OK, let me tell you - it was no picnic. The event was held in a large parking lot/vacant field behind Billy Bob's and there was a stage on each end. Bands played all day on opposite stages (and a lucky few got to play inside Billy Bob's in the refrigerated air. There were 23 bands and artists, among them Asleep At The Wheel, Kris Kristofferson, Leon Russell, David Allen Coe and Gary Allen, and culminating with Willie and family beginning at 9:45pm. The show started at 11:30 but we didn't get there until after 2pm because we knew it was going to be a long day.
As I said - it was no picnic. It was about 95 degrees and that parking lot was full of loose gravel and dust. When the wind blew (off and on all day) it felt good but the dust got in your eyes and nose and was irritating. There was no picnic provided. Outside food and drinks were prohibited but everything was for sale inside. The magic number for everything, be it a sandwich, corn dog, beer, wine, etc., was $6. Water was $3 and sodas were $4. (Corn dogs were $6 but they were a foot long - biggest ones I've ever seen!)
But the music was good all day long. At about 4:45 we made the mistake of going inside Billy Bob's to see David Allen Coe. I think there were as many people inside as there were outside and even though Billy Bob's is "the largest honky tonk in the world," it was wall to wall people and shoulder to shoulder. I was carrying our two folding chairs as Arden and our friend Daphne tried to weave their way toward the stage, expecting me to follow. It didn't work very well. I got to a point where I could go no further so I turned around and headed back to a small bar room that had a few seats open. Arden's brother was sitting in there and I joined him.
About 20 minutes later the girls showed up saying it was just too hot and too crowded to stay. Even with the air conditioning in the building it was so crowded that the AC didn't make much difference. It was cooler in the bar so we sat for a while to cool off. There was no getting a drink of any kind though. The lone bartender was practically running trying to serve the 40 or so people crowded around the small bar. So we just sat and enjoyed the cool air.
When we went back outside Arden wanted something to eat. We found a spot in the shade of the large Budweiser tent and sat down to decide what we wanted to eat. The lines were growing in front of each vendor and I had to pick one. The "Hot Dawg" vendor (their name) had the shortest line so I picked it. It still took half an hour but the hot dogs were big and tasty and, of course, $6 apiece.
After we ate we sat there in the shade for about an hour, watching the people go by. That was nearly as interesting as the bands. What a colorful group of people we saw. There were people who were wearing clothing they should not have been wearing and other people who were not wearing clothing they should have been wearing. And unless you're a movie star with an overabundance of money and a really great cosmetic surgeon, there comes an age when you need to stop dressing like a teenager. I'll just leave it at that.
At about 8pm we joined the rest of our group by the North stage. Gary Allen was scheduled for 8:30 so we sat and waited - listening to the band on the South stage as they finished their set. The area wasn't very large for having two stages so you could hear everything from either stage regardless of where you were. We just wanted the band on the South stage to finish up so the crowd would migrate North and we could get a good position for Willie's show at 9:45. As the crowd began to surge toward the North stage Arden was ready to move South. But I wanted to hear at least a couple of songs by Gary Allen so we stayed there until 9. That still left us plenty of time to get a good position for Willie.
We wandered down to the South stage and staked our claim. Many people were already gathering since Willie was the reason most of them were there. I must say that everyone seemed to be having a good time. There was no trouble, that I observed, and no one drunk and acting stupid.
As we sat and waited for Willie the sun went down and fireworks began in downtown Fort Worth. They were visible above the trees to the South and the East. About 5 minutes before Willie came out was what seemed to be the finale. I say "seemed to be" because about half an hour later there was another large fireworks display from the same place with another finale. Talk about great - listening to Willie Nelson live on stage and watching 4th of July fireworks at the same time!
People kept moving to and fro all around us. Some would pass by and others would stop in the space in front of us, blocking our view. Most of them moved on. Just before the show was supposed to begin a guy about 6'5" tall stopped in front of us, blocking not only Arden's view but mine as well. Fortunately he was looking for someone and he moved on just about showtime.
Willie came out right on time. What an amazing man. 80 years old and still performing, still moving like someone much younger. I'm thinking it's all the preservatives he has put in his body over the years. (Near the end of his set he sang a new song he wrote when his throat was bad and he had to cancel his tour. The first verse probably says it all:
"Too many pain pills too much pot
Tryin' to be something that I'm not...Superman.Tryin' to do more than I can -I ain't Superman."
Willie began with "Whiskey River" and the show was on. He was dressed in black - black jeans, black t-shirt, black cowboy hat. He sang three or four songs and tossed his hat out to some lucky person in the crowd. Underneath it was his signature red bandanna. After three or four more songs he threw that sweaty bandanna to another lucky person in the crowd. And you know they'll keep it forever.
The show was called "Willie and Family" and we found out why. His younger sister was playing the piano, one of his sons played the harmonica (extremely well, I might add) and another son played percussion. It really was a family show.
They played about 15 songs altogether - moving from one to another quickly. He didn't talk much - just played and sang. He tossed some more bandannas out to the crowd. (He keeps a supply on a table in center stage and just keeps replacing them.)
Sorry about the fuzzy picture but it's the best my phone could do...
Leon Russell and some of the crew joined him for the final three songs - "I'll Fly Away" and "I Saw The Light" led up to his final song: "Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die." You had to be there.
And after all the heat and the hours and the dust and the crowd... it was worth every minute. I've been to Willie Nelson's July 4th picnic. (I would have preferred to go to the picnic at the ranch except he doesn't own that ranch anymore.) Will we do it again next year? Not a chance. But I got to see an American legend live on stage and fireworks to boot. It don't get no better than that.
Oh - as for the title - we saw that on a sign in front of a small shop as we were walking to Billy Bob's from the parking lot. I thought it was great and took a picture.
Not much of a Willie fan, except his "Stardust" album. and of course, "On the road again"!
ReplyDeleteTexas is hot, ain't it?