Asleep at the Wheel kicked off its 50th year with stadium dates opening for Lone Star dignitary George Strait. On the horizon: recording a new album, leader Ray Benson’s annual birthday concert during South by Southwest, loads of touring, and a star-studded, two-day blowout at the Long Center in October celebrating the Austinites’ golden anniversary.: “That all went away… in one day,” sighs Benson.: The coronavirus’ path of destruction through the concert industry wiped clean the Western swing vet’s schedule. Then, Benson contracted COVID-19 in late March.: “I was dizzy, nauseous, and deadbeat tired,” he reports. “It took 12 days before I was well enough to function. I’d lost 35 pounds. My right hamstring was so messed up I couldn’t bend over.”: As the pandemic continues, Benson & Co. adapt to the virtual concert experience, having produced Ray’s Birthday Bash online and made appearances on Luck Reunion’s ‘Till Further Notice, fundraiser A Night for Austin, and Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic. On Saturday, they’ll livestream from an outside stage at the Starlight Ranch. If you’re dance card’s full that night, viewers can purchase it on-demand afterward, with Zoom meet-n-greets available.: “When we decided to do something online, I said, ‘Well, let’s have ’em dance,’” Benson explains. “We’re gonna play dance music. You can push back the furniture, roll up the rug, and have a dance with your wife, girlfriend, or significant other. Some of the songs you can dance to and some of the songs you can smoke a joint, drink a beer, whatever.”