Willie Nelson hits the road this summer on his annual Outlaw Music festival tour, and Bob Dylan joins all 26 shows. In the first leg they will be joined by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and John Mellencamp in the second. Billy Strings, Brittney Spencer, Celisse and Southern Avenue will also be joining them at various stops along the way. It begins June 21 in Alpharetta, Georgia.
“This year's Outlaw Music festival tour promises to be the biggest and best yet with this lineup of legendary artists,” Nelson said in a statement. “I'm excited to be back on the road again with my family and friends playing the music we love for the fans we love.”
Dylan joined the Outlaw festival for a few shows in 2017, but this is the first time he's joined the entire tour. His friendship with Nelson, however, goes back several decades. They wrote the song “Heartland” together in 1993.
“[Willie] he's like a philosophical poet,” Dylan said that year. “It gets to his heart in a quick way. He takes it out and then it's over. He leaves the listeners to think about it. His guitar playing is pretty amazing. I never see anyone giving him credit as a musician. In my book it's up there at the top. He takes what he sings and makes it his own. There aren't many people who can do that.”
In the summer of 2004, Nelson and Dylan played together in minor league baseball parks across America. In 2009, they brought John Mellencamp along for the ride when they revisited the idea. Dylan rarely shares the stage with other performers, but he often brought Nelson along in 2004 for duets on “I Shall Be Released,” “Heartland” and “Milk Cow Blues.” They first performed together in 1976 when Nelson came out during a Rolling Thunder Revue stop in Houston for “Gotta Travel On.”
In recent years, Dylan has largely stuck to intimate theaters when touring America. But in the summer of 2013, he hit the summer amphitheater with Wilco and My Morning Jacket. “The whole idea of the tour was to be extremely collaborative,” said My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James. Rolling rock a few months after its end. “We were waiting to sit around the fire with Dylan at two in the morning and say 'Let's cover all Wish tomorrow!' We had all these dreams.
However, Jeff Tweedy of James and Wilco did get to play with Dylan a few times. He brought them out near the end of his set for the traditional folk song 'Twelve Gates to the City' and the band's 'The Weight'. “His bass player, Tony [Garnier], he did all the communication with us as far as who would sing which verse,” James said. “They were changing keys literally a minute before we went on, like, 'Bob wants to do it in E flat.' It was really cool and something I'll be able to tell the grandkids about.”
If we're lucky this summer, we might see Dylan, Nelson, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss team up for a few songs. Plant played “Girl From the North Country” at several shows in the early 2000s. This could be his chance to perform it with the guy who wrote it.
Here are the dates and lineups for Outlaw Musical festival 2024, produced by Blackbird Presents. tickets go on sale Friday, March 1st at 10am local time.
Friday, June 21, 2024
Ameris Bank Auditorium, Alpharetta, GA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Saturday, June 22, 2024
PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Credit Union Coastal Music Park, Raleigh, NC
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, VA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Friday, June 28, 2024
Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse, NY
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Saturday, June 29, 2024
Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Sunday, June 30, 2024
PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Saturday July 6, 2024
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Sunday, July 7, 2024
Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Celisse
Monday, July 29, 2024
North Island Credit Union Amphitheater, Chula Vista, CA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer
Saturday, August 3, 2024
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Toyota Amphitheatre, Wheatland, CA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Boise, ID
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer
Friday, August 9, 2024
ONE Spokane Stadium, Spokane, WA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Gorge Amphitheater, George, WA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Billy Strings
Brittney Spencer
Friday, September 6, 2024
Somerset Amphitheater, Somerset, WI
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Credit Union 1 Amphitheater, Tinley Park, IL
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
Sunday, September 8, 2024
Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, St. Louis, MO
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
Saturday, September 14, 2024
The Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Darien Lake Amphitheater, Buffalo, New York
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
South Ave
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/bob-dylan-willie-nelson-outlaw-music-festival–tour-dates-1234974909/
