Willie Nelson draws 50K fans to Wichita Riverfest

WICHITA, Kan. — Willie Nelson was on the road again, and the country music legend showed he could still draw a crowd.

Nelson, 89, took to the stage at the Wichita Riverfest on Saturday, KSNW-TV reported. Nelson and his band performed at Kennedy Plaza in the Kansas city, and Wichita police estimated more than 50,000 people were in attendance, The Wichita Eagle reported.

Willie Nelson & Friends was joined by the singer’s three opening acts: Charley Crockett, Chapel Hart and Katie Jo, KSNW reported.

WOW: Here is a picture taken by Wichita Festivals of fans at Riverfest for the Willie Nelson concert. 😱 Quite a crowd! pic.twitter.com/5ISHieMH8V
— KWCH Eyewitness News (@KWCH12) June 5, 2022

Nelson stayed seated on stage through most of the concert while he sang many of his classic standards, the Eagle reported.

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“Everybody was just excited for Willie,” Wichita Festivals Inc. President Nancy Duling told the newspaper. “You could just feel the energy.”

Festival officials say it’s the biggest concert turnout in at least 15 years. https://t.co/Lyb3hE8wdL
— kansasdotcom (@kansasdotcom) June 5, 2022

In early May, Nelson’s concert in Franklin, Tennessee, was postponed due to an unnamed member of the Willie Nelson & Friends band testing positive for COVID-19.

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In an announcement on the FirstBank Amphitheater’s Instagram account and the singer’s website, the Tennessee concert was rescheduled for June 19.

The positive test impacted a May concert date in Brandon, Mississippi, The Tennessean reported. That concert. rescheduled for June 17, has been canceled, according to Nelson’s website.

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