Outlaw Music Festival at SPAC on Sunday August 30, 2026
The final night of the 2026 Outlaw Festival at the Albany Med Health System stage at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, New York on Sunday August 30 2026 did not disappoint. For this final performance the line-up included: Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Wilson Jr., Robert Randolph, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, and Particle Kid (Micah Nelson).
I arrived just in time to catch Grammy award winning musician, producer, composer, and band leader Don Was with his new group, Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, which is made up of some stellar jazz musicians from Don’s Detroit hometown. Dynamic and soulful singer Steffanie Christi’an was a powerful presence both vocally and performance wise – dancing, kicking, movin’, and groovin’, and dexterous guitarist Wayne Gerald, played some impressive and skillful solos, while Was on standup electric bass and drummer Jeff Canaday held down the foundation, with Mahindi Masai’s percussion and Luis Resto’s keyboards adding flare and flavor.
The horn section, featuring Dave McMurray (tenor sax), Vincent Chandler (trombone), and John Douglas (trumpet), were not just providing mere background accents, but functioned more like a heavy rhythm section, driving the groove forward with sharp, attacking stabs and punches, synchronized unison lines, and Grateful Dead style improvision. Mixing jazz, blues, Jamband, and soul, the talented troupe began with the up-tempo “Hey Sa-Lo-Ney” and did not let up, playing a Grateful Dead laden set. Willie Nelson’s long standing harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, sat in with the band for the last few songs of their Dead set – “Franklin’s Tower,” “The Music Never Stopped,” and a spectacular version of “Shakedown Street” – and later made appearances with Stephen Wilson and
The Avett Brothers before closing the show with Willie Nelson. Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble had people dancing in the aisles and set a joyful celebratory tone that lingered in the ether while the stage was quickly cleared. https://donwas.com/
Robert Randolph and his band, which included Tash Neal on guitar and vocals, Jay White on bass and vocals, and Willie Willie Barthel (Willie B) on drums, appeared on stage next with only a resonant chord from his pedal steel announcing their arrival. They played a loud, rockin’ blues set, which began with the Cream classic “I’m So Glad,” which they ended with an acapella vocal. They segued into a fiery set of songs with Neal channeling Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy. Randolph got up from his petal steel chair at one point and wielded a red, white, and blue Asher lap steel guitar for a couple songs. During “Sinner,” Randolph played so hard that he broke a string on his petal steel, and during “Can’t Find My Way Home,” Tash Neal was bending notes so intensely that he broke two guitar strings.
Although the incredulous Randolph suggested getting a new guitar, Tash just pulled the strings away and motioned to continue. Randolph shrugged and simply uttered, “Do what you gotta do,” before they launched into a girthy and gritty version of Hendrix’s “Foxey Lady,” where Neal played a searing solo despite only having four strings left. Randolph had the crowd singing the “Foxey Lady” in the pause of the refrain. They went into a long jam, before which Randolph backhanded the microphone away, and then during the final refrain pause Randolph briefly pulled the mic back introducing the band, before they went back into a final jam and ending the song with a mighty final chord to a mighty fine set. https://www.robertrandolph.net/
Stephen Wilson Jr. put on a dazzling performance with his unique brand of hillbilly hard rock, playing with a tight four-piece backing band consisting of (stoic cowboy) Scotty Murray playing lap steel, pedal steel, and electric guitar, high-energy drummer Julian Dorio, and Miles Burger on bass, backing vocals, and harmonica. The stage was decked out with props that included aliens in space suits, a bird cage, a TV set, and enormous roses. The atmosphere inside the amphitheater seemed to ramp up with energy as the bespectacled Wilson came out wearing a gray mechanic service station short sleeve shirt embroidered with the name “Gary” using “Pepper” by the Butthole Surfers as his walk-on music. Wilson (a former scientist) told personal stories (including his first time seeing Willie Nelson), and the inspirations behind some songs, extoling ordinary, bucolic, salt-of-the-earth workers and resourceful “fixers” with names like “Billy” (with its cheeky refrain of “you can call me Billy, but the hills come with me”) and his epic finale “Gary,” during which Wilson walked off the stage and wandered up the aisle, then scurried out back to the lawn still strumming his guitar while his band kept playing. He somehow appeared up in the center balcony, and finally hurriedly returned to the stage just as the band’s time was up. Throughout his excursion, fans flashed handwritten “Gary” signs, took quick selfies with him, recorded cellphone video, and tried to follow his whereabouts. Even as they began clearing the stage after his set closed, Wilson remained tossing picks to patrons, handing out setlists, and posing for photos. It was an amazing live spectacle to witness, and made for a memorable music moment of the night. https://stephenwilsonjr.com/
