Anyone who鈥檚 spent a summer in Austin in the last 50 years or so has likely heard of Willie Nelson鈥檚 Fourth of July Picnic.
The annual concert is often associated with the Texas capital city, though in reality it鈥檚 been hosted in other places around Texas and the country. This year, Willie鈥檚 picnic will kick off in New Jersey over the holiday weekend.
These events have a long, storied 鈥� and sometimes chaotic 鈥� history, which chronicles in his new book, 鈥�.鈥�
Thomas said the early days of the picnics in the 1970s were much less formal than what happens nowadays.
鈥淓specially the first four years, those big picnics at the beginning of the 70s, they were absolutely wild and chaotic,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t started off with parking chaos in Dripping Springs and ended up with generalized chaos in Gonzales, with all sorts of drugs and nudity and poor behavior.鈥�
At this point, Willie鈥檚 picnics are more like a traditional music festival.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not as many acts as there used to be,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲illie used to not be able to say 鈥榥o鈥� to any of his friends who wanted to play. And they didn鈥檛 have to be long-time friends. He鈥檇 meet somebody, and they鈥檇 say, 鈥榟ey, can we play the picnic?鈥� And Willie would be like, 鈥榮ure.鈥�
But the experience right now is very scripted and very under control by the big companies that put them on now.鈥�
Another difference in the modern rendition of the event is that guests can no longer bring their own food. In the early days, the event was a picnic in the traditional sense but no longer, Thomas said.
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Over the years, the picnic has hosted some pretty big artists 鈥� this year鈥檚 line up includes Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples. But Thomas said the influence of Leon Russell can鈥檛 be overstated.
鈥淗e became friends with Willie shortly before the first picnic, and he was really the person who made it not a country festival at the first picnic, but more of a countercultural draw,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淗im being out there, brought in a crowd that made it stand out from what else it could have been.鈥�
Willie鈥檚 picnics were also a big part of the reputation Austin had for bringing together hippies and country folks, especially in the music scene.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been talked about so much that you can just think of it as a legend 鈥� the hippies and the rednecks coming together at Willie鈥檚 first concert at the Armadillo, which was about 11 months before the first picnic,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 as much of a divide musically these days. But Willie attracting people from across a wide variety and a large swath of people is really still a reality.鈥�
Thomas said he has attended every picnic that has been hosted in Texas since 1995, minus the COVID-19 disruption a few years ago.
鈥淚 was a young journalist. I worked for the San Angelo Standard-Times, and I had Mondays and Tuesdays off,鈥� he said. 鈥淪an Angelo didn鈥檛 offer much on Monday and Tuesday. So I started hanging out and I was there when they announced that the picnic was coming to Luckenbach. And I got to break the story in the Standard-Times. And just from then on, I felt a personal involvement in it.鈥�
A lot of folks, in Texas and beyond, feel that connection to Willie鈥檚 picnic and its history.
鈥淧eople are invested in the picnic, because of the wild history,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淎nd even though it doesn鈥檛 have that anymore, people could still feel if they go and they sweat in the sun, you know, they can feel like they鈥檙e part of that.鈥�
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