Inaugural Outlaw Music Festival Announced
Scranton, Pennsylvania will be the host of the inaugural Outlaw Music Festival being held at the Pavilion on Montage Mountain on Sunday, September 18th, with headliners Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and Lukas Nelson’s band Promise of the Real backing up Neil Young on stage.
Other performers announced for the first year festival include Lee Ann Womack, Sheryl Crow, Brothers Osborne, and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. More performers are to be announced soon. The Pavilion on Montage Mountain is the same location the Allman Brothers Band’s annual Peach Music Festival occurs, as well as other high profile events.
Tickets for the Outlaw Music Festival are set to go on sale Friday, July 29th at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster. VIP packages and RV parking are also available.
But a few folks are looking sideways at the inaugural event for a host of reasons, not the least being that Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and the Promise of the Real are headlining a very similar event the day before, and only four hours away when they take the stage in Bristow, Virginia for the 2016 installment of Farm Aid.
Also, some are questioning just how “Outlaw” performers such as Sheryl Crow, or really any of the other names performing at the fest beyond Willie Nelson are, beyond the opinions of the music or performers themselves. “Outlaw” means something to many country fans, and it’s not necessarily being represented by the lineup of the Outlaw Music Festival so far, not to mention that other “Outlaw” music fests have been thrown before, and a 2nd Annual Outlaw Country Cruise includes a lineup that many would consider closer to the spirit of what an “Outlaw” is. But the Outlaw Music Festival has yet to announce their under-card, so the full flavor of the fest has yet to be revealed.
The Outlaw Music Festival is being promoted by Blackbird Presents, which has organized multiple tribute concerts for country and other music legends, including the Outlaw Waylon Jennings event in Austin in July of 2015, a Johnny Cash tribute in Austin in 2012, and an Emmylou Harris Tribute in Washington D.C. in January of 2015.
Willie Nelson is also named as a promoter of the event, and LiveNation is also involved. “We’re thrilled to be working with Geoff Gordon and the entire Live Nation team to bring this incredible musical experience to fans in Scranton and its surrounding communities,” Keith Wortman, CEO of Blackbird Presents said in a statement.
July 27, 2016 @ 8:00 am
Weak
July 27, 2016 @ 8:18 am
” Hard to be an outlaw when you ain’t wanted anymore “: Willie Nelson ( from Band Of Brothers )
I didn’t know Sheryl Crow was ‘ wanted ‘ by country fans …..although she’s better than most chartfolk .
July 27, 2016 @ 8:25 am
maybe by just calling it Outlaw Fest as opposed to Outlaw Country fest, they are hoping it leaves the term open to wider interpretation. Still looks like a decent lineup. It’s safe to say that Neil has certainly helped to blur the lines between rock and country on more than one occasion.
July 27, 2016 @ 9:52 am
Still more ‘Outlaw’ than ‘Sam Hunt’ is ‘Country’.
July 27, 2016 @ 10:14 am
What a weird mix of talent on that card. I don’t see this going well for the promoters, there are simply too many festivals and such already. The market is beyond saturated.
July 27, 2016 @ 10:50 am
I could sell them a killer domain name if they are interested 🙂 Hahahaha
July 27, 2016 @ 11:35 am
The OutlawTM Festival
July 27, 2016 @ 11:38 am
Other than Willie, don’t consider any of them outlaw. Weak lineup.
July 27, 2016 @ 11:46 am
My idea of an outlaw festival would be : Willie, Kris, Billy joe shaver, Jamey Johnson, Stapleton, Hank Jr or Hank 3, Whitey Morgan, Charlie Daniels, Shooter jennings, Travis Tritt. As for female artists that’s a conversation for sure. Maybe Emmylou? Gretchen Wilson? I dunno, who of the females would we call Outlaw? Elizabeth Cook? Jessi Colter maybe but I don’t think she performs anymore. Ideas anyone?
Definitely not Neil or Sheryl. I suppose Lukas gets a pass cause he’s Willies son.
July 27, 2016 @ 1:15 pm
Considering the trends in Nashville, pretty much any female singer who has a “traditional” leaning sound or style could be considered an outlaw. So Lydia Loveless, Margo Price, etc. would all probably qualify.
July 28, 2016 @ 6:45 am
Don’t forget Pitbull……….
July 27, 2016 @ 12:18 pm
Ryan Bingham?
July 27, 2016 @ 1:30 pm
Bingham is an excellent choice. He’s way out of nashville mainstream, radio ignores him, he does music his way, was a genuine rodeo cowboy and is from Texas. My favorite “outlaw” story about him was at the Grammy awards. He was announced a winner and he was busy drinking at the bar and didn’t go onstage to accept it! Yeah, he’s an outlaw in my book!
July 28, 2016 @ 4:45 am
Vinny’s favorite Ryan Bingham outlaw story is when David Letterman asked him what part of Texas he’s from and he said “New Mexico”.
