One of the best evenings of my life last night. I got to watch Willie Nelson perform in person.
The program titled WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY. Held at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Key West.
The Willie Nelson portion of the show was all Willie Nelson. The “family” consisted of his son Lukas who played and sung along with his Dad, but only sang one song solo. Let me mention Lukas first. Relatively young. Thirty six years old. His voice his Dad’s. His performance skills his Dad’s also.
Willie’s part of the show was one hour. Outstanding! He never stopped singing.
Nelson is 91 years old. I am 89. We are contemporaries. I knew the words to 80 percent of the songs he sang. I stood and cheered, stood and sang with the man, yelled and screamed with the crowd. What a performer! Nelson, not me.
Willie opened with Whiskey River. Further songs included On the Road Again, Always on My Mind, Good Hearted Woman, To All The Girls I’ve Loved, Riders in the Sky, Seven Spanish Angels, Write Your Own Songs, Georgia on My Mind, Blue Skies, If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time, Forgiving You Easy, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, and Sound of Silence.
There were more. I can’t recall all of them. Each one perfect, however.
Willie’s age occasionally caught in his voice for a second. Did not matter. He was Willie Nelson. The sound his. The words emanating from the pit of his stomach.
The Amphitheater holds 4,000. I would estimate close to that number there.
My first visit to the Amphitheater. Will not be my last. I was overwhelmed not only by the show, but by the Amphitheater itself.
There is a front portion of reserved seats. Mucho expensive. I was in the sixth row. My seat a gift from a friend.
To the rear of the reserved seats was a gradual uphill of grass. The “cheap seats.” Most on the grass portion brought their own chairs. Behind them, the Gulf of Mexico.
What a setting!
When the Amphitheater was suggested for Key West years ago, I was opposed. Locals would not spend the type of money called for to attend nor did I believe people would travel all the way to Key West to see a show. I was wrong. Badly so. As reflected by the crowd last night.
Again, the place was almost filled to capacity. Most were 60 or older. Many as old as Willie and me. My best guess is that most were locals. They spent the expensive dollars in many instances to attend!
Let me run down buying tickets, time to arrive, how to park, how to leave, etc. All important.
Tickets should be purchased in advance. You can do it on your cell phone. Mine was scheduled for pickup. Instructions were to arrive at 5:30 to get the ticket. The show not scheduled to begin till 7.
I found out pick up tickets were available at the site from noon on. I picked mine up at 12:30. This also gave me a chance to figure out parking. Most important!
Arriving easy. Straight up Southard Street through Truman Annex as if you are going to the Fort Zachery Taylor Beach. The Amphitheater is located in the Truman Waterfront Park.
Kate was the young lady waiting to accommodate me with my ticket. She expected my arrival and seemed to recognize my name. A charming young lady.
I asked her about the parking. There is a large parking lot across the street. Not part of her operation. She knew nothing about it. I saw some disabled parking spots in the lot and wanted to know if my disabled parking permit got me a free spot. She was unaware. All she could tell me was the parking lot was not part of the Amphitheater operation and she understood the cost to park was $30 or $40.
The lot did not open till 3 so I had to wait till I arrived at 5:30 to see if free or not. I doubted it was.
The parking was $40. The man was gracious and said they kept none of the money. It all went to charity. I did not believe him nor did I care. If I had to arrange for a cab or Uber, the cost would have been more than normal and getting picked up an horrendous experience. I decided I would pay $40 if I had to. The convenience was worth it. Directly across the street from the Amphitheater.
I arrived at 5:15. I had to wait in line to get in. The doors did not open till 5:30. The line was a good quarter of a mile long. Most in line were holding their chairs. I stood 15 minutes and the line began moving. Within 15 minutes more, I was inside the Amphitheater and in my seat.
The operation organized to the hilt. People walking up and down the line telling those with chairs to open them so the line could move faster through the gate. There were six gates. Like going through security in the airport. Everything had to be checked. Done swiftly with courtesy and grace.
I had an hour and a quarter to kill before the show began at 7. Tents selling everything everywhere. Food, booze, tee shirts, etc. Portable toilets everywhere. No waiting involved.
My one complaint is the metal chair I was sitting on. Reserved seats are metal chairs. I lost 62 pounds during my three heart surgeries last year. Never gained them back. A good thing. However, I have no ass. I am skin and bones back there. I had a sore rump all night. I was happy the times I had to stand to cheer Willie.
The entire show took 2 hours 15 minutes. The first hour consisted of a young professional group. They were on 45 minutes. Then Nelson’s people had to rearrange the stage etc. for Willie’s show. Took another 30 minutes. Willie’s show was one hour.
I noticed a small number of customers did not arrive in the reserved section till Willie’s show was about to begin. They obviously did not care to watch the opening performance. I do not blame them. I did not enjoy the opening group. The music more today’s. A lot of yelling and screaming. Not my cup of tea. When I see my next show, I may find out what the opening group is doing and skip the opening portion. Arrive only in time for the main attraction.
Leaving caused me concern. Just under 4,000 people leaving the area at the same time.
Fortunately, the Amphitheater backs onto the highway. My reserved seating was only feet from the stage. As soon as the show was over, I moved my feeble derriere back to my car and was one of the first on the highway.
It was a zoo. Most people walking on the highway. Cars few. Accidents waiting to occur. Took a bit of time to make it to Southard Street. The police should be more involved in moving people and cars at the end of the show.
The Amphitheater is owned by the City of Key West. It is managed by the Rams Head Group who also run a restaurant on Petronia and Whitehead Streets. The Rams Head principal is Bill Muehlhauser. He has multiple residences in the U.S. and probably elsewhere. He and his wife have a residence in Key West also. He did an excellent job in setting up the Amphitheater and its staff. The staff voluminous and there to assist the customers. Always with a smile. Everyone knows there job and perform it well. I was impressed.
I who was opposed when the Amphitheater was in the conceptual stage glad my judgment was not correct. I can’t wait to see more shows!
Enjoy your day!