Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 21 at 10 a.m. Central, for the Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic, being held in the Austin 360 Amphitheater at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack! Live Nation, C3 Presents, and Circuit of The Americas (COTA) are producing the event which is making its return to COTA for the third year. One of America’s most celebrated festivals, this year’s headliners (aside from the man himself) include Jamey Johnson, Steve Earle, Turnpike Troubadours, Sheryl Crow, and Kacey Musgraves, to name a few – all live, all local, right here in the Texas Hill Country!
Texas Hill Country News
44th Annual Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic Tickets Go On Sale This Friday
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Photo: Facebook/Sherlock Homes Austin
Writing many a good country tune in 1960s-Nashville, Willie Nelson is arguably one of the most beloved singer/songwriters in America, penning such classics as “Crazy,” “Good Hearted Woman” (co-written with Waylon Jennings), and “Funny How Time Slips Away.” These, however, were just the beginning of an iconic music, as well as acting, career for this Texas-born son. A visionary as opposed to the rebel he was once labelled, Nelson turned the country music industry on its ear in the 1970s, moving back to the Lone Star State and founding the outlaw genre with counterparts Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard, attracting traditional rock admirers to his fan base.
Photo: Facebook/Circuit of the Americas © Ted Parker Jr.
In this, the 44th edition of the Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic, Texas country icons Ray Wylie Hubbard, Johnny Bush, and Billy Joe Shaver will appear, as well as David Allan Coe, Austin’s own Asleep at the Wheel, Nelson’s son Micah’s band called Insects Vs. Robots, Folk Uke with Raelyn Nelson (his granddaughter) and her band rounding out the bill. The very first of such events was held in Dripping Springs, in the Texas Hill Country, in 1973, and has since moved among various locations through the years, including Houston and yes, Luckenbach. It spent the better part of the last decade at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth prior to making the move out to the Circuit of the Americas racetrack in 2015.
Photo: Facebook/The Backyard Live Oak Amphitheatre
Despite health concerns earlier in 2017, Nelson has kept busy hosting his Luck Reunion party during SXSW and working on the release of his next album, “God’s Problem Child,” on April 28th. He also participated in the Merle Haggard tribute event in Nashville on April 6, performing with Keith Richards to the delight of the audience. Get ready to get your tickets to one of the hottest (figuratively, and literally) shows in the Texas Hill Country this summer, for the Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic! Tickets will go on sale through ticketmaster.com (no link available as yet), for which you’ll need to keep your eye out, and the Austin 360 Amphitheater has posted a link here for you to register to be notified about show alerts and pre-sale info.
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