Willie Nelson on Tour again!

One of my first concerts that I went to at the ripe old age of thirteen was a Willie Nelson concert. I had to tag along with my older sister and her friend to make sure they didn’t cause too much trouble back then. Mind you, it was 1979 right around the time that country music was popular in the south and yet, I didn’t have any interest whatsoever in seeing him. To me, he didn’t fit the traditional country profile and style that I was used to listening to when I was growing up in my family. But after seeing him perform live that night, I’ve been a fan ever since and have seen him live many times. He is universally acclaimed as a singer and songwriter, he’s been a DJ and has probably played every small-town bar and venue he has come across. He has the moniker of being a “country music outlaw” that at times has hurt his career for going against the grain on a wide variety of things, but in all reality, he must be doing something right because he has had a music career for the past 60 some years! He’s also known for writing the song “Crazy” that Patsy Cline made into a hit. He also started Farm Aid in 1985 which is still going strong!

Well, just like one of his popular songs “On The Road Again, “at age 85, Willie Nelson just announced more 2018 – 2019 tour dates. What a nice holiday present this would be! His plan is to tour North America in the rest of 2018 and into 2019. This Country Music Hall of Famer also released his sixty-eighth album “My Way” in September, in which he’s putting his country spin on several songs previously performed by Frank Sinatra. Bold mood? Why yes, it is! But that’s the cool thing about Willie, he tackles the tough projects and still manages to put his own personal stamp on them. We’re pretty sure that his concerts will include a couple of these tracks, but you’ll also hear some of his hits as well as, songs that pay tribute to the people who have inspired him along the way. What I can say is that he is a captivating performer who sings with a story to tell and the purpose behind it. His songs, past and present captures the world we live in and tells the story through what he’s seen and done. He’s a living country legend and it’s worth the money to see him live on tour.

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Brian May Finds Inspiration from Rory Gallagher

Rory Gallagher was an amazing guitarist who was a down to earth guy and the way he was on stage was the same way he was off stage. He never compromised on his music and he was a true artist in its purest form. He had this uncanny ability to captivate his audience and keep their attention throughout his concert and left them screaming for more. Although his shows were amazing, there was no over the top showmanship like there is today. Just Rory and his band playing their music and playing it from the heart! He played a beat-up Strat that looked like it had been through several wars but the sound and tone he was able to cull out of it was intense and electric!

He was able to get these crazy syncopated sounds to come out of it just by snapping on and off the strings. I’m not a musician so I’m not sure of the correct terminology for it but either way, it was still badass guitar playing! Well, just recently, Queen guitarist and mastermind Brian May, told Ultimate Classic Rock that Rory Gallagher sort of inspired Queen’s classic song “Tie Your Mother Down”. He said that he woke up one morning and just started playing this crazy riff which included snapping the strings. And then he heard a childlike “Tie your mother down” and that’s where it stopped. All day long May was playing the same guitar riff over and over like a madman!

It could have been too much studying for his PhD in astrophysics that caused this madness. But I like to think that this riff came from Rory in the afterlife. Either way, he finally hooked up with the band and told Freddy Mercury that he didn’t have any words that would create a complete song and yet, they managed to create a hit! My only question is “What Rory Gallagher song was he listening to that created this magic inspirational riff? There are several possible tracks from the “Calling Card” Album that I can think of.

- Michelle S.