Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic Goes Virtual

Over the last 47 years, myriad locales have hosted Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic: Southpark Meadows, Carl’s Corner in the Hill Country, Luckenbach, the Backyard at Bee Cave, Fort Worth’s Stockyards, and – since 2015 – the F1 track at Circuit of the Americas. Next week, for the first time ever, the Picnic transmits digitally only.

On July 4, starting at 3:30pm, viewers can tune into what’s being billed as a hybrid concert film: pre-taped remote performances, livestreams from the Chapel stage at Nelson’s Luck ranch, and then interviews and picnic history. Performers include Margo Price, Kurt Vile, Shakey Graves, Robert Earl Keen, John Doe of X, Charley Crockett, Sheryl Crow, Steve Earl, Kinky Friedman, and – of course – Nelson himself. The backing band, helmed by Texas Gentlemen ringleader Beau Bedford, rounds out with top-shelf Austinites Charlie Sexton (guitar), John Michael Schoepf (bass), and Josh Blue (drums).

The broadcast – access to which costs $35 in advance, $45 day of show – marks the historic event moving under the umbrella of the family-associated Luck Productions, whose co-founder Ellee Fletcher Durniak said by press release: “Our goal with the 2020 Picnic is to bring it back to what it was – in the only way we can during these times. We were set to host this year’s event at Luck, to welcome the Picnic back to its hill country home.”

Tickets can be secured here. Full lineup below.

Charley Crockett
Devon Gilfillian
John Doe
Johnny Bush
Kinky Friedman
Kurt Vile
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Lyle Lovett
Margo Price
Matthew Houck (Phosphorescent)
The McCrary Sisters
Particle Kid
Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Robert Earl Keen
Shakey Graves
Sheryl Crow
Steve Earle
The Peterson Brothers
Vincent Neil Emerson
Ziggy Marley