Willie Nelson still going strong at 82

Willie Nelson still going strong at 82

January 18, 2016

On Life and Love After 50

By Tom Blake

Last August, Willie Nelson was scheduled to perform at the Orange County Fair. My life partner Greta and I, and our Dana Point friends, Ron and Lee Cohan, had tickets for the concert at the Pacific Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue. The four of us realized it would probably be our last chance to see Willie, a country music legend; he turns 83 this April 29.

Most, not all, of the audience appeared to be ages 50 to 90. We were in our seats; the band’s instruments were in place on the stage. And then, it started raining hard; the show was canceled.

Three months later, when the four of us heard Willie would be performing this January 6 at the Grove in Anaheim, we purchased tickets.

On the night of the concert, it rained again, but the Grove is an indoor venue, so we knew the show would go on, although, I will admit the possibility of a rain-caused cancellation crossed my mind as we drove to Anaheim.

Frankly, my expectations about Willie performing were modest. I imagined that his family members, including his sons Micah and Lukas on guitars, and “little sister” Bobbie, as Willie calls her, on piano, would be the primary performers, and that Willie would sing only a few songs.

When the lights dimmed, Willie led his band onto the stage. He was wearing a t-shirt with “Maui” on the front and his usual red headband.

Willie picked up Trigger, the name he’s given to his ancient Martin N-20 classical guitar that he’s had for 47 years--the one with a gaping hole and faded autographs from famous people such as Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings on it. He began with one of his classics, “Whiskey River.” The four of us were surprised with how great Willie and his band sounded.

He was on stage nonstop for over 90 minutes. He sang: Georgia on My Mind; On the Road Again; Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground; Crazy; Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die; Good-Hearted Woman; Always on My Mind; and about 25 other songs, all of them familiar.  

                             Willie Nelson and his band January 6, 2016, Anaheim, California

He was gracious and personable. Fans kept tossing cowboy hats on the stage. Willie would wear the hats for a couple of songs and then toss them to the crowd Frisbee-style. He also threw five headbands to the crowd.

Another Orange County friend, Ken Stetter, and his girlfriend Peggy McGuire, were seated in the same aisle about 20 feet away, although I didn’t know that until a week later. Ken said, “I, too, went to see Willie Nelson - with Peggy. We also had tickets this summer at the Fair. I thought his ‘little sister’ Bobbie was a huge plus - really good musician. I had a great night - like you. Two thumbs up!”

“Little sister” Bobbie is 85-years-old.

                              The one and only Willie Nelson, age 82, tireless

Greta and I didn’t know if we’d ever see Willie again. However, a week later we did, only this time it wasn’t in person. On Friday night, January 15, we watched on PBS TV station KCET, Willie receiving The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

He had received the award on November 18, 2015, in Washington, D.C. A multitude of entertainers performed his music as he and his wife sat in a booth above and to the side of the stage.

Johnny Cash’s daughter, Rosanne, performed “Pancho and Lefty” and Alison Krauss of the group Union Station performed, “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.” Paul Simon and Neil Young also sang. It was an incredible night of music.

After Willie received the award on stage, he strapped on Trigger and did a few songs with all of the guest performers joining him. With a career that spans six decades, his final song was, appropriately enough, “On the Road Again.”

Greta said, “Just because we are older, doesn’t mean we stop doing what we love. To Willie, 82 is just a number.”

                                       Tom and Greta ready for Willie to come on stage

Willie Nelson rain out at Orange County Fair 2015

Rolling with the punches: Sunday July 19, 2015

On Life and Love After 50 Newsletter

My partner Greta and I had our first date on June 27, 1998. We met at my deli when she ordered a fresh carrot juice. A couple of weeks later, we attended the Orange County (California) fair. I remember vividly going to the fair that year because we saw Jose Feliciano perform.

That 1998 concert was a no-ticket-needed, no-reserve-seating, event and I was pleased that Greta insisted we get in line early enough to get a great seat. When the gates opened, she ran, and I mean ran, and grabbed two front-row seats. I said to myself, this is the type of woman I want in my life.

