Willie Nelson, Sturgill Simpson, Elvis Costello Lead Outlaw Music Festival Tour
Willie Nelson‘s Outlaw Music Festival Tour is becoming a summertime tradition.
Sturgill Simpson, Elvis Costello, Alison Krauss and Old Crow Medicine Show are among the dozen or so acts who’ll join Nelson during the festival’s upcoming run. A summertime package tour that focuses not only on music, but also on craft brews and locally-sourced food options, the Outlaw Music Festival Tour kicks off the first leg of its 2018 trek on May 25th. From its launching point in Raleigh, North Carolina, it then cuts a wide arc across the eastern half of the United States, coming to a close — albeit a temporary one, as new shows are expected to be added — in the Houston suburbs on July 1st.
For Nelson – an unfatigued road warrior whose upcoming 85th birthday has done little to slow this touring schedule – the Outlaw Music Festival Tour offers yet another chance to curate a dream team of roots-music heavyweights. This year, he’s shining a light on icons and fresh faces alike. Brandi Carlile, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, the Head and the Heart, Ryan Bingham, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, the Wild Feathers, JD McPherson, Delta Rae and Particle Kid are all slated to join the festival for one or more performances, with each concert offering a rotating lineup of artists.
After spending its opening weekend in Raleigh and Charlotte, the festival leaves North Carolina and travels north, hitting Bristow, Virginia; Cleveland; Noblesville, Indiana; Detroit; Little Rock; Dallas; and the Woodlands, Texas. Although plans for a second leg have yet to be detailed, the tour promises to unveil additional artists and new shows during the coming weeks. Last spring, Eric Church was added to the Outlaw Music Festival Tour’s second leg of 2017, more than a month after the tour’s initial announcement.
Meanwhile, Nelson’s year remains stocked with amphitheater shows, theater performances and festival slots. He’ll also uphold another summertime ritual: the annual 4th of July Picnic in Austin, with this year’s lineup including Outlaw Music Festival Tour acts like Simpson, Bingham, the Head and the Heart, the Wild Feathers and 2017 Festival Tour alumna Margo Price.
Announced this morning via Rolling Stone Country, the Outlaw Music Festival Tour, a production of Blackbird Presents, will begin selling tickets to its 2018 shows on Friday, March 16th, at 12:00 pm local time.
May 25 — Raleigh @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
Alison Krauss
Delta Rae
More TBA
May 26 — Charlotte @ PNC Music Pavilion
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Brandi Carlile
Old Crow Medicine Show
More TBA
May 27 — Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
More TBA
June 22 — Cincinnati @ Riverbend Music Center
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
The Head and the Heart
Old Crow Medicine Show
More TBA
June 23 — Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
The Head and the Heart
Old Crow Medicine Show
JD McPhersonMore TB
June 24 — Detroit @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Willie Nelson & Family
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
The Head and the Heart
Old Crow Medicine Show
More TBA
June 29 — Little Rock @ Verizon Arena
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
The Head and the Heart
Ryan Bingham
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle KidMore TBA
June 30 — Dallas @ Starplex Pavilion
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
Ryan Bingham
The Head and the Heart
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
The Wild Feathers
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
More TBA
July 1 — The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
The Head and the Heart
Ryan Bingham
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
The Wild Feathers
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
More TBA