POV: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic

This year I decided to celebrate Independence Day by returning to Willie’s Fourth of July Picnic, which was held in Austin, Texas, for the first time in five years. I knew it would be good. After all, what is more American than Willie Nelson? He’s up there with apple pie.

The first part of the day began with four hours at the Grand Plaza Stage, a small stage outside the Austin360 Amphitheater, featuring a variety of acts playing short, 20-minute sets. Honky-tonk acts like Pauline Reese (with her young daughters and a Native American hoop dancer in tow), Amber Digby, and Hudson Moore kicked off the festivities.

Naturally, the Picnic featured some acts related to Willie Nelson. Folk Uke – a duo featuring one of his daughters and one of Arlo Guthrie’s daughters – play songs that have a dark sense of humor; they were very entertaining. The Paula Nelson Band also put on a good set, covering Waylon Jennings and singing some originals. Singer-songwriter Dallas Wayne’s connection to the Red Headed Stranger is that he is a DJ on Willie’s SiriusXM show.

The next two acts on the Grand Plaza stage were legends. David Allan Coe has written some great country songs and it was a treat to get to see him perform “Take This Job and Shove It,” “The Ride,” and “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.” I loved getting the chance to catch four songs from Ray Wylie Hubbard, including the classic “Screw You, We’re From Texas.”

Greezy Wheels is renowned in Austin as one of the frequent performers at the Armadillo World Headquarters. The act is often credited with helping invent the outlaw country sound, which became more famous after Willie Nelson discovered them. Although they only have three original members, they still had a terrific sound. Johnny Bush was next and he is well known as a country singer-songwriter, including helping write “Whiskey River,” which became one of Willie’s signature songs.

It was then time to head over to the Pavilion Stage, the main stage in the seated amphitheater. The first few acts alternated with acts on the Grand Plaza stage, which closed down with sets by Billy Joe Shaver, Leon Russell, Asleep At The Wheel and Jamey Johnson.

The Pavilion Stage fired up with Kris Kristofferson playing his classic songs solo on acoustic guitar. A standout moment was his performance of “Me and Bobby McGee.”  The crowd cheered when he namechecked Janis Joplin, whose version of the song posthumously topped the singles chart in 1971.

I also got to see Chris Stapleton, who was recently on the cover of Pollstar. After playing bluegrass with The SteelDrivers, rocking out with The Jompson Brothers and writing No. 1 hits for the likes of Kenny Chesney, Stapleton released his solo debut in May.  

The stage featured a giant American flag as the backdrop; a real cloth flag, not a cheesy video screen showing an American flag. With the early acts performing in sunlight that fluctuated based on cloud cover, the brightness of the cloth flag fluctuated equally and made an awesome backdrop for the artists. As a photographer, I loved it. Kinky Friedman introduced most of the acts on the Pavilion Stage.

Sturgill Simpson was next and he is one of my favorites. His sound is alternative country, rooted in the past but with modern themes. It feels fresh compared to the pop country that’s on the radio now, and he has his die-hard fans who hope he will save us from Bro country.

Jason Isbell, an Americana award winner who used to play with the Drive-By Truckers, played a mix of his own tunes with some Drive-By Truckers songs like “Decoration Day” and “Outfit.” His Americana sound is very popular and the presentation was excellent, with a tight band that included his wife (who is obviously pregnant) Amanda Shires on violin.

Kacey Musgraves, who has taken the country world by storm, performed next, and she was wearing a nice patriotic outfit for the occasion. She performed her recent hits, some new material, and covered Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and Lee Hazelwood’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” for extra spice.

Merle Haggard started a little bit late, maybe because of sound issues, but once he and his band started they sounded fantastic. Willie Nelson came out to join him for a couple of songs near the end, including a cover of “Pancho and Lefty.”

After some fireworks, Eric Church brought his musical pyrotechnics with hits that are equal parts country and rock, with some rowdy Hank Jr. attitude.  Willie Nelson and Family closed out the picnic with a crowd-pleasing set featuring many of his standards. His set ended with “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.”

I made the right choice for the Fourth of July; I photographed 20 acts and spent time with good people celebrating liberty in one of the states still fighting for liberty. One fan’s shirt said “Have a Willie Good Day” – and I did!