Willie Nelson Brings Legendary Show to Hot Springs

by Julian Spivey
Willie Nelson proved during his show tonight (Feb. 21) at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. that at age 76 he’s still got it.
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The Country Music Hall of Fame legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire ripped through a fast paced hour and a half concert that audience members surely wouldn’t be able to forget anytime soon.

Nelson opened his set with his hard-drinking, honky-tonker “Whiskey River” much to the liking of the crowd. The veteran then followed with classic country hit after classic country hit. Nelson didn’t say much to the crowd during the show and simply went from song to song, usually without even stopping to catch his breath. Some artists get bogged down with too much talk and explanation in between songs, something that Nelson obviously doesn’t dull the crowd with.

At his age it’s quite extraordinary that Nelson still tours regularly and the fact that he sings and plays guitar with such vigor is truly remarkable. His guitar skills are almost unmatched when it comes to the genre of country music. He picks and plucks his raggedy guitar, named Trigger, with such rapidity and ease that you can tell he puts as much energy into his craft as someone half his age.

“On the Road Again,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Bloody Mary Morning,” “Me & Paul,” “Always on My Mind” and “Funny How Time Slips Away” … they were all there as we knew they would be. Nelson’s songbook, after all, is as deep as anybody’s in the history of country music.

Nelson also thrilled the crowd with his performances of “Crazy,” “Hello Walls” and “Night Life,” all of which he penned that became huge country hits for Patsy Cline, Faron Young and Ray Price respectively. Nelson’s guitar picking was at its spectacular best on “Night Life.”

There were some surprises during Nelson’s set which included a medley of a trio of Hank Williams hits including “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” “Hey, Good Lookin’” and “Move It On Over.” Nelson also single-handedly handled his duet with Toby Keith “Beer for My Horses,” which spent six weeks atop the country music charts in 2003. He also included a medley of country gospel favorites “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” and “I’ll Fly Away,” which brought the crowd to their feet, with clapping and foot stomping in tow, and was reminiscent of a country church atmosphere.

It appeared as if Nelson was going to leave the crowd with another Williams standard “I Saw the Light,” but as he was receiving a standing ovation from the crowd and about to leave the stage he raised his guitar to the ceiling and said, “I remembered one more I have to play” and burst into his drinking anthem “I Gotta Get Drunk.” The two songs don’t seem to go well together, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the sly old Nelson had played the two together multiple times before.

One thing was for certain on this Sunday night in February that this fan and the others in Nelson’s presence would remember the night for a lifetime.