Willie Nelson returned to the stage for July 4 picnic after missing 8 shows (video, setlist)

After missing the first eight dates of his 2024 Outlaw Music Festival on “doctor’s orders,” Willie Nelson returned to the stage for a big Fourth of July picnic at Camden, NJ’s Freedom Mortgage Pavilion. His hits-filled set got a standing ovation, and included renditions of classics like “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “On the Road Again,” “You Were Always On My Mind,” “Georgia On My Mind,” and more, as well as the live debut of his rendition of Rodney Crowell’s “The Border,” the title track of his new album.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Willie thanked the crowd for coming to see him. “I’ve been gone for a while,” he said. “It’s good to be back.” Philadelphia Inquirer also said that “The vestiges of whatever respiratory ailment Nelson has been suffering from were clearly still there. He seemed short of breath at times, understandably so as a nonagenarian on an 80-degree night thick with humidity.” Read their review in full here, and see Willie’s Thursday setlist and attendee-taken video from his set below.

The July 4 picnic also featured Bob Dylan, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Maren Morris, Mavis Staples, and Celisse, and Outlaw Festival 2024 is set to pick back up later this month and continue through September. See all remaining dates below.

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SETLIST: WILLIE NELSON @ FREEDOM MORTGAGE PAVILION, 7/4/2024
Whiskey River
Stay a Little Longer
Bloody Mary Morning
I Never Cared for You
Texas Flood (with Lukas Nelson)
Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
On the Road Again
You Were Always on My Mind
Just Breathe
Good Hearted Woman
Georgia (on My Mind)
I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
Still Not Dead
The Border
Write Your Own Songs
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
I Saw the Light
Living in the Promiseland

OUTLAW MUSIC FESTIVAL 2024 TOUR
Monday, July 29, 2024
North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer

Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer

Saturday, August 3, 2024
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer

Sunday, August 4, 2024
Toyota Amphitheatre, Wheatland, CA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer

Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Boise, ID
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer

Friday, August 9, 2024
ONE Spokane Stadium, Spokane, WA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Brittney Spencer

Saturday, August 10, 2024
Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Billy Strings
Brittney Spencer

Friday, September 6, 2024
Somerset Amphitheater, Somerset, WI
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Saturday, September 7, 2024
Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Sunday, September 8, 2024
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, MO
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Thursday, September 12, 2024
Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Saturday, September 14, 2024
The Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Sunday, September 15, 2024
Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Darien Lake Amphitheater, Buffalo, NY
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue

Friday, September 20, 2024
BankNH Pavilion
Willie Nelson & Family
Bob Dylan
John Mellencamp
Southern Avenue