Willie Nelson’s “Country Throwdown” tour trucks into Fontanel

By Butch Worrell


Trucks, tour buses, and tents, they had taken over the grassy meadow between the main stage and the creek. It was like the circus had come to sleepy White’s Creek on a hot, humid summer’s day. If the weather was steamy hot, well so was the music. The festival stage in the meadow cooked all afternoon with Drake White, Craig Campbell, Brantley Gilbert, and Lukas Nelson’s “Promise of the Real”. The atmosphere was somewhat cooler in the Bluebird Café tent as Dani Flowers, Caitlyn Smith, and others served up acoustic sets in the shade. Back in the Hollow as the afternoon drifted into evening the main stage came alive Lee Brice and Randy Houser started the party and Jamey Johnson made it a family thing with Lukas Nelson, et al joining in. But the real family was Willie’s, making music on the road for almost half a century, still with sister Bobby, and now with his youngest Lukas. It is like Willie is the eternal spirit of American music, leading bands of troubadours across the nation. Lucky for us he made the Woods of Fontanel one of his stops.