This video was recorded in 1976, the year I first saw Willie Nelson in concert in New Braunfels, Texas.The lyrics to "Funny How Time Slips Away" adequately expressed my thoughts as I watched Willie perform last night at the Deadwood Mountain Grand.
In 1976, I was a very young, outlaw-loving, free-spirited woman who knew the words to every song from the album "Red Headed Stranger." Last night, inundated with these memories, I recalled how Willie's presence was always palpable in the Lone Star state during the 70s. His songs were played in every bar for the couples who clung to one another on the dance floor and every woman believed she was the good hearted woman he sang about. His outlaw country music had taken root and is firmly planted to this day. To live in Texas at that time and say that you didn't like Willie would have been akin to blasphemy.
Although Willie's voice struggled slightly at times, his familiar soulful tone carried every song with ease and his love for music and his fans was as evident last night as it was over thirty years ago. I wanted to tell him that I saw him in New Braunfels so many years ago and had thrown him my brand new red Stetson cowboy hat (which he never returned to me), but I was content with shaking the iconic musician's hand and receiving a warm smile when the music ended.
My, it's been a long long time.
