Always on My Mind

Last night we went to see Willie Nelson with Alison's family. Jake and Meg got tickets and they told Kristin and Dan about the concert. When we were in Las Vegas to see George Strait Kristin told us about the show and we decided we wanted to go.

We drove to the Usana amphitheater with Blake, Kristin, and Dan. Debbie was nice enough to watch Tex while we were at the show. Skylee was also hanging out with Debbie. Skylee wasn't really happy that she didn't get to come with us.

We left a little early and arrived around 5:45. Turns out the show didn't start until 7:30. None of us had read the details that closely so we were way early. We bought grass seats to being there so early meant we got to stake out a great spot.

Blake told us that sitting on the grass at the concert kind of reminded him of the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti, except there were a lot of people drinking and smoking. So it was mostly that we were on the grass with a big stage in front of us that made it similar.

Kacey Musgraves opened for Willie Nelson. We saw Kasey when we went to Vegas in 2016 to see George Strait. After that concert, we started listening to her music and became big fans. She sang a lot of our favorite songs and a few new ones that she has been writing.

Here was her setlist - Kacey Musgraves at Usana Amphitheater in Salt Lake City on August 13, 2017:

1. Stupid
2. Biscuits
3. Crazy (Gnarls Barkley Cover)
4. Late to the Party
5. Family is Family
6. High time
6. Golden hour (new song)
7. Mama's Broken Heart (Miranda Lambert Cover)
8. It is what it is
9. Butterflies (new song)
10. Merry Go 'Round
11. Love is a Wild Thing (new song)
12. Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell tribute)
13. Follow Your Arrow

Kacey Musgraves is awesome. When we heard she was opening we were even more excited for this show. She did not disappoint. She owned the stage and every song she sang was great. My favorites were Biscuits and Follow Your Arrow. It was also pretty cool that she sang Mama's Broken Heart since she wrote that song for Miranda Lambert. The Glen Campbell tribute was a pretty touching moment in her setlist. I also got the chills when she sang Merry Go 'Round. During that song, her band left the stage. It was just her and her guitar. Pretty cool.

After Kacey wrapped up Willie took the stage. It was fun to see (as Dan put it) an American Treasure. He had an interesting setlist.

Here is his setlist - Willie Nelson at Usana Amphitheater in Salt Lake City on August 13, 2017:

1. Whiskey river
2. Still is still moving me
3. Down yonder
4. Good hearted woman
5. Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
6. Angel flying too close to the ground
7. On the road again
8. You were always on my mind
9. Jambalaya (on The Bayou)

From the start, Willie didn't sound very good. He was more talking about his songs than singing them. We didn't have that high of expectations considering he is 84 years old, but it become apparent he was really laboring to get through his set. The songs were great and we got to hear most of the ones we really wanted to hear. There were also a couple of great piano solos by his sister, whom he was proud to announce was recently inducted into the Texas Musician's hall of fame. After the last song, he said he would be right back and walked off the stage. Blake had been watching him with his binoculars and said Willie didn't look too good. He kept wiping off his face and he didn't look very steady when he walked off the stage. His band stayed out and kept playing. They were incredibly talented. After a couple more songs by the band, a crew member came out and made the "kill-it" signal. The band leader explained Willie was feeling better, but that they would need to take a little break. They walked off stage. While we were waiting an ambulance showed up, but we weren't sure if it was coming to the venue or not. A few minutes later Willie's manager came up and thanked us for being fans, but said he wouldn't be able to come back out. The altitude got to him and he was having trouble breathing. We were a little disappointed, but we were glad to hear he was okay.

While the ending isn't quite what we had hoped for we had a great time at the concert. It was fun to be with family enjoying the old-time country music that we all love. We got to see the legendary Willie Nelson play some of his greatest hits. This may very well be the last time he performs in Utah and we were there to see it happen.