Grammy-award-winning Billy Strings is joining Willie Nelson and his Outlaw Music Tour later this year.
Strings made the announcement himself, showing off the concert poster on his Instagram page.
“Joining the Outlaw Music Festival Tour with Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell, Nathaniel Rateliff, Charley Crockett & more this September !! Presale begins Wednesday, March 23 @ 10AM (local).”
Billy Strings Joins Willie Nelson Tour in September
The Outlaw Tour kicks off June 23 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in St. Louis. It’s not clear exactly when Billy Strings joins Willie Nelson and his other Outlaws on tour. But the September stretch of the tour starts in Atlanta, then stays in the south, before it heads up the East Coast and ends on Sept. 23 in Camden, N.J.
Strings, 29, won a Grammy last year for best Bluegrass album. He released Home in 2019 and it stayed on the Bluegrass charts for 77 weeks, peaking at No. 1. So he’s the perfect addition for a Willie Nelson tour.
Nelson announced his tour earlier Monday. He’s been leading it since 2016. And in a statement introducing the 2022 version, Nelson said:
“The Outlaw Music Festival Tour has always been about family and friends coming together for a great day of music and fun. And with the amazing group of artists joining us, this year promises to be our most special Outlaw Tour to date. I just can’t wait to get back on the road again.”
We can’t wait to see Willie, either. Other friends joining the red-headed stranger include Chris Stapleton, the Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell, the 400 Unit and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats.
Legendary rock group ZZ Top also will play a part in the tour. Like Willie, they’re Texans. Brothers Osborne, Zach Bryan, Steve Earle and Brittney Spencer also are among the stars making appearances.
Willie’s Luck Reunion Festival Held Last Week at His Ranch
Willie and friends performed in their first Luck Reunion Festival in two years last Thursday. The venue was Nelson’s Luck Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. He ended the show with his gospel medley as his friends and family joined in.
But Bobbie Nelson, Willie’s beloved older sister, wasn’t there. She died March 10 and age 91. Nelson and his family, blood and extended, performed “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away.” For a half-century, Sister Bobbie had been playing piano by Willie’s side. Nelson didn’t speak publicly about Bobbie during his set. But earlier in the day, everyone had a moment of silence. Plus, there was a memorial set up for Bobbie in the barn across from the stage. Fans left notes among the flowers and other memorials.
Nelson will celebrate his 89th birthday April 29 and 30th to kickoff the opening of the Moody Coliseum in Austin. He’ll be joined by fellow Texas country legend George Strait.
