Nelson went on promptly at nine after sets from his children
Lukas (with his band Promise of the Real) and Paula Nelson. He kicked off with the
crowd-pleaser “Whiskey River.” His voice was a tad raspy at first and his
acoustic guitar was practically the only thing those in the back of the venue
could hear. The balance got better but during songs like “Still Is Still Moving
to Me” and the bluesy “Shoeshine Man” (which featured tasteful solos from both
Lukas Nelson on guitar and his aunt/Nelson’s older sister Bobbie on piano), the
crowd got louder. Not louder as in hooting in approval. Louder as in having
lengthy conversations.
The solos were a treat as Bobbie boogied with honky-tonk
piano and Nelson himself stretched briefly into jazzy finger picking that often
seemed interpretive and improvised. It was a bit of a struggle to hear the
nuances of “Crazy” (his original, which Patsy Cline made a hit). Lukas Nelson took
the lead on “Texas Flood.” The song - made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughan -
showcased the younger Nelson as a blues singer with a big voice. With his
shaggy hair and mustache he looks as if he could’ve stepped out of the late
`70s outlaw era.
Then it was what I think of as Mom’s portion of the show -
songs from Nelson’s most loved records that my parents played when I was
growing up. These include sing-alongs “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be
Cowboys,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” “On the Road Again,” “Always
on My Mind,” and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” He paid tribute to Hank
Williams’ with “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” “Hey Good Lookin’,” and “Move It On
Over.”
While it’s not a discredit to Nelson or his band, the volume
could not compete with the crowd unless you were strategically placed near the
stage. Throughout the night my mother and I cruised the club in search of satisfactory
sights and sound. From the fourth level we could see Nelson in his signature bandana
and braids clearly, but the party atmosphere was all talk/no listen. From the
second we couldn’t see, but could hear the entire band well through the stream
of drunken chatter. Finally, we found a perfect spot near the merchandise booth
on the floor where the view and volume (possibly aided by the monitors on
stage) were perfect. Yet not all 2,000 fans can stand stage side.
From there we heard “I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train” and “Healing
Hands of Time.” The latter featured a remarkable harmonica solo. There were
moments that if I closed my eyes I could mistake that harmonica for a classical
violin. Oddly enough it was the seasonally fitting “Jingle Bells” that raised
the roof with almost the entire sold out crowd singing along followed by the
lovely “Pretty Paper.” The sing-alongs continued as the Nelson family gathered `round
one microphone to buoy their father through modern standards like “Will the
Circle Be Unbroken,” “I’ll Fly Away” and “I Saw the Light.”
For those gathered on the floor - from suburbanites to local
musicians; ages ranging from hipster twenty-somethings to those in Nelson’s age
bracket - the sing-alongs seemed to melt away the sound issues and overzealous
drunks. But what about those in reserved seats or that had staked out prime
viewing at the back of the room? I heard several complaints about the low
volume and the talking. One text from a friend that works at many large concerts
and who’d heard similar complaints said: “It’s like people aren’t there to
watch the band. The concert has become a cocktail party.” And a pretty pricey
one at that.
I couldn’t help but wish that my mom’s first real (the first
was rained out in the `80s) and possibly last Willie Nelson show had been held
at a theater like the Knight where the atmosphere lends itself less to a rowdy
party. That would cut down on the
intimacy and the wannabe saloon environment, which songs like “Roll Me Up”
(which he played late in the set) and “Whiskey River” lend themselves so well
too.
Yet, considering Nelson’s skill as a songwriter and interpreter of others’
songs, I’d almost rather hear them in a setting where “Always On My Mind” would
undoubtedly bring a tear to Mom’s eye.
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