By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
For the first time in five years, Texas music legend Willie Nelson's road is leading back to Amarillo.
Nelson & Family will return to town for an 8 p.m. March 12 concert in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St.
Tickets — which go on sale at noon Friday at AXS.com, PanhandleTickets.com and all PanhandleTickets outlets — are $45.75, $61, $71 and $105.75, plus fees. (NOTE: Edited with more complete ticket prices.)
Nelson, one of the most beloved figures in entertainment, is one of the pioneering figures of outlaw country, but his astounding musical output also incorporates jazz, blues, folk and even reggae. He has released 72 studio albums, 10 live albums, 37 compilations, 27 collaborations and two soundtrack albums.
His most recent album, God's Problem Child, featured a tribute to the late Merle Haggard and appearances by Leon Russell, Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson. It was released to considerable critical acclaim.
Nelson, 84, last performed in Amarillo in 2013; a 2014 concert was canceled and never rescheduled.
Nelson's upcoming appearance is one of several big-name concerts and events on the books in the winter and spring at the Civic Center Complex:
- Country star Dwight Yoakam on Feb. 16; tickets are $26.75, $36.75, $56.75 and $86.75, plus fees
- Ink Life Tattoo & Music Festival on Feb. 16 to 18, featuring the Kentucky Headhunters, Fuel, Texas Hippie Coalition and more; tickets are $25 daily, $50 for daily VIP access and $75 for weekend pass, plus fees
- Comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias on Feb. 17; tickets are $45 to $90, plus fees
- Dancing with the Stars: Light Up the Night winter tour on Feb. 27; tickets are $39.75, $49.75, $59.75 and $89.75, plus fees
- Classic rock bandChicago on March 18; tickets are $46 to $100.75, plus fees
- Contemporary Christian artists Skillet and For King & Country on April 12; ticket prices are $20, $30, $40 and $60, plus fees.
- Texas country stars Aaron Watson and Pat Green on April 24; tickets $17, $32 and $39.50 or $24.50 for pit, plus fees
- Americana star Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit with Richard Thompson on April 24; tickets are $29.50, $42.50 and $57, plus fees
- Irish stars Celtic Woman on May 13; tickets are $61, $66, $71 and $76, plus fees
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.