Willie Nelson was a young whippersnapper of 28 when he wrote “Funny How Time Slips Away” in 1961. He was 82 when he co-wrote and recorded “Still Not Dead” in 2017. On May 28, he will release “The Border,” his ninth album since 2020.
So, when Nelson sang the line ‘Don’t bury me, I’ve got a show to play / And I woke up still not dead again today’ during his San Diego concert at The Shell on Monday night — exactly one week before he will celebrate his 91st birthday — the sold-out audience of 6,454 cheered heartily. The longevity, talent and tenacity of this grizzled American music icon is always worth celebrating, even more so in the autumn of his years.
Yes, Nelson now performs seated, as he has in recent years and did at his two 2022 concerts here at Humphreys. He recites the lyrics to some of his songs as much as sings them, although the elasticity of his vocal phrasing can still inspire awe (if not quite as often as in the past). And his solos on his battered acoustic guitar sometimes include some clams.
But, really, so what?
That Nelson plays spontaneously in the moment — rather than repeating rote solos note for note, night after night — is to be applauded. Ditto the fact that, this summer, he will headline his annual Outlaw Music Festival, a 26-city tour. It includes a July 29 date here with Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp at Chula Vista’s North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre.
On the road yet again after performing 68 concerts last year, Nelson doesn’t defy the passing of time — slipping away or otherwise — he defines and embraces it. Like almost no other currently active performer in any genre, he makes no bones about looking and sounding his age.
This makes him a welcome anomaly in an era when some celebrities only a third as old as Nelson are desperate to appear younger, while Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s 9-year-old daughter, North, is preparing to launch a skincare and cosmetics line.
Of course, Nelson does not lack in entrepreneurial spirit himself. He launched his marijuana line, Willie’s Reserve, in 2015. His most recent book, “Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs,” was published last October. And his 2024 “Willie for President” merch line is now available for pre-order.
Happily, there is not a hint of pretense or artifice in anything he says or sings. His earthy, eloquent music still resonates deeply, as the highlights of his Monday show here demonstrated, even when — make that, especially when — his concert begins with a bump and takes several numbers to get in gear.
His first selection, “Whiskey River” — his traditional opening song — was marred by Nelson’s overly loud, discordant guitar playing, wavering vocals and a tempo that seemed to change several times. The following piece, “Still is Still Moving to Me,” felt rushed.
But it didn’t take too long before he and his band found their collective groove on a cold, damp night. It was then that he began elevating anew such oft-heard Nelson gems as “Always On My Mind,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” “Roll Me Up and “Smoke Me When I Die” and “Write Your Own Songs,” his memorably wry 1984 riposte to skill-deficient music business executives.
Willie Nelson’s band includes his son, Micha (at right), who sang lead vocals on two numbers at his famous father’s Monday night concert in San Diego.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Nelson was similarly engaged during his wonderfully endearing versions of Hank Williams’ “Move It On Over” and Ed and Patsy Bruce’s “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.” Both found many in the audience happily singing along. The only major miscue came with the brassy version of The Champs’ 1958 instrumental hit, “Tequila” after Nelson left the stage.
It was a curious and mood-breaking conclusion to what was otherwise a fairly well-paced performance. This was Nelson’s first area appearance since a pair of sold-out shows at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay in late 2022.
He and his band came on Monday after a rousing opening set by Asleep At The Wheel, which injected fresh vigor into such chestnuts as “San Antonio Rose,” “Route 66,” Red River Valley” and “Hot Rod Lincoln.”
As an added bonus, the band’s former drummer — Coronado native David Sanger — was very ably performing again with the group last night. His three-decade tenure in Asleep At The Wheel had concluded in 2021 after the group’s 50th anniversary tour.
“I took the ferry back to my family’s home after the show,” Austin resident Sanger said Tuesday. “My brother could hear us playing from the Coronado house we grew up in! It was a rare treat for treat for me to play with the band back in my hometown.”
Asleep At The Wheel first opened a concert for Nelson back in 1973, the same year his ace harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, joined the group. That was 17 years before Nelson’s son, Micah — now a much-valued musical mainstay in his legendary dad’s band — was born.
The six-man group also now includes singer/guitarist Waylon Payne, whose father, Jody, was a longtime member of Nelson’s band. Guitarist and singer Ray Benson, the leader of Asleep at the Wheel, sat in for all of Nelson’s set and his jazzy guitar filigrees added welcome new dimension to the music.
Unsurprisingly, Nelson’ 61-minute concert included a version of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia.”
It’s a classic that has long been synonymous with Nelson’s name, thanks to his mellifluous delivery and oh-so-supple phrasing. His reading of it Monday was a bit uneven. But when Nelson connected with certain key lines — including “in peaceful dreams I see” or the thrice-repeated “on my mind” at “Georgia’s” conclusion, it was a potent reminder of how a master craftsman, in his waning years, can still strike gold on any given night.