Harmless country outlaw fun

Bl'reader,

Willie Nelson is no longer a singer. He's progressed to become a symbol of family-centered outlaw country fun.
An open road, cowboy hippie with braids of silver hair and a penchant for bandanas - his t-shirts and merchandise bare his classic image along with other symbols of American counter-culture, including the infamous marijuana leaf.
I agreed to join my mother at House of Blues last night for a Willie Nelson concert because no one else would. My dad, a strong supporter of Disco, Bob Seger and '70s rhythm and blues did not glue with the Willie ethic. My sisters, one a Trent Tomlinson fanatic, and the other in the headlock of rock and pop radio, find Willie Nelson to be more of a novelty than a musician.
Actually, I guess I do, too. Sort of.

Age has a way of softening the hard core image of any band or musician.
Mötley Crüe were a troupe of wild rockers in the '80s, but now they seem tame by comparison. You feel like you could have a conversation with them about politics, their feelings on the progressive nature of the Republican party and so on.
Willie Nelson seemed to be something of a free spirit once, but time (and media attention) has left him out of the spotlight and now he is simply a harmless cultural icon.

That's what he appeared as Sunday night.

Willie Nelson is grandfatherly. He's akin to a bearded teddy bear...and that's a good image for him to hide under. After all, working for the past 10 or more years to legalize pot isn't the best way to keep the government off your back. But as long as he keeps waving to audiences with that glassy-eyed put-on and warm smile, he'll keep the government in his back pocket. The one that isn't ripped, at least.

You know, bl'reader, I saw him once before.

It was four years ago. The BB&T Coastal Field (home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans). It was Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. I went more for Bob Dylan. My mom was, once again, accompanying me to see Willie Nelson. Willie waved, tried on audience members' hats and - sometimes - he sang. Near the end, the event became a continuous verse of "I'll Fly Away", but still, it was understandable compared to Bob Dylan who took the stage with his band members, all dressed in costumes stolen from the dressing room of Howdy Doody. He played a keyboard the entire time, mumbled incoherently and then, after 14 songs, stood up front with his band and bowed.

It wasn't a bad experience, bl'reader. An interesting one, not a bad one.

Sunday night Willie took the stage, found his guitar and played quite nicely. He did much more than strum chords, doing quite a bit of acoustic shredding. The man is nearing 80 and yet he still has lithe fingers able to slide up and down the fretboard with expert precision. He also, barely 20 minutes into his performance, had three bras thrown on stage. I don't know if that's a testament to his enduring outlaw sex appeal or what, but that's pretty good. I don't believe I've gotten one thrown at me in all my life. Good show, Willie.

Taking the stage beforehand was Jamey Johnson. You may know him from his hit "In Color" which was at the top of several country charts. Listen to him with your eyes closed and you'll swear Waylon Jennings has come down from country music heaven for one more night of music. His performance ante-Willie last Sunday night was quite striking. Johnson was stoic for the most part while his band mates hopped around him like crickets in an ant bed.
He sang his own songs and did covers of Gordon Lightfoot and (surprise) Waylon Jennings.
He and his band mates returned to stage during Willie's set (at Willie's request) to sing gang vocals for a round of "I'll Fly Away" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".

Quite a night, bl'reader. People snaked around almost the entire HOB building beforehand, others walking the crowd, asking if anyone had extra tickets, people from as close as the Pee Dee and as far away as New York and the West Coast.

Truly, Willie Nelson can bring the masses together and celebrate with a little, harmless country outlaw family fun.

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