As the Rolling Stones “Start Me Up” blasting over the PA, Sheryl Crow took the stage while her backing band, consisting of longtime bandleader and guitarist Peter Stroud, Audley Freed on electric and slide guitars, Robert Kearns on bass, Fred Eltringham on drums and percussion, and Jen Gunderman on piano, B3, and keyboards. Her band of solid touring musicians was tight and well-rehearsed, and Crow herself appeared confident, commanding, and admittedly conversational (“I’m Chatty Cathy tonight”), putting on an impressive ten-song set of her familiar hits. Her voice was strong and clear, and she can still hit the high notes on songs like “Everyday is a Winding Road” and “If It Makes You Happy.” She looked relaxed and at ease throughout her set, owning the stage, and adding some spicy commentary, especially during her homage to veterans “Freedom Bus,” which included the refrain: “Whoever said freedom was free? / There ain’t no freedom without history / And folks who died for you and me / So don’t be an assh*le, let everyone be.” With each song, she alternated between playing acoustic guitar, bass, and telecaster, and during “Real Gone” (a song she said was written for the CARS movie), she even picked up a harmonica, played a flawless spirited solo, and set it back down in its place without missing a beat. During “Soak Up the Sun,” she momentarily forgot the last verse, smiled at her gaff, and quickly recovered with a glance at her tele-prompter. She closed the set with a “Everyday Is a Winding Road” and toward the end, added an apt snippet of “Feeling Alright” by Dave Mason before the final drawn-out ending chord. It was a professional well-rehearsed performance from start to finish. The band took a bow together before sauntering out, knowing they crushed their last Outlaw Fest performance by the uproarious cheers from the crowd that carried on after they had left the stage. https://sherylcrow.com/
The Avett Brothers put on their usual intense, high-energy show putting all their heart and soul into their performance, pulling the rapt audience in right off the bat with their beautifully blended harmonies on their opening song “Laundry Room.” The band, consisting of core band members Scott Avett (banjo, piano, harmonica, lead and backing vocals), Seth Avett (acoustic and electric guitars, piano, lead and backing vocals), Bob Crawford (bass), and Joe Kwon (cello) along with Mike Marsh on drums, Tania Elizabeth on fiddle, and Bonnie Avett-Rini on piano, had the congregation singing, swinging, clapping, and calling out their approval of each of their mixed bag of songs from various genres – traditional, country, bluegrass, gospel, Americana, and rock. Scott Avett looked a bit tour worn, but still had some octane in his tank – playing banjo while thumping a bass drum with his foot, and periodically getting a dose of rock’n’roll joy juice that had him jumping around, traversing the stage, and encouraging the crowd to join in and rejoice in the moment. Seth Avett’s vocal performance on “Vanity,” Scott’s solo acoustic “Murder in the City,” and an emotionally poignant performance of “I and Love and You” were all highlights of their amazing live performance. https://www.theavettbrothers.com/
As the lights dimmed, a video of a younger Willie Nelson singing “Living in the Promised Land” played on the viewing screens, putting the audience in a nostalgic, patriotic mood. As the audience cheered their approval, the colorful stage curtain dropped, and Willie appeared in the flesh with his trademark bandana, braids, and red, white, and blue macrame guitar strap, wielding his renown 1969 Martin N-20 nylon-string classical acoustic guitar, Trigger, with its gaping hole in the top and covered in various autographs. An enormous America flag unfurled down the entire backdrop, with Willie seated center stage, surrounded by his exceptional backing band of Waylon Payne (rhythm guitar, backing vocals, and occasional lead vocals), Micah Nelson (rhythm guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals), Kevin Smith on stand-up bass, Billy English on drums and percussion, and the ever-present Mickey Raphael on harmonica.
