Music legend returns to tour after health issues, will play 2 Upstate NY concerts

Willie Nelson performs during the Farm Aid Music Festival at the Ruoff Music Center on September 23, 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana. (Photo by Suzanne Cordeiro | AFP via Getty Images)
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Music legend Willie Nelson is back on stage after missing the start of his Outlaw Music Festival tour due to unspecified health issues.

Nelson, 91, returned to performing Thursday for his annual Fourth of July Picnic in Camden, New Jersey. The “On the Road Again” singer was greeted with roaring cheers from the audience, according to Rolling Stone. (See video of Nelson here.)

Nelson had missed a handful of concerts, including a Friday, June 28, concert at the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse. His son, Lukas Nelson, filled in with performances of the country icon’s songs along a lineup that included Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and Celisse.

Reps for Willie Nelson said he was “not feeling well” and advised to rest per “doctor’s orders.” Additional details were not disclosed, but his recovery took longer than expected and Thursday was his first performance on the 2024 Outlaw Music Festival tour.

Nelson has been cleared by his doctors to perform again, and is expected to play at upcoming tour dates including two concerts in Upstate New York: July 6 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and Sept. 17 at Darien Lake Amphitheater. The lineup for Bethel Woods will be the same as Syracuse, but Darien Lake will feature John Mellencamp and Southern Avenue instead of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Celisse.

Tickets for the Darien Lake and Bethel Woods concerts are still available through Live Nation, as well as like VividSeats and StubHub.

Nelson, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, has been performing for more than 70 years. The “On the Road Again” singer first launched the Outlaw Music Festival in 2016 and turned it into a touring event with different lineups.

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