The annual fair has become a tradition for us. Each year since 1998, we've checked out who is performing in concert at the fairgrounds' Pacific Amphitheatre, choose an entertainer or group we like, and purchase the best tickets available as early as we can. A concert ticket gets you into the fair for free.

I'm a country music fan. Greta enjoys some country but isn't as avid as I am--for her no cowboy hat or boots, no Hank Williams Jr. t-shirt, just comfortable summer clothes for an outdoor concert under the stars.

We've seen Alan Jackson a couple of time's there. I call him "The Dude." Once we sat behind the mixing control booth and after the show, the producer gave us Alan's hand-written playlist, which I thought was a big deal.

This year, I ordered tickets for us to see Willie Nelson this past Sunday night at the fair. I've been a huge fan of Willie's, even before I got to work with Johnny Cash in 1977 and 1978. Johnny and Willie were buddies, but I never got to meet Willie. I said to Greta, "Chances are, this is the last time we will get to see Willie Nelson perform. He's 82."

Greta insisted I read Willie's new autobiography, "A Long Story," on her Kindle, on the flight home from Germany in June. It's a great book and it fired me up even more about seeing him in person--the guy is a classic.

I was excited because also Alison Krauss and her group, Union Station, were going to be the opening act. How often do you get to see a legend like Willie Nelson and one of the hottest bluegrass-country acts in the world (27 Grammys for Alison Krauss) on the same stage for $47 a ticket?

Our seats weren't the greatest, they were in the back of the Amphitheatre, dead center, about 10 rows behind the mixing control booth, near where we had sat for Alan Jackson. But, at least they were in the arena. On the day before, we received an email from the OC Fair reminding us of the concert.

In California, it never rains in July. Never! We are in the midst of the worst drought in the state's history. Water rationing is everywhere. On Saturday, a little, much-appreciated, El Nino rain fell on Orange County. It was supposed to let up on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, we received another email saying, "Rain or shine, the concert will go on." That reassured us somewhat, even though the skies were grey. We took rain ponchos to the fair with us just in case.

Our plan was to meet our friends Ron and Lee at the Baja Blues Restaurant that is located within the fairgrounds at 5:15 p.m. They would be with another couple and the six of us would eat and attend the concert together.

Rain started to fall at the fair around 4 p.m. Greta and I headed for the restaurant early to secure a table for six. By the time we got there, it was pouring rain and there was not a vacant table inside or out. The humidity was high. It felt like New Orleans or Houston in the summer.

Greta and I were standing outside under a roof overhang, with ponchos on, when lo and behold, a group left a table that was under an umbrella next to us. We grabbed it and gathered six chairs.

Our friends Ron and Lee arrived shortly. The other couple had stayed home. We ordered food and drink, had our meal, and kept repeating, "This rain will end soon." Here's how the table next to us looked:

 

The tables next to ours

 

And Ron took this picture of our table

The rain was letting up. Ron checked the night time local weather report: 73 percent chance of rain. He said, "That means, a 27-percent chance it will be dry."

Ron asked to see our tickets. He said, "We have our friends' tickets in the car. They won't be using them. They are great seats and you can have them." He said he'd come to our seats to get us and lead us down to the other seats.

Greta and I went to our seats behind the mixing booth. There were rain covers protecting the mixing equipment , completely blocking the stage from view. That would have been a real bummer, but I reminded myself that Ron was going to move us to the better seats. Greta, in her always positive way, said, "See how blessed we are."

The new seats were in Row B, 10 feet from the stage. We could not believe that we were going to see Willie Nelson from the best concert seats we had ever had.

 

Close to the stage but no concert

The rain began to fall again. We had our ponchos on. A public announcement was made: "It is OK to put your umbrellas up, but during the show, you will have to put them down." A sea of umbrellas opened like spring flowers.

Stage hands were busy using squeegees to remove the water from the partially covered stage. The microphones were covered with plastic bags. Instruments were covered. I started to get that sinking feeling that these wonderful seats were not going to be of much help.

Showtime, 7:30 p.m., came and went. The stage had puddles everywhere.

