As of this writing, it is the midst of the Christmas season. But it's never too late to prepare for a 4th of July Picnic with Willie Nelson. Willie's much anticipated annual event has been a tradition for 51 years. 

In his new book, Picnic: Willie's Fourth of July Tradition (Texas A&M University Press), Dave Dalton Thomas chronicles each Picnic since the first one in 1973 at Dripping Springs, Texas.  Actually, Nelson had arranged for a 4th of July concert the year before in Dripping Springs which became the template for the future picnics. The event in 1972 was called the Dripping Springs Reunion in which Nelson's musical friends joined him for an all day concert. It turned out to be a bit of a disaster: the sweltering Texas heat, logistics, permits, traffic, trash, drugs, nudity, and county officials were all issues that cast a shadow over the event.  The one problem everyone seemed to fear the most was the possibility of violence between red necks and hippies. They got along fine. Willie's music then and now seems to bring people together.

Subsequent Picnics proved just as demanding, with Willie and his rag tag group of business associates dealing with the same set of problems. Occasionally litigation in court resolved some of these.  Sometimes Willie' s personal diplomacy worked like a charm.  Sometimes, a little humor helped as when Willie' s cadre wore
t-shirts with the words, "Willie' s Seventh Annual Injunction Hearing". In 1979, Willie bought the Perdenales Country Club just west of Austin primarily for the establishment of a permanent Picnic venue. The "permanence " lasted all of two years. In fact, Willie abandoned his annual gig. Fellow country music artist Mickey Gilley tried to fill the gap by hosting his own July 4th concerts fresh off the urban cowboy craze at the time near Houston. However, both concerts were an underwhelming success.

By 1983, Willie was back. But the picnics from then on never achieved the crowd size of the 70's. It was about this time, the Picnics were turned over to professional management companies, leaving less headaches for Willie. Also his fans had aged along with him. There weren't as many carefree hippies or rowdy rednecks around anymore. Younger artists were vying for stage time in reduced time slots. But for some, the tamer environment left a lot to be desired; with its rigid timetables, structure, and order that were virtually nonexistent during the early years. The Picnic continues, but for how long? One has to wonder how much longer at the age of 91 he can soldier on. Perhaps it will fall to his two musically talented sons, Lucas and Micah to carry on the tradition.

Thomas's book is a joy to read due to his diligent research, interviews with participants (both musical acts and attendees), and his ability to put each Picnic in perspective in the context of whatever else was going on at the time. The book is not only for Willie Nelson fans, but people in the fields of concert promotion, project administration, and government relations. A lot can be learned from the successes and failures of the Picnics. An idea that probably started on Willie' s tour bus all those years ago has become part of Texas lore and tradition.