Willie Nelson is officially a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
He was inducted during the ceremony last night alongside Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott and more at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, by Dave Matthews, who said in part during his speech:
“It’s people like Willie Nelson who give me hope for the world.”
Amen to that…
When it was his turn, Willie sweetly thanked his wife, Annie, for “keeping me out here, doing what I’m meant to do.”
He also thanked fans, saying simply:
“Thanks for appreciating my music.”
Of course, the evening was full of great performances by the red headed stranger and some of his fellow musicians, which included Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Chris Stapleton and Willie’s son Lukas on guitar as well.
And Chris and Willie absolutely crushed their duet of Willie’s “Whiskey River,” which was included on his Shotgun Willie album in 1973.
I mean, I could watch this all damn day… here’s to many decades of great music and the legend and icon that is Willie Nelson:
Willie, Sheryl, Dave and Chris also teamed up for a great rendition of “On The Road Again”:
And Dave Matthews delivered a solo acoustic rendition of one of my all-time favorite Willie Nelson songs, “Funny How Time Slips Away”:
And because I’m obsessed, I’ll leave with Stapleton’s incredible performance of “Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning,” “Always On My Mind” from the red headed stranger’s two-day birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl back in April: