Willie Nelson turned 90 earlier this year, and in lieu of presents some of the greatest songwriters of the past 50 years got together to wish him a happy birthday in person. Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 (Live at the Hollywood Bowl), available now across streaming services, documents his star-studded birthday blowout in L.A. featuring performances by Bob Weir, Billy Strings, Dave Matthews, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, and many more.
The lineup for the two-night affair that took place April 29th and 30th is about as long as the 53-song tracklist. Sufficient to say, Nelson’s massive influence brought in stars from across the musical spectrum. From fellow country icons George Strait and Kris Kristofferson to hip-hop legend and fellow marijuana enthusiast Snoop Dogg, funk architect and producer extraordinaire Booker T. Jones to crooner Tom Jones, and plenty of singer-songwriters who grew up on Willie’s music, there was no shortage of special guests to ring in Willie’s 90th.
The album runs for a healthy three hours and 15 minutes, with wall-to-wall highlights starting with Billy Strings’ opening take on “Whiskey River”. The bluegrass firebrand collaborated with Willie earlier this year on the single “California Sober”, which is up for a Grammy for Best American Roots Song, with Billy and Willie plugging the track later in the show.
Other highlights include a 21st-century reimaging of Willie and Waylon Jennings‘ duet “I Can Get Off On You”, interpreted by modern luminaries Nathaniel Rateliff and Margo Price. Elsewhere, former Allman Brother Warren Haynes gets the place rocking with “Midnight Rider”, Sheryl Cow covers one of Willie’s signature songs “Crazy”, and the nepo babies honor their fathers as Lukas Nelson and Shooter Jennings cover “Good Hearted Woman”.
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Willie also performs throughout the concert with the tenacity of a man far younger, sharing the stage with George Strait for Townes Van Zandt‘s “Pancho & Lefty”, passing the mic (and possibly more) with Snoop on “Roll Me Up & Smoke Me When I Die”, and singing with Keith Richards on Billy Joe Shaver‘s “Live Forever”. The marathon concert fittingly came to a close with an all-hands-on-deck “On The Road Again” followed by a “Happy Birthday” for the man of the hour.
Along with the digital streaming release, Blackbird Presents and Legacy Recordings have also issued CD+Blu Ray and 2LP vinyl copies. The CD version features 39 audio tracks and is paired with two hours of Blu-Ray footage and a multi-page booklet. Fans can also tune in on Sunday, December 17th at 8:30 p.m. ET for a two-hour cut of the concert on CBS, or stream it on Paramount+.
Check out the Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 (Live at the Hollywood Bowl) album below and order physical copies here. Even at 90, Shotgun Willie is showing no signs of slowing down and recently announced a new run of 2024 tour dates.
Willie Nelson – Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 (Live At The Hollywood Bowl)
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