Young steals show at Outlaw Festival
I love Willie Nelson and unless you’re one of those folks who really likes Ted Cruz, you probably do too. He’s a legend who’s made it over 60 years in entertainment on his own terms. It makes him an ideal headliner for the Outlaw Music Festival. In theory. Because as iconic as Willie Nelson is, he’s just not capable of following up a torrid Neil Young set that concluded with a red-hot, 10-minute rendition of “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Nelson didn’t do anything wrong. His hour-long mix of old-time country-blues was solid. At 85 years old, he’s still a remarkably fleet-fingered guitarist, evidenced by his tasteful solo on “Always on my Mind.” His voice wasn’t remarkable, but considering his age and the fact he performed a set at Farm Aid the prior night, he got the job done. With “On the Road Again” and “Shoeshine Man” his delivery was tuneful and warm. But a large swath of Nelson’s songs, such as “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Jambalaya,” felt like an afterthought. The audience agreed with that sentiment, as people started filing out of the amphitheater and off the lawn around halfway through his performance.
It was such a sharp contrast from Young and his backing band Promise of the Real. In just a shade under 80 minutes, Young tore through a career-spanning set. Three songs in, he busted out the acoustic and the harmonica for a solid and strongly received “Heart of Gold.” Soon after he got behind the keys for “Human Highway.” Once he finished, he strapped back on the electric guitar
and got wild.
“Powderfinger” was bolstered by some outstanding harmonies by Promise of the Real. Young and the band followed it up with a 10-minute “Love to Burn,” and it was here that Promise of the Real’s potency as a band really showed. The band is the hardest rocking unit Young has worked with besides Crazy Horse. But whereas Young and Crazy Horse would get wild and reckless musically, Promise of the Real plays powerfully while maintaining a focus that keeps the tunes from meandering and going astray.
Young ended with a killer triptych of songs: “Are You Ready for the Country,” “Ohio” and “Rockin’ in the Free World.” For the first, he was behind a piano, grinning while he choogled out some chunky chords. The last two whipped the crowd into the frenzy and concluded his set on an energetic note.
Prior to Young, Sturgill Simpson performed, and that dude can play. In a more just world, Simpson would be the biggest star in country music. He’s got a voice that, depending on the song, is reminiscent of Waylon Jennings or Merle Haggard and as a lead guitarist, he can rip with the best of them. For the entirety of his 75 minutes on stage he meant business, stopping to thank and acknowledge the audience only twice. The rest of the time, he was either singing or was focused on his guitar playing. Tracks like “Some Days” and “Turtles all the way Down” were stellar and the closing sequence of “Call to Arms” and T. Rex’s “The Motivator” got the person next to me to exclaim, “This show rocks!”
Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats preceded Simpson with an eminently danceable 70-minute set of Southern rock ‘n’ soul. The group sounded vital and on any other night, would be the best act out there. It’d be great if they came around the area again on their own.