But an essential one, his 86-year-old Highwaymen bandmate Kris Kristofferson, made it to the stage to join Rosanne Cash, the daughter of another Highwayman: Johnny Cash. Nelson also has outlived most of his classic collaborators. Nelson’s son Lukas sang “Angel Flying Too Close to The Ground” alone with his acoustic guitar, his voice a dead ringer for his dad’s.Īnother surviving member of the Family Band, harmonica master Mickey Raphael, was part of the weekend’s house band, led by Don Was, which backed almost everyone. While many of the women who took the stage played rousing rockers, most of the men went in for quiet emotion.Ĭhris Stapleton kept his guitar at his side through a soft, reflective rendition of “Always on My Mind,” Nelson’s biggest solo hit of the 1980s. She got her own tribute from Norah Jones, who banged the keys through the younger Nelson’s saloon-style solo song, “Down Yonder,” from Willie Nelson’s definitive 1975 album, “Red Headed Stranger.” His little sister and piano player, Bobbie Nelson, died last year.
Nelson has outlived nearly every member of that band, which backed him for decades of constant touring and recording. The Chicks blazed through 1970′s “Bloody Mary Morning” at the same break-neck pace that Willie and his Family Band played it live in their prime. Miranda Lambert thrilled them with a rousing, sing-along version of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” Nelson’s 1978 hit with Waylon Jennings. The stands were dotted with cowboy hats while hippies danced in the aisles and weed smoke wafted in the air. The crowd, which ranged from small children to seniors, illustrated the point.
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