Andy Greene
View all posts by Andy Greene March 24, 2026
Willie Nelson will headline the 2026 Outlaw Music Festival Tour. Gary Miller/Getty Images Willie Nelson‘s Outlaw Musical Festival is returning to amphitheaters across the United States this summer, but it’s a smaller slate of shows than usual, and Bob Dylan is sitting this one out after fully participating in the 2024 and 2025 iterations. Joining Nelson at various stops along the way are the Avett Brothers, Lukas Nelson, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Margo Price, Robert Randolph, and Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
The tour kicks off July 3 at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, in Irving, Texas, and wraps up August 30 at Albany Med Health System at SPAC, in Saratoga Springs, New York, for 12 shows in total. In 2024, the tour ran for 26 concerts. In 2025, they staged it 36 times.
“With fewer appearances on the road this year, each night carries added significance,” reads a press release, “a rare chance to experience a living legend alongside a powerhouse lineup of iconic voices and next-generation trailblazers.”
The only artist booked at all 12 shows is Willie Nelson himself. “Being on the road and playing for the fans is what I love to do,” he says in a statement. “We don’t get to do as many shows as we used to, so every night out there means a little more. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and making it a special time.”
Nelson, 92, has lived much of his life on the road, but he’s slowed down in recent years. His only live appearances so far this year were the Luck Reunion events last week at his Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas. But he does kick off a pre-Outlaw mini-tour April 22 in Birmingham, Alabama, that finishes up May 2 in New Braunfels, Texas.
He’s also readying the release of his latest solo album, Dream Chaser, on May 29. It includes “I Can’t Read Your Mind,” which Nelson and producer Buddy Cannon co-wrote with Dylan.
Dylan may be missing the fun on Outlaw this summer, but he’s slowly rolling out shows for his own summer ampitheater tour, which includes stops in Woodinville, Washington, Thackerville, Oklahoma, and Vienna, Virginia. It’s unclear why he didn’t team up with Nelson’s tour again, but the answer may be found in his decision to use a hoodie, lights, mirrors, and a music stand to block his face from the audience last year, presumably to stop them from filming him. It’s easier for Dylan to ban phones at his smaller-scale headline concerts.
