Willie Nelson will not perform at tonight’s Syracuse concert, reps announced Friday (June 28) afternoon.
“Willie Nelson has been cleared by his doctors to go back on the road again,” a statement said. “He will resume performing on the Outlaw Tour next week. Willie will not be on this weekend’s dates.”
Nelson, 91, was scheduled to headline Friday night’s Outlaw Music Festival at the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview. His time slot will be filled by Lukas Nelson and Family; Lukas, 35, is Willie’s son and is expected to perform some of the country music legend’s classic hits.
The rest of the lineup will perform as scheduled, including Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and Celisse. The Empower FCU Amphitheater concert begins at 5:30 p.m.; gates open at 4.
Last-minute tickets are still available via Live Nation. No information about refunds is available, but the Live Nation website notes “All line-ups are subject to change.”
Willie Nelson’s status had been up in the air after cancelling his appearance at the first few dates of the tour due to an unspecified health issue. He was advised by doctors last week to rest “for the next four days,” but missed his anticipated return Wednesday in Virginia Beach.
Nelson, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, has been performing for more than 70 years. The “On the Road Again” singer first launched the Outlaw Music Festival in 2016 and turned it into a touring event with different lineups.
His son is best known as the bandleader for Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, which has released nine albums since 2010. In his father’s absence this past week, Lukas Nelson has performed classic songs like “Always on My Mind,” “Whiskey River” and “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.”
It’s unclear exactly when Willie Nelson will resume performing, but Friday’s announcement means he won’t appear Friday night in Syracuse, Saturday at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y., or Sunday at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J. The next possible return date is Tuesday, July 2, at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass.
Upcoming Outlaw Music Festival dates in Upstate New York include shows July 6 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and Sept. 17 at Darien Lake Amphitheater. The lineup for Bethel Woods will be the same as Syracuse, but Darien Lake will feature John Mellencamp and Southern Avenue instead of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Celisse.
