By Josh Bell
Sunset Station 7 p.m. doors, July 21, $43-$106 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
Willie Nelson transcends boundaries. Fans of country music love him. People who aren’t fans of country music? They love him, too. Along with Johnny Cash, Nelson is the country legend most likely to be embraced by fans of rock or folk or punk or jazz. He has a dedicated longtime fan base of older listeners, but he appeals strongly to young people as well. His laid-back attitude and embrace of certain mind-altering substances have endeared him to the counterculture, but his traditionalist approach to country music appeals to more conservative fans.
In short, Nelson is all things to all people, which means there’s likely to be a pretty diverse crowd at his Sunset Station concert. They’ll be seeing Nelson as well as his Family, the designation for the band that includes appearances from Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah, daughter Amy and sister Bobbie, as well as other musicians who’ve been playing with Nelson for decades. At nearly 80 years old, Nelson has spent a lifetime building up a repertoire of songs and a community of family and friends to play music with. Thanks to his songs and his bandmates, he’s going to keep on transcending.
