There is no one quite like Willie Nelson [pic by David Cullen]! The original outlaw and a bona fide American icon, he’s a truly remarkable performer who, at 73, shows little sign of slowing down.
His two sold-out Dublin shows drew crowds of all ages – from teenagers to pensioners, underlining his broad, enduring appeal.
Looking fit and sprightly despite his recent run-in with the Louisiana State Police (he was nabbed for marijuana possession), Nelson’s voice was as good, if not better, than on his last visit to these shores.
Backed by a band that included “little sister” Bobbie Nelson on piano, Nelson performed a no-frills set – indeed, the only prop to be seen was a giant Confederate flag as a backdrop
He introduced some his early classics by way of a medley that included, ‘Always On My Mind’, ‘Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain’ and ‘Hello Walls’.
Next, we got his definitive reading of Kris Kristofferson’s ‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’.
Huge cheers erupted when he started into the familiar chorus of ‘On The Road Again’ and another classic, ‘Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys’.
His acoustic finger-picking style is almost as recognisable, and impressive, as his cracked voice – this despite the fact that he’s had a couple of operations on his fingers recently.
Sadly nothing was included from his early ‘90s album Across The Borderline (which included tracks such as ‘Graceland’ and Peter Gabriel’s ‘Don’t Give Up’). Also largely ignored was the recent, Ryan Adams-produced, Songbird.
Crowd participation reached a peak on ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘I Saw The Light’, while the encore prompted a rush to the stage with autograph hungry fans brandishing albums and tour programmes He duly obliged, stopping the show for several minutes before leaving with another classic in the shape of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Poncho And Lefty’ .