Willie Nelson and Blackbird Presents launched the Outlaw Music Festival in Scranton in 2016, to great acclaim, prompting Willie and Blackbird Presents to expand it to 10 cities with 18 shows annually over time. Now this summer it makes its first stop at Cincinnati before continuing onto Raleigh Mansfield Bethel Woods Nashville Hollywood Bowl among many other destinations such as Raleigh Mansfield Mansfield Bethel Woods Raleigh Mansfield Sturgill Simpson Margo Price Lukas Nelson Promise of Real and more!
Micah Nelson, Willie’s son who performs under the name Particle Kid, opened the festival with a short set. He sang earnestly over buzzy, jangly acoustic guitar while regularly jamming through his performance, showing off intricate finger work while fiddling with chords – and his voice carried both traditional cowboy country sounds and experimental flourishes that set his sound apart from that of his father’s cowboy country sound.
Willie hit the stage with his band for “Whiskey River.” With minimal conversation between songs, his signature sing-speak vocal pattern shone through, as did 23 songs in total during this 75-minute set that concluded with “On the Road Again.”
John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s set was unfortunately cut short by a rainstorm in Holmdel; however, The Avett Brothers more than made up for his absence with their engaging set which featured rock and bluegrass influences – their “Live and Die” had melodic pop appeal while “Vanity” rocked out with Seth Avett playing power chords on electric guitar! Gov’t Mule, Marcus King, Kathleen Edwards from Flatland Cavalry as well as Brittney Spencer and Particle Kid all performed throughout their tour stop in New Jersey.
The Outlaw Music Festival tour will run through September 17 with stops scheduled in Raleigh, NC; Mansfield, MA; Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Queens, NY and more. For complete show information visit Outlaw Music Festival website while tickets can be purchased now through Blackbird Presents; for more on individual artists please visit their official pages on Ticket Master or Outlaw Music Festival‘s website.