Since The Duke knows a fair old amount with regards the "economy", the "stocking markets" and so on, I know that the price one must offer for to witness Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Toots Hibbert and Willie Nelson sharing the same stage is roughly 1 and ¾ of ones intestinal content.
Also, you have to put up with Kid Rock being there, too.
Obviously this is a fair old price to pay, and so if such a thing were ever to occur, you'd imagine the audience would all be pretty old, with regards the "age" and so on, since they probably won't need any more than a quarter of their intestines for much longer, anyhow.
But don't go buzzing around the house in a frantic search for some organ-removal tools just yet, since thanks to the miracle of Digital DVD Disc or whatever, you can now witness just such an occurrence, and can note that several other wonderful performers are also included, all nodding their heads and making very sincere faces just to the right of Mr Nelson, or to his left, on account of we're looking on from the other side.
The Willie Nelson And Friends concerts have taken place once a year for the last three years, with the man himself joined for a couple hours of uniformly swell country music with the likes of Ryan Adams and Shelby Lynne and so on, all getting up for to perform duets and quirky cover versions and the like.
The third such event, Willie Nelson And Friends - Outlaws And Angels, has just been released on DVD, and so The Duke took the opportunity for to observe, and to make notes, and to critique, ie, to "review".
What's striking about this release is that, from glancing over the track-listing, it appears that the stuff The Duke was most looking forward to turned out to be the most underwhelming, and the shit I was positively cringing in anticipation of, turns out to be highly entertaining.
To Wit; The duet with Bob Dylan on You Win Again is pleasantly ramshackle, but pretty forgettable nonetheless, whilst Kid Rock assaulting Shotgun Willie / Shotgun Bobby turns out to be uproariously enjoyable.
Rock joins in again later on, running through Whole Lot Of Shakin' Goin' On with an obviously demented Jerry Lee Lewis, the latter joining in on some half-hearted instrument-destruction to the tune of taking his mike stand and beating the piano with it a couple times. And then he grabs the microphones. Best to beat the motherfucking piano with these things like as if it were a tom-tom, seems to be the thinking.
The whole affair is relatively hit-and-miss, but the hit-rate is much higher than you might expect. Certainly the dreary duet with Carole King is far from amazing, and the version of Opportunity To Cry with The Holmes Brothers works better on paper, or indeed album, than it does here.
But shut your stinking face if you were thinking that this is nothing but a bunch of old country singing types moaning and groaning alongside Kid Rock. You'd be at least 89% inaccurate, were you to assume such a preposterous supposition.
Article comments
1 - Lono
Duke, as always you rule. I only recently discovered the genius of Willie a few years ago when he and Cash did a Storytellers show that is life affirming, to say the least. Growing up on Metallica, I am admittedly late to the party.
My one hope is to get to see Wilie play live before he goes. In recent pictures, he looks about 105... but we know the weed gets him through. thanks for a good piece on an American treasure who won't be properly appreciated, I fear, until he is gone.
Also, the fabrication was outstanding... though the piece could have used more swearing.
I remain a fervant fan of the Duke, as well as the great Willie Nelson. You anywhere near Denver? We need to have a beer sometime.
Lono
2 - Jim Carruthers
I once got to see a televised concert by Willie Nelson and some of his people, as a result of my landlord totally fucking up the electrics in my apartment, and me decamping to a hotel room with the cable and Willie Nelson channel. And sending my landlord the bill.
So, yes, Willie Nelson rules, if only because he used his super-powers to totally fuck my landlord.
3 - HW Saxton
Sir Duke,this sounds like a pretty good
watch despite Kid Rock.Too bad Jerry Lee
didn't give him the business end of 4/5
bottle of Jim Beam upside his silly ass
skull.That would be a better watch IMO.
You're as right as rain about Merle H.
I've seen literally hundreds of shows &
concerts (I'm a stagehand,it goes with
the turf)mainly as an active participant
running a spotlight,working sound or on
the lighting crew. I mention this fact
because,the sheer numbers of performers
and performances I've seen have made me
more than a little jaded about supposed
greatness.
Once in a while someone is so goddamned
good,so truly talented and such a decent
human being that it restores your faith
in people.Merle H. is one of those cats.
I worked one of his gigs in the mid 80's
at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas.Before he
played he was hanging out backstage and
bullshitting with his band and all of us
guys on the local crew. I told him I had
(still do)some 8mm video footage of Bob
Wills playing at the Golden Nugget Hotel
in downtown LV. He said he love to see
it, especially since three of his band
mates were original members of the Texas
Playboy band. We invited him over to a
BBQ at my friends house the day after
the show and gave him a phone number so
if he wanted to stop over we'd give him
directions etc. We never really thought
it would happen(and it didn't sadly),but
he actually called himself!!! to say he
was sorry and maybe next time he could.
For him to do such a thing,blew me away.
What a cool & considerate guy,it fucking
blew me away!Anyways,he was one of the
best concerts I've ever seen in my life
and that includes The Ramones,The Who,
Van Halen(w/Dave),The Stones in '78,Bob
Marley & The Wailers etc.
He'll be remembered in the history books
long after the likes of Toby Keith,Garth
Brooks & all of those other shit stains
on the BVD's of C&W music history have
male modelled themselves back down to
their Dante-esque point of origin.
Anyway,excellent review as per the usual
there Duke De Muthafuckin' Mondo. Later.