July 27, 2016 @ 2:20 pm
Brothers Osborne?? Outlaws? Hahaha growing a beard is all it takes these days
July 27, 2016 @ 4:25 pm
George Jones, in his autobiography said that the “outlaw” thing was a marketing and promotion idea.
July 28, 2016 @ 1:07 am
“Don’t you think this Outlaw bit’s done got out Of hand…?”
July 28, 2016 @ 7:47 am
We’re going. Last month we made the decision to skip Farm Aid this year since we went to Willie’s 4th of July picnic in Austin (I’m trying to see Willie as much as I can). Then this was announced. It’s 4 1/2 – 5 hour drive from my house (so is Bristow), but I’m hoping for longer sets from Willie and Young than the 55 minutes they play at Farm Aid.
I was the biggest Sheryl Crow fan from 1997-2001 (or whenever Soak Up the Sun hit the airwaves). If i’m being honest, Global Sessions is in my top 25 of all time albums. I just haven’t listened to it in over a decade. I’ll be interested to see her again.
July 28, 2016 @ 9:00 am
I saw Willie Nelson Tuesday night! It was great, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything short of touring with him and getting to personally know him. It did make me kind of sad to see Willie so old and frail, he had a really rough time playing the guitar, and he knew it. Every time he made a mistake you could see this look on his face that was just so disappointed(I know because it was a general admission concert with no special seating, my brother, my dad, and me got there hours early, planted ourselves In the front row and didn’t move). But the audience didn’t care, we all loved Willie! I also probably noticed the mistakes more than other people, because I’m a musician and I was sober, and I just stared at Willie the whole concert instead of dancing around.
However, even though his playing was rough, you could tell his heart is still in it. He still sang the best he could, joked a bit with the audience, signed hats, blew kisses, even looked at me a couple times and grinned(probably because my brother and I were the only teenagers there in the front). He’s an American icon, my all time favorite country singer, and I’ll hate to see him go.
August 1, 2016 @ 8:44 am
There’s just an authenticity about some of these guys that defies definition or analysis .My son has played music since he could walk , practically , drumming in the high school swing/jazz band , writing and recording some serious metal , touring with a mainstream funk/pop outfit ..all of it . But , like most serious musicians or serious fans of music , from the first time he heard George Jones’ sing he’s been a major fan ….he totally ‘gets it’. THAT’S what the right song in the right hands is supposed to be able to do and , as we all know , George was the master of touching someone with a song lyric . Merle , Willie , Gene Watson ….even Vince Gill singing the right song…..they all have the gift of being able to touch people emotionally with their understanding of a lyric and their understanding of their respective gifts. This is the stuff I listen for in up-and-coming or even current artists who seem to garner so much attention . And it isn’t there ….it just isn’t .Nobody seems to have the magic ….and this isn’t just old-guy whining . As a writer /producer I’ve masde a life/living listening for this stuff in singers . There are tons of great voices ( you can hear ’em by the truckload on reality TV singing contests ) but so , so few have that timeless genre and era-defying magic , it seems . I’m not referring to schooled , trained , ‘flawless’ pitch-perfect command of their vocal abilities . I’m talking about the emotion-driven , vibe-driven ability to connect with listeners in a natural , matter-of-fact , meant-to-be kind of organic delivery . Country music was , arguably , the bastion for these kinds of natural talents . But that all-important genre-defining element is , sadly , being bred out of the biz by bottom lines and marketability of other ‘attributes’ which have very little to do with a lyric and a voice resonating with a listener’s heart the way George , Merle and Willie have done throughout their careers earning the love of generation after generation .
August 2, 2016 @ 6:51 am
Great thoughts albert, couldn’t agree more. A few modern examples that I believe have that vocal quality : chris stapleton, Josh turner, Dale Watson.
Now, I have to respectfully say that I don’t see George Jones as outlaw country in the strictest defintion. Some may consider him Honky Tonk . Traditional country definitely, Outlaw country no
The outlaw movement was a group of people who either abandoned nashville or were never there to begin with. Willie and Waylon moved to Austin which made them outsiders to the mainstream industry…Outlaws in a sense. I think nowadays the idea of Outlaw country refers to artists who pave their own path regardless of industry influence or trends. For me Stapleton defines it, he’s had virtually no support from country Trashville establishment radio.. love the possum but he’s not Outlaw.
August 3, 2016 @ 7:52 am
‘……chris stapleton, Josh turner, Dale Watson.’ Agreed Kevin I was refer ring more to the guys/girls that radio plays and get consistent exposure . Hopefully the people you mentioned will get more attention down the line and become as iconic as the legends I pointed out above for the same reasons,
July 29, 2016 @ 1:09 pm
Outlaw Country Cruise last year was awesome! Fabulous lineup this year too!