People all over the country have special ways of celebrating the 4th of July, and for a lot of Austinites, our nation’s birthday is synonymous with Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic. This year is no exception — with the legendary Willie Nelson playing host to a star-studded lineup of friends at the Circuit of the Americas beginning at noon on Tuesday, July 4.
From its first incarnation in 1973 in Dripping Springs, Nelson’s more-or-less annual gathering has seen the Red-Headed Stranger welcome legends of country and roots-rock music to a variety of venues. Past guests have included Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, Doug Sahm, Linda Ronstadt, Tom T. Hall, Pointer Sisters, Jimmy Buffett, Townes Van Zandt, Kinky Friedman, Jessi Colter, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel, Leon Russell, Ernest Tubb, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Hank Snow, June Carter Cash, Merle Haggard, Patty Griffin, Billy Bob Thornton, Son Volt, Old 97s, Drive-By Truckers, Doobie Brothers and Bob Dylan. (Yes, the list was so impressive, we couldn’t trim it down!).
Primarily held in Austin and nearby central Texas locations, Willie’s picnic also has taken place a number of times in Fort Worth, as well as in Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Washington state. It returned to Austin in 2015, and hopefully it’s is back to stay.
For the third straight year, Willie has teamed up with Live Nation, C3 Presents and Circuit of The Americas (COTA) to present his 4th of July Picnic. Joining the 84 year-old country music legend will be Sheryl Crow, Kacey Musgraves, Jamey Johnson, Steve Earle, Hayes Carll, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Johnny Bush (who performed at the 1975 picnic), Billy Joe Shaver and many others. Tickets start at $39 (which includes includes standard rate parking) and go all the way up to the $550 “Shotgun VIP Hospitality” package. Gates open at 11am; the show starts at 12pm. Visit the COTA site for details.
From everyone at Blairfield Realty, enjoy the July 4th holiday!
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