Willie Nelson and Family to play free 'Austin City Limits' Birthday Bash at Long Center
On Oct. 17, 1974, Willie Nelson took the stage at Austin PBS's Studio 6A to tape the inaugural episode of "Austin City Limits." The country music legend , dubbed "the patron saint of Austin" by today's pickers and crooners, will take the stage on Oct. 17 of this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the longest-running music television show in history.
"Austin City Limits" 50th Birthday Bash will be an outdoor celebration at the Long Center, with artists performing against the actual Austin skyline instead of the show's famous backdrop. The concert, presented by Tito's Handmade Vodka, is free and open to the public. The show will be recorded and musical highlights will be included on a special that will air in 2025. Here's what you need to know about tickets, lineup and more.
There's a free Willie Nelson concert in Austin? How do I get tickets?Fans must register with Fair AXS for a chance to attend the show. Registration opened at 8 a.m. CST on Friday and continues through 10 p.m. CST on Monday. Those selected to attend will be notified between September 27 and 29 and will be required to opt in. Full details are available at axs.com .
Will it just be Willie on the lineup? Who else is playing?"Austin City Limits" promises an appearance by Willie Nelson and Family. Willie doesn't sing as much as he used to at Nelson family hootenannies these days. He's usually joined onstage by his sons Lukas and Micah. The former performed a haunting cover of his father's song "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," which reduced the Hollywood Bowl to a puddle of tears at his father's 90th birthday shindig at last year . The latter duets with his dad on "Die When I'm High (Halfway to Heaven)" a blunted and beautiful tribute to a hazy life well spent. Expect to see Willie's daughter Paula Nelson in the mix and don't rule out an appearance by a few special guests from Willie's extended musical family.
Austin's western swing kingpins Asleep at the Wheel, who appeared on the first episode of the first season of "ACL" will open for Willie at the 50th birthday bash.
How many times has Willie Nelson appeared on 'ACL' through the years?"ACL" producers refer to their show as "the house that Willie built." The renegade country singer abandoned the overblown production and buttoned up ethos of the Nashville music scene to remake himself in Austin in 1972. By 1974, he had released two of the greatest albums of his vast catalog, "Shotgun Willie" and "Phases and Stages." These stripped-down, soul-baring albums smashed the mold for traditional country music production while skyrocketing Nelson's career. They also put Austin on the map as a haven for hippies and iconoclasts, reshaping the city's culture and inspiring generations of aspiring musicians who followed.
"ACL" producers described Willie's 1974 performance on the show as "a dispatch to the world declaring Austin's place as a pioneering music city" in a news release about the anniversary bash. Nelson went on to play the show 18 times, more than any other artist in history. His most recent appearance was in 2018, during the show's 44th season.
"There would be no Austin City Limits without Willie Nelson - simple as that," longtime "ACL" executive producer Terry Lickona said in the release. "He launched 'ACL' into the television universe in 1974, and has helped keep us going for 50 years."
