2021 in review: Outlaw Music Festival
The Mann Center - September 11, 2021
I was finally able to catch the tail-end of this iconic summer tour that I’ve heard so much about. However, I quickly realized that this festival is not my usual scene- I was grateful to at least have my denim jacket on to just barely fit in. The demographic was unique in the combination of pot-smoking hippies dancing alongside country-loving republicans. Whatever they supported, many of them proudly advertised their causes on their t-shirts. The crowd was a fine example of how music truly brings people together.
I got there just in time to see Sturgill Simpson’s set with eight bluegrass musicians on stage and many strings including mandolin artist, Sierra Hull. While the core of the music was country, I also heard a few bossa nova or island-influenced beats.
Then, Willie Nelson and his family came on to polish off the night. The first thing I noticed as Willie took his seat onstage was his guitar. The instrument, famously named “Trigger,” was barely holding on with a strap binding its holey, worn-down face and sides together. Talk about loyalty and trust!
Willie Nelson, his classic braids and band members playing upright bass, percussion, harmonica, his sister Bobbie Nelson on keys, and his son Micha on guitar then performed for around an hour as the classic American flag decorated the stage behind them.
The family band picked and sang some memorable tunes including Particle Kid's cover “Everything is Bullshit,” and the classic American song “Keep on the Sunny Side.” Every song felt like a pit stop in the south with harmonica solos to accompany you on your journey. Songs including Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind” and Billy Jo Shaver’s “Georgia on a Fast Train” and the iconic “On the road again,” only emphasized this feeling.
The warm country sound filled the northern air and transported us to the southern regions for the rest of the night. I only snapped out of the fantasy when I had to scan my septa keycard and step aboard the SEPTA route 40 bus to return to my Philadelphia apartment.
