Willy Nelson, who turns 80 this year, will be doing his classic show tonight at ACL Live at the Moody Theater for the Darrell K Royal Foundation’s 4th and Goal Gala. “Ben Willie Darrell,” as the event is being short-handed, will be the signature event for the Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease. Doors and show start at 8 p.m.

From the official release on the ACL Live website:

“This fund will support cutting edge Alzheimer’s research and supplement the almost $18 million the State of Texas has invested to date in Alzheimer’s research. The fund will promote collaboration between and amongst our Texas scientists and the finest geneticists, neuroscientists, physicians, biostatisticians worldwide.

About Ben Willie Darrell Together Again – The 4th & Goal Gala B W D – 4th & Goal Gala proceeds will provide grant funding to medical schools and research organizations in Texas and their global partners in pursuit of treatment and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Additional information and sponsorship opportunities will be announced.

The Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease is a designated/fiscal sponsorship fund of the Dallas Foundation, a 501c3 public charity.”

IN ADDITION, this July 4th will be the sight of both Willie and America’s birthday. Check out Willie’s Nelson’s Picnic website, or read this release:

“FORT WORTH STOCKYARDS, TEXAS — This year, Willie Nelson will be 80 and his Fourth of July Picnic will be 40. The Fort Worth Stockyards “North Forty” field will be the site of the highly-anticipated annual all-day outdoor concert on Independence Day 2013.

Returning to help Willie celebrate the 40th annual picnic will be such stars as Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson, David Allan Coe, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Ray Price. In addition, Academy Award and Grammy winner Ryan Bingham and rising star Justin Moore are scheduled to perform. Willie will be joined by his family – son Lukas and daughters Paula Nelson and Amy Nelson. More entertainers will be announced in coming weeks.

“Beginning in 1973 in Dripping Springs, Texas, Willie’s Fourth of July Picnic has become a Texas tradition unlike any other. We are thrilled to play a small part in the 40-year history of the picnic and do it in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Our mission this year was to design a monumental event worthy of a 40 year anniversary and Willie’s 80th birthday. When you see it you will agree.” Said Concho Minick, president of Billy Bob’s Texas. John Pritchett of Ben E. Keith Budweiser added “The Fourth of July is something we really want to get behind, it fits well with our brands Bud and Bud Light to be apart of the celebration of our independence and we just think this event lines up perfect with what we want people to put in their minds about our brands.”

Two stages will provide non-stop entertainment from noon until night. Special areas including a VIP Tent and Sky Box will add to the concert-going experience and provide guests with a place to stay cool. Tickets range from $35-$250 on sale at www.billybobstexas.com or by calling 817-624-7117.

About Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic

Long before Lollapalooza and Coachella Music Festival , there was Willie’s Picnic — an outdoor music festival that began in a small Texas town that would continue for decades.

The event has changed much in its nearly four decades, culminating into this year’s event, the 40th annual– an all-day concert outside of Billy Bob’s Texas with a fan base spanning several generations.

At its start in 1973, the hippie movement was well under way when a 40-year-old Willie Nelson decided to hold a music festival in a field in Dripping Springs. Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Tom T. Hall headlined the festival that brought over 40,000 people to the inaugural run of what would become a Texas tradition.

Nelson threw another picnic in 1974 in the form of a three-day outdoor festival at Texas World Speedway in College Station. Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Buffett and Jerry Jeff Walker were the leading acts. In just it’s second year, this was the year Willie’s picnic established itself as an “annual” event.

In 1975, just a few days before Willie’s third annual picnic, the Texas Senate honored Willie by declaring July 4, 1975, as “Willie Nelson Day in Texas.”

In 1976 The largest audience in the picnic’s history attracted an estimated 70.000 attendees.

1980, Willie announced this picnic would be the last. -it was even printed on the tickets – it was held at Willie’s newly purchased Pedernales Country Club. Obviously it was not his last.

Over the next 3 decades the picnic continued to hold steady in fans and entertainers, moving around various cities in Texas, from Austin to Luckenbach.

It was a big deal in 2004 when Nelson announced at a press conference in the Fort Worth Stockyards that he was bringing his picnic to one of his boyhood homes – Fort Worth. The announcement made the front page of the Dallas Morning News and the mayor of Fort Worth gave Nelson a key to the city.

It was outdoors in the North Forty behind Billy Bob’s with the brilliant addition of two stages so audiences didn’t have to wait for the stage to be stripped and set back up between each set.

In 2011 and 2012, a scaled down version of Willie’s 4th of July Picnic was held inside and outside Billy Bob’s Texas.

About Billy Bob’s Texas

Billy Bob’s Texas is the “World’s Largest Honky Tonk” that can accommodate more than 6,000 guests in its 127,000 square-foot venue featuring more than 30 bar stations. It opened in 1981, and quickly vaulted to national prominence with two dance floors, musical stages, arcade games, and billiards tables, Billy Bob’s sports an indoor rodeo arena that features weekend bull riding events.

Billy Bob’s Texas has won eight Academy of Country Music’s “Club of the Year” awards and has also been awarded the Country Music Association’s “Club of the Year” three times. For more information please visit www.billybobstexas.com.

The Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District boasts shopping, dining, entertainment, a daily cattle drive, weekly rodeo, and accommodations for visitors.

For more information
Pam Minick 817-624-7117
pam@billybobstexas.com
Concert updates at www.williespicnic.com”

Great events with one of Texas’ patron musical saints are coming up!