Outlaw Music Festival returns to Montage Mountain in Scranton on Sept. 14 with Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, and more
From a press release:
After the first-ever Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson debuted at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain in 2016, it expanded into a full tour of the United States but did not include a Scranton date, instead opting for Hershey and New Jersey stops.
Today, Willie Nelson, Blackbird Presents, Mark Rothbaum, and Live Nation announced eight additional dates for the second leg of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour to close out summer 2018, including stops at Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8; The Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Friday, Sept. 14; and the BB&T Pavilion on Saturday, Sept. 15. The festival features performances by Van Morrison, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Sturgill Simpson, Greensky Bluegrass, Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real, Particle Kid, and more, with the lineup varying on each date; see who is playing where below.
The second leg of North America’s biggest touring festival will stop in eight cities, beginning in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania and ending Saratoga Springs, New York. Each festival tour date will feature a unique range of festival attractions, including local cuisine, craft beers, and crafts by local artisans to provide music fans in each city with an unforgettable concert experience.
Tickets will be available to the general public starting this Friday, March 9 at noon through ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, and by-phone at 800-745-3000. VIP packages, including great seats and exclusive festival merchandise, will be available. Citi is the official pre-sale credit card of the festival. As such, Citi card members will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, April 3 at 10 a.m. until Thursday, April 5 at 10 p.m. through Citi’s Private Pass program.
“The second leg of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour with all my friends is going to be a blast,” says Willie Nelson. “We’ll see you out there this summer!”
“Family. That’s what this touring group of artists, fans, and friends are when we come together for our annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour. I am thrilled to continue this journey with Willie, this extraordinary group of performers, and Live Nation,” says Keith Wortman, CEO of Blackbird Presents.
“This started out with a one-show storyboard two years ago. Now, you can hear, feel, smell, and immerse locally in that joyous exuberance,” says Live Nation Philadelphia Regional President Geoff Gordon. “Outlaw is really just a celebration of everything Willie, which the Picnic has been for decades.”
The inaugural Outlaw Music Festival made its debut in 2016 in Scranton featuring Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Sheryl Crow, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Lee Ann Womack, and Scranton’s own Cabinet. The sold-out show was so well-received that Blackbird and Nelson decided to take their band of outlaws on the road as a touring festival in 2017. Last year, the Outlaw Music Festival Tour hosted more than 100,000 fans in amphitheaters and arenas all over the country. From Willie Nelson to Bob Dylan to Eric Church to The Avett Brothers, fans shared unforgettable music memories and enjoyed unique vendor villages with local food, drinks, and shopping. VIP ticketholders got a front row experience and exclusive merchandise. The 2018 Outlaw Music Festival Tour is presented by Southern Comfort.
Lineup at Hersheypark Stadium (100 West Hersheypark Dr., Hershey) on Saturday, Sept. 8:
Willie Nelson & Family
Van Morrison
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Sturgill Simpson
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
Other artists TBA
Lineup at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain (1000 Montage Mountain Rd., Scranton) on Friday, Sept. 14:
Willie Nelson & Family
Van Morrison
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
Other artists TBA
Lineup at BB&T Pavilion (1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, NJ) on Saturday, Sept. 15:
Willie Nelson & Family
Van Morrison
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Greensky Bluegrass
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
With a six-decade career and over 200 albums, Willie Nelson is the creative genius behind the historic recordings of “Crazy,” “Red Headed Stranger,” and “Stardust.” This iconic Texan has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor, and activist. He continues to thrive as a relevant and progressive musical and cultural force.
In recent years, he has delivered more than a dozen new album releases; released a Top 10 New York Times’ bestselling book; again headlined Farm Aid, an event he co-founded in 1985; received his fifth degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul; headlined the annual Luck Reunion food and music festival at his ranch in Luck, Texas during SXSW; launched his cannabis company, Willie’s Reserve; and graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
In 2015, Nelson published “It’s a Long Story: My Life,” the unvarnished and complete story of his life that landed him on the New York Times’ bestsellers list. He also released a new studio album with Merle Haggard titled “Django and Jimmie,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country album chart and No. 7 on Billboard‘s Top 200 album chart. In November of 2015, the Library of Congress honored him with their Gershwin Prize for Popular Song for his contributions to popular music. He is the first country artist to receive the distinguished award.
The following year began with the release of “Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin,” a collection of 11 newly recorded Gershwin classics. The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Top Current Jazz chart and the Top Traditional Jazz chart, as well as earned him a Grammy Award for the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. In September 2016, came “For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price,” an album of newly recorded interpretations of 12 Ray Price songs. A month later, Nelson released “Pretty Paper,” his new novel inspired his classic holiday song of the same title about a legless man who sold wrapping paper in front of a Fort Worth, Texas department store.
In 2017, he released two albums of newly recorded performances: “God’s Problem Child,” with 13 new songs that debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country album chart and No. 10 on the Billboard 200, and “Willie Nelson and the Boys: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 2” that includes 11 country classics and one brand new song performed by Nelson and his sons Lukas and Micah.
For 2018, already scheduled is the release of “Last Man Standing.” Coming in April to celebrate his 85th birthday, it is comprised entirely of songs newly-penned by Nelson (and longtime collaborator and producer Buddy Cannon). These 11 essential new songs add to his classic catalog and acknowledges the transience of time while marveling at the joy, beauty, and surprise the world has to offer. It finds Nelson rolling at a creative peak, writing and singing and playing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that comes from the road, which he still travels along performing for fans.
Blackbird Presents is the worldwide leader in the production of large-scale concert events, broadcast specials, TV series, music festivals, and tours. Blackbird’s recent concerts, broadcast specials, and releases include All in for the Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration, Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard, The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson, Imagine: John Lennon 75th Birthday Concert, Outlaw: Celebrating the Music of Waylon Jennings, I’ll Take You There: Celebrating 75 Years of Mavis Staples, The Life and Songs of Emmylou Harris, Lynyrd Skynyrd: One More for the Fans, The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: Celebrating Mac and His Music, and All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs and Voice of Gregg Allman, the latter of which earned a 2014 Grammy Award nomination for Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal’s awe-inspiring performance of “Statesboro Blues.”
Blackbird Presents is also the creator and producer of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour, in partnership with Willie Nelson and the American Roots Music & Arts Festival, in partnership with Eric Church.
Photo by Jason Riedmiller Photography/NEPA Scene
