaacccckkkkk.”
Nelson’s fanbase was thrilled with the news, and one commented, “Hot damn! That’s great to see Willie! I mean, it can’t be a 4th of July without the man himself.” Another fan cheered, “Thank goodness! Welcome back, Willie.”
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A few weeks back, Willie canceled his appearances at the Outlaw Music Festival in various cities, including dates in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York. A post on Nelson’s Instagram said that the music legend was “not feeling well,” and his doctor advised him to rest. On those dates, Lukas Nelson and The Family Band performed some of Willie’s songs in his place with special guests.
A more recent Instagram post earlier this week said that Willie was “cleared by his doctor to go back on the road again.” The post notes that he will be back on the Outlaw Tour next week.
The Outlaw Tour also features Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Alison Krauss, and Robert Plant.
Upcoming 2024 Outlaw Music Festival Tour Dates
July 29, 2024, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
July 31, 2024 Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
August 03, 2024, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
August 04, 2024 Toyota Amphitheatre, Wheatland, CA
August 07, 2024 Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Boise, ID
August 09, 2024 ONE Spokane Stadium, Spokane, WA
August 10, 2024 Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
September 06, 2024 Somerset Amphitheater, Somerset, WI
September 07, 2024 Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
September 08, 2024 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, MO
September 11, 2024, Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
