From the very first time I heard his voice (treacle over gravel) I was a dedicated fan!

I remember as a small child standing next to my father at my first Willie concert, the air thick with pungent herbal aromas, the first 20 rows reserved for the Hells Angels .. it was a completly surreal situation!

20 years on & much has changed, we've all had kids, the drugs are stronger & musicians no longer only play their instruments but must also be adept at multimedia online marketing, global promotion, finance & copyright law. But Reddog and partner were still prepared to don our cowboy hats and get along to what promised to be one hell of a shindig!

In amongst all this chaos & corporate fist shaking, somewhere between Nashville & the West Coast, in a motel with a suitcase & a guitar resides Willie Nelson ...

Seemingly unchanged by success, Willie Nelson must be one of the most humble, hard working & sincere performers left in this big bad world.

His intimacy with his audience is only matched by his tireless performance (2 & 1/2 hours straight, his band took a break, but Willie didn't!)

Playing with a small band of dedicated Nelson disciples, including his sister Bonnie belting out some rollicking honky-tonk piano, Willie charmed the crowd with a selection of his favourites, as well as several Kris Kristofferson & Hank Williams songs!

He could have stood there & recited the Star Spangled Banner and it wouldn't have mattered at all, his delivery would still have been as improvised & individual as only the master could be!

With a list of his albums larger than most personal record collections, no one comes close to Willie Nelson in creative talent, staying power & sheer artistic brilliance. The list of artists that have enjoyed fame releasing songs written by Willie reads like a who's who of the USA Recording industry, evidence of this is the wealth of collaborative material released with artists such as Ray Charles, KD Lang & many more!

The Hells Angles were still there, also a little older & rounder, club colours proudly displayed, special guests of Willie Nelson.... of course!

As Willie clearly demonstrates, true outlaws never die, their skills just keep getting better and their fame & legends just keep getting bigger!

Willie Nelson is a god!

Check out Willie's website at: http://www.willienelson.com

Review by Tony Fox email: editor@firehorse.com