Willie Nelson to lead rally, concert for Beto O’Rourke

After bringing U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke onstage during his Fourth of July Picnic this summer, Willie Nelson is doubling down on his support of the U.S. Senate candidate, with plans to headline a rally and concert Sept. 29 at Auditorium Shores.

Also on the bill are Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and youngest son Micah Nelson’s band Particle Kid, along with Austin acts Joe Ely, Carrie Rodriguez and Tameca Jones.

Admission is free but requires an RSVP via O’Rourke’s website.

A news release from Nelson’s publicist describes the event as “the first public concert Nelson has held for a political candidate.”

“My wife Annie and I have met and spoken with Beto, and we share his concern for the direction things are headed,” Nelson said in the news release. “Beto embodies

what is special about Texas, an energy and an integrity that is completely genuine.”

O’Rourke, a Democrat from El Paso who is running against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in an accompanying statement that he and his wife, Amy, “have had the amazing opportunity to talk with Willie and Annie about the kind of future we want for our state when everything we care about is on the line.”

“We are grateful to have Willie’s support as we continue running this race the right way: no PACs, no corporations, no special interests — just the people of Texas coming together to do something absolutely incredible,” O’Rourke said.

Nelson, who has long supported Democratic candidates, has been critical of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. In June, as migrant children were being separated from their parents of the border, Nelson tweeted at the president, “Hey Donald this is @ WillieNelson Let’s go down to a border detention center together to better understand what’s happening down there?! Let’s talk!”

O’Rourke, who played in a punk rock band in the 1990s, played acoustic guitar with Nelson at Circuit of the Americas for renditions of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away.”

O’Rourke has outraised Cruz and is running a tight race, according to several recent polls, prompting Trump to announce last month that he plans to campaign with Cruz at “the biggest stadium in Texas we can find.”