Alison Krauss Among Headliners At Willie Nelson’s 4th Of July Picnic

The line-up for one of America’s great institutions of the summer live music calendar, Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic, has been confirmed. The stellar bill includes headline slots by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson.

One of the hottest names in modern-day mainstream country, Luke Combs, will also perform at the show, which will take place for the fifth consecutive year at the Circuit of the Americas speedway, near Austin, TX. The Nelson family will, naturally, be there, with both Folk Uke and the Raelyn Nelson Band playing, and the family flavour continues with the presence of the Casey Kristofferson Band, whose frontwoman is Kris Kristofferson’s daughter with Rita Coolidge. Colter Wall and Hayes Carll will also feature.

The picnic first took place in Dripping Springs, Texas in 1973, billed as a “Hillbilly Woodstock,” with Nelson joined by such luminaries as Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Bill Monroe and Waylon Jennings. It has been held most years since, always with the presence and participation of Nelson, who turns 86 later this month, on 29 April. This year will feature such mainstays of the picnic as Ray Wylie Hubbard, Billy Joe Shaver and Johnny Bush, with tradition further upheld by Gene Watson and Steve Earle.

The main stage at the Circuit of the Americas is the Austin360 Amphitheatre, with a second stage in the Grand Plaza offering picnic tables and a shopping area with a great number of Texas-based vendors. A grand fireworks display rounds off the occasion, for which tickets will go on sale on Friday (5 April) at 10am CT. Prices start at $45 for general admission to $399.50 for the “Shotgun” hospitality package, which includes a floor seat, upgraded parking, access to the VIP Lucky Lounge and a limited edition t-shirt.

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