Willie Nelson delights crowd at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel: Review

Willie Nelson is 90, and he's not showing any signs of growing old.

The music legend played a spirited hour set with his band Sunday, Aug. 6, at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel to cap off the Outlaw Music Festival. Nelson came out and pumped his arms as a giant American flag unfurled at the rear of the stage. He sat down, next to his son Micah Nelson, aka Particle Kid, and they kicked in to “Whiskey River.”

“I'm drowning in a whiskey river, bathin' my memory's mind in the wetness of its soul,” sang Nelson.

There were a few concessions to age — the shortened set and sitting down for the performance. But Nelson's playing on his tattered guitar Trigger is still nimble. His voice, raspy and emotive, is strong enough to fill the amphitheater.

The sound is true and the sentiment is truer.

Nelson, who turned 90 in April, sang of heartbreak, mortality, spirituality and cowboys. The crowd joined in for a rambunctious “Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.” His rendition of “Always on My Mind” was heartbreaking in the best way.

There was also a fun absurdist element to the set, thanks largely to Micah. They performed Micah's “(Die When I'm High) Halfway to Heaven,” which he said was inspired by his father, and also “Everything is Bull(blank),” a cutting commentary on today's virtual world.

More: Willie Nelson headlines Outlaw Music Festival at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel

Nelson is anything but virtual — he's the real deal, with his cowboy hat, braids, and a face that has seen many, many miles on the highway.

His hazel eyes still twinkle, though.

The Outlaw Music Festival features a rotating lineup of featured players, including Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros.; John Fogerty; and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.

More: Sinead O'Connor faced criticism from Sinatra after 1990 Garden State Arts Center show

In Holmdel, it was the Avett Brothers, and they performed an engaging set of music that spanned from rock to bluegrass influences.

“Live and Die” had a melodic pop appeal, and “Vanity” rocked out with Seth Avett crunching the power chords on his electric guitar.

Marcus King, Kathleen Edwards, Flatland Cavalry and Particle Kid also performed sets.

But the night, rightly so, was a celebration of Nelson's standing at the forefront of American song. Nelson closed his set with the raffish “It's Hard to Be Humble,” a wry commentary on music stardom.

His star is still bright.

Willie Nelson Holmdel setlist

Whiskey River

Stay a Little Longer

Still Is Still Moving to Me

Bloody Mary Morning

I Never Cared for You

(Die When I'm High) Halfway to Heaven

Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys

Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground

On the Road Again

Always on My Mind

Everything Is Bull----

Good Hearted Woman

Georgia (On My Mind)

I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die

Still Not Dead

Move It on Over

Write Your Own Songs

We Don't Run

I Thought About You, Lord

I'll Fly Away

It's Hard to Be Humble

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Willie Nelson delights crowd at PNC Bank Arts Center: Review