Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/753315
Inspired by Graham's midnight entrances – he once came in on a giant joint – Fischer has descended on the stage on everything from a longhorn skull to an armadillo. How will he enter this year? "I can't reveal how I'm arriving … but it will be death-defying," Fischer promises. 2. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SISTER BOBBIE! January 1 is the birthday of one Bobbie Nelson, Willie's beloved piano-playing sister. To celebrate, her brother goes right from "Auld Lang Syne" into "Happy Birthday" as they bring out a cake, says Austin media personality Andy Langer, who emcees the show every year. 3. VERY SPECIAL GUESTS You never know who will show up on stage to perform (or play Baby New Year), although ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons is a regular. Says Langer: "Willie on New Year's, home in Austin, with a Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer-—and one of the most immediately identifiable Texas musicians ever-—sitting in on guitar? That's special, even if it happens almost every year." 4. THE BEST SONG EVER There is no better song to start a new year with than "Whiskey River," which is the traditional first song of every Willie show, complete with the giant Texas state flag as the backdrop. 5. ALSO ON THE BILL Did we mention that the Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham will be Nelson's special guest each night? Bingham will perform, as will Willie's son, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real. December 29-31, tickets $99-$157, ACL Live, 310 Willie Nelson Blvd., 877-435-9849; acl-live.com . PHOTO BY STEFAN HOEDERATH/REDFERNS (BINGHAM); GARY MILLER/GETTY IMAGES (OFFERMAN); LEIGH VOGEL/GETTY IMAGES (GUITAR) If you can't make his shows at ACL Live, you can watch Willie, along with hosts Megan Mullaly and Nick Offerman, on the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame special on PBS stations New Year's Eve; right: Nelson's guitar, Trigger. Singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham, who has both an Oscar and a Grammy, will perform all three nights on the bill with Willie and special guests. SCENE HOT TEST TICKET 36 AUSTINWAY.COM