Willie Nelson's 90th birthday celebration concert to air as CBS special in December

Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Nonagenarian Country Music Hall of Famer and pop culture icon Willie Nelson's Apr. 2023-recorded 90th birthday celebration will be aired as a concert special honoring the legendary performer on Dec. 17 at 8:30-10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+).

The announcement was made during a Nov. 2 second appearance by Nelson on CBS' "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert."

On Dec. 17, CBS and Paramount+ will air a two-hour special version of Willie Nelson's 90th birthday celebration from Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl.
On Dec. 17, CBS and Paramount+ will air a two-hour special version of Willie Nelson's 90th birthday celebration from Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl.

Emanating from Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl, the event will feature performances from Nelson himself, plus Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert, Dave Matthews, Nelson's sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson, Keith Richards, George Strait and Chris Stapleton.

The special will be hosted by Jennifer Garner, Chelsea Handler, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren and Owen Wilson.

Mark Rothbaum and Keith Wortman, creators and executive producers of the program, offered the following statement:

Willie Nelson is joined by Keith Richards at Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 in Hollywood on April 30. The two music icons played a rousing rendition of Billy Joe Shaver's "Live Forever."
Willie Nelson is joined by Keith Richards at Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 in Hollywood on April 30. The two music icons played a rousing rendition of Billy Joe Shaver's "Live Forever."

"It is the sincere privilege of our lives to have produced these shows celebrating our beloved Willie and to partner with CBS to bring this special to fans worldwide. Viewers will now have the chance to sing, and laugh, and cry and experience the joy of this celebration like never before."

In April 2023, when the event initially occurred, moments like a surprise appearance by retired singer-songwriter (and former Highwayman alongside Nelson) Kris Kristofferson from celebrating his Highwaymen bandmate.

Kristofferson sang duets from his catalog: 1971's "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" with Roseanne Cash and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" with Norah Jones.

Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson perform Saturday, April 29, 2023, at "Long Story Short: Willie Nelson at 90" at the Hollywood Bowl. They sang Willie's "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die."
Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson perform Saturday, April 29, 2023, at "Long Story Short: Willie Nelson at 90" at the Hollywood Bowl. They sang Willie's "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die."

"Oh, it's beautiful," one fan said on video as Kristofferson and Cash sang in front of a backing band that featured Grand Ole Opry member Jamey Johnson, Heartbreakers member Benmont Tench and longtime Nelson sideman Mickey Raphael.

During Nelson's set, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards emerged from backstage to perform a pair of songs with the 90-year-old troubadour: "We Had It All," a song cut for Waylon Jennings' 1973 album "Honky Tonk Heroes" that Nelson and Richards previously performed together, and the Billy Joe Shaver-penned "Live Forever," a poignant ode to their shared enduring legacies.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Willie Nelson's 90th birthday celebration concert to air as CBS special in December