Those who attended Willie Nelson‘s show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in August 2017 were in for a real treat. In the middle of the show, Nelson invited some of his family members and a couple of his famous friends on stage for a medley performance that surely left the crowd in awe.
Nelson’s fellow Highwaymen member and longtime buddy Kris Kristofferson was one of the friends who joined in to help out on the medley. The other was Kacey Musgraves, who has worked with Nelson many times over the years and was his show opener that night.
With Nelson leading the charge, everyone on the stage broke out into singing the famous hymn “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” The song has been around since the early 1900s, but was further popularized by the Carter Family in 1935 after A.P. Carter reworked it and made it a country/folk song.
After they wrapped up that song, the group moved into singing another gospel classic, “I’ll Fly Away.” Nelson’s famous friend and harmonica player Mickey Raphael gave the singers a break every now and then by playing short solos on his harmonica.
Finally, the group concluded the medley by singing Hank Williams‘ “I Saw the Light.” Surprisingly, Williams did not experience much success with the song when it was released. Its popularity grew with the passage of time, and it is now considered a country gospel standard.
We feel like Nelson picked the perfect collection of songs and the perfect group of friends for his medley performance. Watch it in the clip below and let us know if you agree!
This is what country music is all about!