Written by: Meredith Berke Photos by: Dino Perucci Willie Nelson and his seven-piece Family Band brought down the house during their two-night stand at Port Chester’s Capitol Theater this week, breaking down the blues with a country twang. Accompanied by his sister Bobbi playing grand piano, Willie’s voice was strong and steady as he sang his famous hits to the excited crowd,  and he included a number of call-and-responses with the audience throughout the shows. Willie played acoustic guitar with three members on electric guitars filling in the gaps, a standup bass and harmonica player thrown in for good measure. The band took their solo turns easily and seamlessly, as the crowd hooted and hollered lovingly. This band sounded like they'd been playing together for a while; their transitions between songs were precise. The show was 90 minutes, and it seemed to fly by. At eighy years old, Nelson's masterful showmanship made this a very special show to watch, bringing a special intimacy the spacious Capitol Theatre. We sang, we danced and we strummed the blues with one of the greatest country singers alive. The night ended with Willie shaking the hands of all the fans that wanted to hold a piece of the great country singer. He was gracious, he was funny, he engaged the audience and we were grateful he was there. Set List: Whiskey River Still Is Still Moving to Me Beer For My Horses (Toby Keith cover) Shoeshine Man (Tom T. Hall cover) Funny How Time Slips Away Crazy Night Life Instrumental Song Me and Paul Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson cover) Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings cover) Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (Ed Bruce cover) Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground On the Road Again Always on My Mind (Brenda Lee cover) Instrumental Jambalaya on the Bayou (Hank Williams cover) Hey Good Lookin' (Hank Williams cover) Move It on Over (Hank Williams cover) Instrumental Song I Never Cared for You Walkin' (Waylon Jennings cover) Let's Face the Music and Dance South of the Border Georgia on My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael cover) I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train (Billy Joe Shaver cover) City Of New Orleans (Steve Goodman cover) Unknown Will You Remember Mine Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die I Saw the Light

 

The Capitol Theatre Photo Gallery

Photos by: Allison Murphy [gallery link="file" columns="4" orderby="rand"]