THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 12, 1994 TAG: 9409120093
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Concert Review
SOURCE: BY CHERYL BALL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Lots of young people say they like Willie Nelson because he reminds them of their father.
Others remember him from when he had brown hair and the guitar he played was brand new. But fans from both generations showed up Sunday when Willie Nelson and Family played at Hampton Bay Days.
And to some of the youngsters, Willie looked the same as he ever did, with black jeans and shirt, red bandana, an old Martin guitar with a red, white and blue guitar strap, and two gray braids down either side of his head.
But no matter how old or how young, the crowd seemed connected. So connected, they cried ``Willie,'' as if they were his old friends. They all wanted him to belt out their favorite tune.
He started with sure winners, ``If You've Got the Money, Honey, I've Got the Time,'' and ``Crazy,'' then shifted into traditionals such as ``I Saw the Light'' and ``Amazing Grace,'' to which young and old couldn't help but sing along.
The audience, ranging in age from young punks to seniors, hollered each time Willie high-kicked like a cheerleader or threw yet another piece of his clothing into the sunburned crowd. He wore five different pairs of sunglasses during the show; some were thrown from the crowd, some were spares that he got from his manager. Some fans in the audience also threw some clothing, a size-D bra in particular, which Willie hung from his guitar during one song.
The height of excitement came when it appeared the band would take an intermission. Willie said, ``This is the part where it looks like we're goin' somewhere, but we never do go nowhere.
``We did once and when we came back, everybody was gone, so we cut that part out of our show.'' The band then kicked into ``Whiskey River,'' and a giant American flag dropped in back of the stage. The people roared.
Nelson is unconditionally loved by his fans. To them, he represents Americana, the roots of country and small-town living. And a man who really cares.
Willie is one of the headline performers for Farm-Aid, a benefit concert to help struggling farmers. A Farm-Aid VII banner hung on the stage as a backdrop.
This year's Farm-Aid will be held in New Orleans at the Superdome on Sept. 18. And you can bet, there's no age limit required. by CNB