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At his show at Forest Hills Stadium this summer, Willie Nelson did something unusual: He played his classic “Funny How Time Slips Away” in full. Regulars of his shows might have noticed that he usually plays a short version of the 1961 song as part of a medley alongside “Night Life” and “Crazy,” but because he was playing a shorter set, he decided to drop some other songs and switch things up. “I like to keep it in [my set] if I can,” he told Rolling Stone afterward.
The performance was reminiscent of another excellent version: In 1997, Austin City Limits threw a songwriter special with several old-school legends: Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Porter Wagoner, Mel Tillis, Billy Joe Shaver, Ralph Emery, Mickey Gilley, Bobby Bare,Kimmie Rhodes and more.It was intimate and full of moving moments, like Kristofferson opening up about a profound religious experience that led him to write “Why Me Lord.”
But one musical performance stood out — Willie picking up his guitar, Trigger, and playing “Funny How Time Slips Away.” He wrote the song during a dark period, when he was living in Houston in the early Sixties, working as a radio DJ, trying to support his family. By the time of this performance, he’d played the song thousands of times. But it quickly became clear that this was not a normal performance. “Well, hello there,” Nelson sang, hitting a dissonant chord that he quickly resolved, launching into a performance that perfectly combined hisunique phrasing and acoustic jazz escapades (listen to the solo). In the clip, you can see the effect of the performance: Kristofferson has tears in his eyes; Shaver moved in deep meditation.
Nelson just released a new song, “Vote ‘Em Out,” and will bring his Outlaw Music Festival to L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl this Sunday, playing alongside Phil Lesh & Friends, Sturgill Simpson, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Margo Price, Particle Kid and more.
