Willie Nelson probably can't wait to get on the road again, but the recent outbreak of COVID-19, better known as coronavirus, put a halt to many things in life until further notice. So the 86-year-old eccentric Texas country musician has a launched a live stream of his annual Luck Reunion festival.
Appropriatly, Willie called it the 'Til Further Notice' event.
The live stream began with a Willie Nelson music video, followed by Texas music legend Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel hosting the event. The night is scheduled to feature Lucinda Williams, Jewel and Paul Simon together with his wife, Edie Brickell. Nelson and his to sons are expected to be online around 11:15 p.m. CT on Thursday night.
Here is host to live stream the event that began at 7 p.m. Thursday night and should last well beyond midnight on the East Coast:
The annual festival is headlined by Nelson at his Luck Ranch, located on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. Every year he brings in a wide array of talent from different genres. Many of the young, talented artists have had their tours cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought the country to almost a standstill.
Since the show is free to those who want to live stream it, there is a place at the bottom of the streaming page to donate to the efforts through Venmo.
Here is the full schedule of the show (all times CT):
6:15 PM - Ida Mae
6:25 PM - Nikki Lane
6:35 PM - Thomas Csorba
6:50 PM - Tami Neilson
7:00 PM - Lucinda Williams
7:15 PM - Devon Gilfillian
7:25 PM - Ian Ferguson
7:35 PM - Katie Pruitt
8:00 PM - David Ramirez
8:10 PM - Paul Cauthen
8:20 PM - Randy Houser
8:30 PM - Lucius
8:40 PM - Tré Burt
8:50 PM - Early James
9:15 PM - Margo Price & Jeremy Ivey
9:30 PM - Kurt Vile
9:40 PM - Sunny War
9:50 PM - Paul Simon & Edie Brickell
10:10 PM - Jewel
10:50 PM - Nathaniel Rateliff
11:15 PM - Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson, and Micah Nelson
The coronavirus has affected lives, and the way of life, all over the world. The virus that began in Wuhan, China, has now been tested positive among 250,000 people worldwide, including more than 10,000 in the United States, and more than 100 deaths in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday afternoon.
The virus has brought not just canceled music festivals like the Luck Reunion and the nearby Austin SXSW Music and Film Festival, it also canceled the Houston Rodeo, it postponed the NBA and NHL seasons, delayed the beginning of baseball and completely canceled college sports in America, including the NCAA March Madness, which would have started on Thursday.
Meanwhile, many schools and universities all over the country have been forced to continue their studies online, and many restaurants, gyms and bars around America have been forced to find alternative ways to distribute their products without having 10 or more people in their establishments.
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