The concert special honors the country legend’s career
CBS presents Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration, a concert special honoring the legendary career of music icon Willie Nelson, on Sunday, December 17th from 8:30-10:30 pm ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+. The news was announced during Nelson’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night (Thurs, Nov 2nd).
The star-studded special, recorded live earlier this year across two nights before a sold-out crowd at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, celebrates Nelson’s milestone 90th birthday and the 12-time Grammy Award-winner’s contributions to popular culture and music. This historic concert event of the year features unforgettable collaborations and once-in-a-lifetime performances by Willie Nelson, Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert, Dave Matthews, Nelson’s sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson, Keith Richards, George Strait and Chris Stapleton. The special is hosted by stars Jennifer Garner, Chelsea Handler, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren and Owen Wilson.
“It is the sincere privilege of our lives to have produced these shows celebrating our beloved Willie, and to partner with CBS to bring this special to fans around the world,” states Mark Rothbaum and Keith Wortman, creators and executive producers of Willie Nelon’s 90th Birthday Celebration. “Viewers will now have the chance to sing, laugh and cry, and experience the joy of this celebration like never before.”
The concert film was screened in theaters over the summer and will get a physical release on December 15th entitled Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live At The Hollywood Bowl. The 2 CD/Blu-ray deluxe set will include three hours of video performances from the concert along with three video bonus performances, 39 audio tracks and a multi-page booklet. A 2 LP vinyl edition featuring select highlights from the event.
Willie Nelson Greatest Hits, a freshly compiled career-spanning collection of 25 essential performances, is available now. The project chronicles Willie’s musical journey from early ’60s country-pop singer-songwriter through the ’70s outlaw country revolution to his current iconic status as an ambassador of musical goodwill.
Nelson will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tonight (Fri, Nov 3rd) in New York City. The 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and will stream live on Disney+ at 8 pm ET. A network broadcast edit of the event will air on ABC from 8-11 pm ET on January 1, 2024.
Willie’s new book, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs was released last week via Harper Collins and promises to provide the stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with a dynamic assortment of never-before-seen photos and ephemera.
2023 is shaping up as a banner year for Willie, who recorded two new studio albums for Legacy: I Don’t Know a Thing About Love (Willie’s musical tribute to legendary American songwriter Harlan Howard, released in March) and Bluegrass (Willie performing 12 of his favorite self-penned classics with a bluegrass ensemble). Released September 15th, Willie’s Bluegrass entered the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart (Sept. 30) at No. 1, marking his first appearance on the chart in its 21-year history.
