As Hayes Carll sings in “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart,” “This line of work no one retires.”
That’s certainly true for Willie Nelson, who at age 85 shows no sign of stopping. Nelson’s ultimate goal in his musical life is to work with as many artists and make music as much as possible.
Nelson’s profound work ethic continues with the return of the second annual Outlaw Music Festival. Artists on the 2019 lineup will perform on various dates, which include an engagement at Milwaukee, Wisc.’s Summerfest on June 27.
The festival’s initial artists are Willie Nelson & Family, Carll, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Avett Brothers, Alison Krauss, The Revivalists, Counting Crows, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Old Crow Medicine Show, Dawes, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Casey Donahew, Matt Mays, Colter Wall and Particle Kid. More will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for June 15’s Mountain Jam in Bethel, NY with Lesh & Friends, the Revivalists, Krauss, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real and Particle Kid are on sale through the festival’s website. All other 2019 events go on sale Friday (March 8).
Nelson’s next festival is the annual Luck Reunion at his famous Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas. The hometown show will include performances by Mavis Staples, Yola, Shakey Graves, Quaker City Nighthawks and Cedric Burnside.