Arts & Entertainment
 

Willie Nelson does all a country legend should

Accomplished artist takes RodeoHouston back to its more simpler days with style

By Bridget Brown
The Daily Cougar

After the last bull bucked at this year's RodeoHouston, Austin outlaw Willie Nelson closed Houston's third-largest rodeo ever Sunday with a relaxing performance that was more than welcomed by the exhausted fans.

Donning his signature braids and cowboy hat, Nelson played the same guitar with which he entertained small crowds in 1960s Nashville. The artist's minimalist appearance always shines during his performances, which are structured around off-the-beat vocal phrasing and timing that help Nelson produce some of the most well-known choruses in country music. His exceptional musical catalog laid the framework for 2004's last rodeo party, as the crowd lent its voice to every song.

Guitar solos that could only sound as good coming from a seasoned artist overshadowed many of the rodeo's rookie country singers. Classics that once proved Nelson to be one of the greatest country songwriters of all time -- "On the Road Again" and "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" -- were played with all of their original pop appeal.

Nelson's backing band stayed with his innovative style at every turn, creating new life out of the old gems "Crazy," which Nelson wrote for Patsy Cline in 1961, and Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee." The artist introduced his sister Bobbie Lee Nelson, who jump-started the audience with a honky-tonk piano solo.

The 45-minute concert played out like a greatest hits album featuring Nelson's works from 1975-89, including "If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)" and "Georgia on My Mind." "Blue Skies" was complemented with the sunset casting blue tones into the stadium's roof as Nelson's raspy voice crooned easily into the somber "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain."

RodeoHouston's status as the country's largest livestock show and rodeo and Nelson's perennial career work together perfectly. Nelson reminded the audience of how pure and simple country music can sound, and in turn revived the timeless romance of the rodeo.

Willie Nelson

RodeoHouston

Reliant Center

The verdict: Legends of country don't disappoint.

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