Stay All Night, Stay a Little Longer: Experience Willie’s 1975 4th of July Picnic with an attendee

Willie Nelson performing before a large crowd at the 1975 picnic

During Willie Nelson’s 1975 Fourth of July Picnic a flood of 70,000 fans invaded the rural community of Liberty Hill, dragging ice chests and tents behind them. Extreme heat baked the audience in the treeless pasture, until a surprise evening thunderstorm transformed it into a mud pit. A weary deputy exclaimed, “If we had arrested all the naked and drunk people I saw, we’d have filled our jail and yours, and all of the jails from here to Dallas.” Rain delays overwhelmed the schedule and Willie didn’t take the stage for the final set until after five in the morning. He was charged with violating the Texas Mass Gatherings Act.

J Scott was a student at the University of Texas, and one of the attendees camped in the field. In this first person narrative he explores what it was like to be there for the memorable show. Follow along as he and his trusty sidekick enjoy a party with some of the decade’s biggest stars including Kris Kristofferson, Charlie Daniels, Doug Sahm, and Willie himself.

Part One: Getting There

“We’re here!” I announced as I pulled off the blacktop bringing the old Pontiac to an abrupt stop. The sudden jolt, and my exclamation, startled my passenger Mike into the beginnings of consciousness. “Where?”, Mike groggily asked. “It’s only been an hour since we left Austin, have you forgotten where we were going?” I replied.…
Part Two: Things Get Weird

“Who was that guy?” Mike asked. “He sounded like we should have seen him at the Prison Rodeo in Huntsville last fall. I’m exhausted just watching him and I’m definitely hotter. Hand me another beer man.” “I don’t know much about him.” I replied. “That song, You Never Even Called Me by My Name, was…
Part Three: Riders On the Storm

We arranged our tarp into a small tent. With our backs against the ice chest, the tarp came over our heads and gave us coverage down to our feet. We were dry and relatively comfortable and could still see out to watch the crowd celebrating the rain and the drop in temperature. “Man, if you…
Part Four: Help Me Make it Through the Night

After a short rest and some food and beer, we began to make our way toward the stage. This proved more difficult than we imagined. The rain shower had been intense and long so that the parched ground had absorbed a good amount of moisture. With the thousands of people tromping in and out of…
Part Five: Homeward Bound

I woke with a beam of sunshine streaming through a hole in the tarp into my face. I blinked my eyes a few times and silently went through some multiplication tables. That success gave me confidence to face the day. It was eerily quiet as I backed out of the tent. I stood up, stretched,…