MSU students did not sing along Thursday to country music legend Willie Nelson as planned, but his concert has been rescheduled. Nelson will cancel his concert at Remington’s Hunt Club due to a respiratory infection but will give a full-scale production May 14. General admission tickets for the show are $50, reserved seats are $100 apiece.
For those students who purchased tickets, Remington’s Hunt Club owner Bill Norris said ticket holders would be reimbursed.
“They (ticket holders) can come in and trade their tickets for another concert or they can fill out a refund request which will give them a full refund within a few weeks,” Norris said. “They must do this by March 28. After the 28th they will not be allowed a refund.”
Norris emphasized what a legend Nelson is and how long he has been in entertainment.
“A lot of people may not realize how big he is,” Norris said. “As far as credits go, he has had two quadruple platinum albums, one triple platinum album, three double platinum albums, five platinum albums and seven gold. He’s won five Grammies, and that’s just incredible to get someone like him to play at a night club, so we are very fortunate to get him here.”
MSU senior Walt Sessums said he is surprised as well to see someone of Nelson’s stature playing at a local club.
“Usually, you see him playing for a crowd of 20,000 plus,” Sessums said.
Norris said that Nelson’s agency contacted him to book club dates. Nelson is promoting his new whiskey brand, Old Whiskey River.
“Students should make a huge effort to come because they may never get to see Willie in concert again. He’s in his 70s, and who knows how many more live concerts he may do, and if you do see him, you may be sitting in the rafters 200 feet away verses at Remington’s only 15-20 feet away,” said Norris. “I think he’s as good today as he was 20 or 30 years ago.”
Even though he will not be playing for a crowd of 20,000, the Hunt Club will likely be full of fans. Norris has met with the fire marshall to ensure safety in the Club.
“We wanted to overdo our fire exits and occupancy load so that customers could be assured they are getting more than what’s required because safety is our No. 1 priority,” Norris said.
For MSU junior Chris Duffy it’s not the danger but the cost of the tickets that will keep him from seeing the concert.
“I would love to see Willie play in concert but at a lower price,” Duffy said.
Nelson has been writing songs since the 1950s and has now begun an acting career as well. He was put in the spotlight after releasing the hit album “Red Headed Stranger” and several other songs that topped the charts. His major break in his career came when his next album “Wanted: The Outlaws” sold over one million copies and became the top selling country music album in history.
Other concerts coming up at Remington’s Hunt Club are the Charlie’s Daniel’s Band and Three Doors Down in April. See www.huntorbehunted.com for more information.