You could feel the reverence for Willie from those in attendance, particularly poignant after the recent passing of Dolly Parton (whose image adorned concert goer’s t-shirts), with many realizing how fortunate they were to be in the presence of a Country Music living legend. Willie is definitely showing his age, but at 93, the fact that he is still touring and actually singing his songs is a wonder. The crowd joyfully joined in robustly singing along with classics like “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “On the Road Again,” and “Good Hearted Woman,” which had Willie grinning from ear to ear. At the end of his set, the entire ensemble came out from stage right and sang along with the last Gospel numbers including “I’ll Fly Away,” “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” and “I Saw The Light,” giving the event a revival feel. An amazing way to end the night, the summer, and Outlaw Festival 2026.
More information: https://willienelson.com/
OUTLAW FEST: https://blackbirdpresents.com/concert/outlaw-music-festival-tour-2026/
DON WAS AND THE PAN-DETROIT ENSEMBLE SETLIST:
Hey Sa-Lo-Ney (The Detroit Cobras cover)
Midnight Marauders (Fat Freddy’s Drop cover)
I Ain’t Got Nothin’ but Time (Hank Williams cover)
Help on the Way / Slipknot! (Grateful Dead cover)
Franklin’s Tower (Grateful Dead cover)
The Music Never Stopped (Grateful Dead cover)
Shakedown Street (Grateful Dead cover)
ROBERT RANDOLPH SETLIST:
I’m So Glad (Cream cover)
7 Generations
Are You Losing Your Mind? (Buddy Guy cover sung by Tash Neal)
King Karma
Sinner
Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith cover sung by Tash Neal)
Foxey Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover)
STEPHEN WILSON JR SETLIST:
Mighty Beast
Preacher’s Kid
Billy
Cuckoo
Father’s Son
Gary
SHERYL CROW SETLIST:
A Change Would Do You Good
My Favorite Mistake
Real Gone
Freedom Bus
Strong Enough
Cross Creek Road
If It Makes You Happy
All I Wanna Do
Soak Up the Sun
Everyday Is a Winding Road (with a snippet of “Feeling Alright” by Dave Mason)
AVETT BROTHER SETLIST:
Laundry Room
Paranoia in B Flat Major
Vanity
Kick Drum Heart
Who Will I Hold
The Fall (with Mickey Raphael on harmonica)
Foggy Mountain Breakdown (Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys cover)
Me and Jesus (Tom T. Hall cover)
No Hard Feelings
Murder in the City
Talk on Indolence
I and Love and You
Ain’t No Man
WILLIE NELSON SETLIST:
Whiskey River (Johnny Bush cover)
Stay a Little Longer (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys cover)
Bloody Mary Morning
I Never Cared for You
Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven) (Particle Kid cover)
Workin’ Man Blues (Merle Haggard cover sung by Waylon Payne)
Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (Ed Bruce cover)
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
On the Road Again
You Were Always on My Mind (Gwen McCrae cover)
Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings cover)
Georgia on My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra cover)
Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson cover sung by Nelson)
Everything Is Bullsh*t (Particle Kid cover)
Last Leaf (Tom Waits cover)
We Don’t Run
I Thought About You, Lord
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
I’ll Fly Away (Rev. J.M. Gates cover with ensemble)
Will The Circle Be Unbroken (William MacEwan cover with ensemble)
I Saw The Light (Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys cover with ensemble)