Photo By John Carrico
Willie Nelson
Stubb's, May 7-8 Ever since he (allegedly) lit that joint on the roof of the White House, Willie Nelson's status as folk hero has been neck and neck with his stature as a musician, and with all the recent hoopla surrounding his 70th birthday, the myth finally seems to have eclipsed the man for good. Certainly it felt that way in the early going of his three-night stand marking Stubb's seventh anniversary. There he was, tossing his hat to the crowd, cranking out hits one after the other: "Whiskey River," "Stay a Little Longer," "Good Hearted Woman," and a medley of "Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away," "Crazy," and "Night Life" that barely paused for breath. Then he yielded the stage to piano-pounding "little sister" Bobbie Nelson for a barrelhouse instrumental, and guitarist Jody Payne for a stroll through Merle Haggard's "Workin' Man Blues," and things changed. When the old graybeard -- whose hair, amazingly, is still mostly red -- returned to center stage with Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night," the pace slowed, the band stretched its legs to match Willie's flamencolike guitar solos, and suddenly it felt like a real concert instead of a greatest-hits revue. Oh sure, the hits just kept on coming, covering a good 80% of this year's 2-CD
Essential Willie Nelson Columbia retrospective, but they came with nuance: Bobbie's devil-may-care honky-tonk licks on "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" and exquisite intro to "Always on My Mind"; secret weapon Mickey Raphael turning his harmonica into a fluttering accordion for "Seven Spanish Angels" and "Pancho and Lefty"; bassist Bee Spears and drummer Paul English (using only a single snare) providing just enough rhythm to keep the family afloat. Indeed, some of the most inspired playing came on late-period less-than-chart-toppers "Still Is Still Moving to Me" and "Milk Cow Blues." Each night's set was roughly chronological, the differences between the two cosmetic at best. Tacking on a coda of gospel and Hank Williams songs, Nelson handily broke the two-hour mark with the gusto of a man half his age; "Move It on Over" was especially boisterous. Even at 70, Willie is still the biggest dog in the yard. In short, it was the stuff legends are made of.
