I Saw Willie Nelson At Ironstone Amphitheatre. LeAnn Rimes Was There Too.

I learned a couple of things about my taste in music this weekend. First, the fact that I saw rapper Too $hort on Saturday and country singers LeAnn Rimes and Willie Nelson on Sunday says a lot about my personality as a whole. Secondly, going the rest of my life without seeing LeAnn Rimes in concert again is just fine by me.

I’ve never been a huge fan of LeAnn, and now I’m thinking I’m no fan at all. Sure, she’s got a great set of pipes and can belt out a tune with the best of them, but her talking voice is incredibly annoying, and well, quite frankly, she’s a homewrecker. And I just can’t get past that. I found myself reading into each of her songs differently than I have before, looking at each one from the point of view of a cheater.

Willie Nelson, on the other hand, is a class act and I will forever be a fan.

Held at Ironstone Vineyard’s Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys, CA, the Willie Nelson & Family concert with special guest LeAnn Rimes got underway about 7:00pm. I had never been to the Amphitheatre before and had only heard good things about it. I found those assessments to be accurate – it’s a quaint arena, with a couple dozen rows of folding chairs facing the stage, and ample lawn seating.

We, of course, sat on the lawn. Which, personally, I think was better; we had comfy lawn chairs with plenty of leg room, while those in front paid more money to sit in plastic folding chairs with no real room to move. Making things even sweeter is the fact that we got our tickets for free. We know people; namely, my boyfriend’s uncle who had friends not using their tickets, but people just the same.

I’ve seen Willie Nelson live a time or two before, and he never disappoints. He’s mellow, humble, gracious, and best of all, a naturally talented songwriter and singer.

Side Note: Willie’s well-loved guitar is a Martin N-20 named “Trigger.”

At the age of 77, Willie Nelson still knows how to put on a great show. He sang classics like “Whiskey River,” “On The Road Again,” and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” as well as some newer-ish hits like “Superman,” and “You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore;” he showcased the individual talents of his the Willie Nelson family band members with awesome solos by his piano playing sister Bobbie Nelson, his longtime drummer Paul English, and harmonica player Mickey Raphael, and even threw sweaty bandannas into the audience like a rock star.

Clearly, I would see Willie Nelson again were I to have the chance. But if LeAnn Rimes is going to open for him again, I’ll have to make it a point to be late.

Snoop Dogg, by the way, is a big fan of Willie Nelson too. Check out this great video of Snoop and Willie performing “Superman” in (of all places) Amsterdam…..

11 Comments

  1. jody
  2. Joyce
  3. cbme
  4. cbme
  5. Racy
  6. jane
  7. Hilary Shepherd
  8. GWEN
  9. GWEN
  10. GWEN
  11. jane