At 7:45 p.m., the public announcer said, "The news is not good..." The show was cancelled, it was too dangerous on stage. The show would be re-scheduled. An email later that night at home repeated that the show would be re-scheduled.

No one booed. Most everybody was wet to some degree. People stood up and left orderly. It took two hours to get out of the parking lot because everyone was trying to leave at once.

Ron sent me a text from his car: "I can't figure out how, but somehow we still had fun."

And Ron is right. Sure it was disappointing to not see Willie and Alison Krauss. But, you can't mess with nature. It just wasn't meant to be. We had a memorable time, which we will never forget. I do hope there still will be a chance to see Willie in person sometime soon. He's an all-time classic.

On Wednesday, we received the fourth email about the concert: "The concert will not be rescheduled. You can get your refund at..."

Yea...yea...yea. (We did get the refund from Ticketmaster, within just a few days)

The Last Cowboy Song: the end of the meet and greets

On Life and Love After 50 Newsletter

by Thomas P. Blake      October 10, 2014

The end of the Meet and Greets

For two and a half years, Tutor and Spunky’s, my Dana Point, California, deli has sponsored a Meet and Greet on the last Thursday night of each month for singles age 50-plus and beyond, in some cases far beyond. People in their 90s have attended and one nice gentleman, Dave, at age 92, met his significant other there.

Attendance has varied to a high of 120 to a low of about 20, which was the dismal number two weeks ago at the September Meet and Greet. I think only four men attended. The average attendance was usually 45-50.

As far as I can determine, about 15 couples have formed as a result of meeting there. It’s hard to get an exact count because what happens is once a couple gets together, they don’t return. One guy I saw in the Post Office who had attended a few times said he didn’t attend anymore because his new main squeeze didn’t want him to be socializing with other women.  

At every Meet and Greet, the women always outnumbered the men by at least two-to-one, but at times by four or five-to-one. There was one exception. Four months ago, the men outnumbered the women by more than two-to-one. I knew something strange was brewing that night when the first nine people to arrive were men.

I mentioned that phenomenon in my local newspaper article. At the next gathering, new women poured through the door while the men recoiled so we ended up having a lopsided women-to-men ratio. That may have been the beginning of the end.

It is a fact of life that women always outnumber men at singles functions for people ages 50, 60, 70 and 80. Most women accept that fact but there are others who don’t understand. At each event, we usually have a break in the action when new people can come to the microphone and introduce themselves. I recall when a woman took the microphone and instead of saying something like, “Hi, I’m Susie, I live in Dana Point and have been a widow for five years,” she said, “Where are all of the decent men?”

I quickly took the microphone from her and suggested she needed to have a more positive attitude. She stomped out and later emailed me that she had never been so humiliated in her life. She never came back.

This week, I received an email from Jean, who attended the September Meet and Greet. Jean wrote, “I wanted to comment on something said to a group of women at a table with one of the men. Dick said that there were at least 10 men he knew of who were staying home because the women clustered together, dressed for one another and came to hear each other, while the men came to meet ladies. I told Dick that I attend to hear male conversation but have never met anyone I have been smitten with. I simply think the gals are dressed up anyway and make the best of an evening visiting with one another sitting in groups. I personally attend alone but have been joined by a female in the past.”

I emailed back to her that the guy Dick she commented about usually sat with three or four of his buddies and barely ever acknowledged a woman. So there you have it.

One new woman who attended September’s event came in and wanted me to turn the TV on to the MLB (Major League Baseball) Network so she could watch Derek Jeter’s last game in Yankee Stadium. I apologized for not subscribing to the MLB. She disappeared in an instant, perhaps making her way across the parking lot to the sports bar where the 20 to 30 year old crowd hangs out.

Our October Meet and Greet will be the last one, at least until next spring. In ending two and a half years of Meet and Greets, I can’t get a song out of my mind that The Highwaymen sang (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristoffersen, and Waylon Jennings), titled, “This is the Last Cowboy Song.”

This is the last cowboy song:
The end of a hundred year waltz.
The voices sound sad as they're singin' along.
Another piece of America's lost.