Willie Nelson — Sioux Falls, SD August 3, 2016
Washington Pavilion Sioux Falls
On the Road Again…Willie Nelson & Family made a stop at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, SD this past Wednesday and what a night it was.
I had no expectations of this show as we stumbled upon tickets earlier that afternoon day of the show. We have all known who Willie Nelson is as an icon in American music and for his brushes with the law, stand on marijuana and unique voice. I had no idea what I was in for with this show.
Pulling up to the venue we were greeted by every age person in red bandannas with braids. These were all tried and true Willie fans. His opening act ended up being Frankie Ballard. What an explosive, energetic sound he was the perfect opener to get the crowd in the right mood.
Frankie ended and there was just enough time to get another drink and find your seat back. The lights go dim and you hear his band start up with Whiskey River and the man, myth and the legend sauntered on stage. You knew immediately you were in the right place when you heard his unique, iconic voice fill the auditorium. The crowd went wild after his first song, took their seats for the second (Still is Still Moving to Me) and then were back up on their feet for Nelson’s cover of Toby Keith’s “Beer for my Horses”.
Nelson spent the next 90 minutes playing straight through his greatest hits, which include “Good Hearted Woman”, “Help Me Make It Through the Night”, “Crazy”, “Hey Good Lookin'”, “Georgia on My Mind”, and my favorite “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys”. What blew me away about seeing Nelson live were his guitar skills. Every song was how you imagined and then 10x’s better. He would through in guitar riffs throughout his songs that you can not even imagine. This would get the crowd on their feet and Nelson would get so into it he would fling off his red bandanna into the crowd. He went through at least 5 bandannas through this show.
He was backed up with his band or his “family” as he called them. His older sister Bobbie Nelson rocked that piano better than someone a fourth of her age. You would never have guessed she was 85 in her black cowgirl hat with just the perfect accent of sparkle. She shined through all of her brother’s hits. His other band mates were amazing, especially his harmonica player.
After his last song, “I’ll Fly Away” he gave his guitar (Trigger–look it up–super interesting) to a band member and went back and signed all of the bandannas he threw into the crowd. After a wave to the crowd he mosied off stage and that was it. At that point we were on our feet hooting and hollering and that was all he wrote.
If you get the change JUMP at it. At 82 Willie is as entertaining as you will find and is a piece of Americana you need to experience.
