Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic airing as hybrid concert film

Live virtual performances to tell the story of the Picnic’s past and future

Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic will be brought to the people this year via livestream. Part Picnics past, part what’s to come, and all in the spirit of the Picnic’s storied history, Luck Productions welcomes fans to join the virtual picnic on July 4th at 4:30 pm ET where fans will be able to enjoy interviews with characters from the Picnic’s past, and see new, live performances from their favorite Luck Family artists.

This year, Luck Productions was set to host the 47th annual event, welcoming the Picnic back to its hill country home. While the droves of sweaty Texas hippies and extended family members-blood kin and musicians alike-won’t be crowding into Willie’s Luck, TX, ranch this summer, the man himself will be performing alongside his band from his nearby recording facility, Pedernales Studios. In addition to Nelson, performers will include the likes of Sheryl Crow, Ziggy Marley, Margo Price, Steve Earle, Kurt Vile, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Particle Kid. Tickets for digital admission are $35 ahead of the event and $45 day-of-show and can be purchased williepicnic.com.

This July 4th, the Picnic will kick off with a Prime Cuts episode with Chef Scott Roberts of Salt Lick BBQ and special guest Ray Benson, followed by livestreamed performances from Luck’s Saloon and Chapel stages before leading into a 90-minute concert film segment. The film will feature remote performances from Picnic artists, an all-star house band curated by The Texas Gentlemen’s Beau Bedford (featuring Charlie Sexton, John Michael Schoepf, and Josh Blue), and interviews and Picnic memories stitched in throughout.

Tickets to the event grant access to highly curated food and beverage delivery packages from Assembly Kitchen, Austin Food and Wine Alliance grant recipients, and Sourced Craft Cocktails.

One dollar from each ticket sold will support The Luck Reunion Fund, managed by the Austin Community Foundation, directly benefiting five designated organizations. Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, and Karbach Love Street will also be matching donations. Beneficiaries for this event include All Together ATX, Six Square, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, SIMS Foundation, and Central Texas Foodbank.

“Our goal with the 2020 Picnic is to bring it back to what it was-in the only way we can during these times. We were set to host this year’s event at Luck, to welcome the Picnic back to its hill country home,” says Ellee Fletcher Durniak, co-founder of Luck Productions. “The Picnic is really one of a kind, it has always been scrappy. Cars on fire. Mass arrests. You name it…it happened at the Picnic.”

The Picnic comes a day after Nelson releases his 70th studio album, First Rose of Springvia Sony Legacy Recordings. The project is Nelson’s first new release since winning the 2020 Best Country Solo Performance Grammy Award — his tenth overall (not including his Grammy Legend and Lifetime Achievement Awards) — for “Ride Me Back Home,” the title track from his 2019 Legacy Recordings release.

On September 15th, Nelson and sister Bobbie will release their joint memoir, Me And Sister Bobbie: True Tales of The Family Band.” The siblings tell the story of their lifelong bond after being abandoned by their parents as very young children and becoming each other’s abiding relationship for more than eight decades.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com