The remnants of Hurricane Lee were no match for the energy present at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, on Saturday, September 17, in what turned out to be one of the nicest evenings of the summer. Organizers of the Outlaw Music Festival didn’t blink as the storm threatened the area; the result – an inspiring, crowd-pleasing night of great music.
Openers Los Lobos have had a remarkable career, going back to the 1980s when they achieved notoriety playing on the soundtrack of La Bamba, the Richie Valens biopic. They brought their signature Tex-Mex sound to the stage, with “Dream in Blue,” “Evangeline,” and “Chuco’s Cumbia” among set highlights. Perhaps the only regret of the night, their late afternoon set was a brief 45 minutes – a little more Lobos would have been welcome!
Up next, popular Denver-based jam band String Cheese Incident. The band worked through a solid set of favorites including “Can’t Wait Another Day,” “One More Time,” and closer “Colorado Bluebird Sky.” The band also played a couple of songs from their new album Lend Me a Hand. Make it a point to check them out when they return to the area.
Carrying on the tradition of the Grateful Dead, legendary singer/guitarist Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers were the highlight of the evening. The sets are a more laid-back, slightly stripped-down version of the Dead, but with all the electricity that you would expect at a Dead show. Fans heard favorites “Hell in a Bucket,” “Dark Star,” “Cassidy,” and closer “One More Saturday Night,” a decades-long tradition at week’s end.
Nelson was the last to take the stage. The country music legend, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, put on a remarkable performance for a person of any age. He spins timeless tales in three-minute ditties; songs like “Whisky River,” “Bloody Mary Morning,” and radio hit “You Were Always on My Mind” were solid, along with many other favorites.
Note: Due to management restrictions, we are unable to post any photos of Willie Nelson. However, we can attest – he looks and sounds damn good!
