Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival axes show due to weather damage

Willie Nelson has been forced to cancel a concert after stage equipment was damaged by "extreme weather".

The Outlaw Music Festival - which is headlined by the 92-year-old musician and also features artists including Bob Dylan, Nathaniel Rateliff + The Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles and Tami Nielson -in Missouri was cut short on Sunday (29.07.25) due to high wind and heavy rain and the decision has now been made to shelve the concert at the Lucky Star Ampitheater in El Reno, Oklahoma, on Tuesday (01.07.25) night because of the damage to the equipment.

A statement shared to the festival's Instagram account read: “The Outlaw Music Festival’s 10th Anniversary concert event scheduled for July 1, 2025 at Lucky Star Amphitheater in El Reno, OK has been canceled due to unforeseeable circumstances.

“An extreme weather event on the evening of June 29th in Ridgedale, MO at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena produced heavy rains and high winds forcing the crowd to evacuate.

"Unfortunately, much of the Outlaw Music Festival’s equipment and artists’ instruments were damaged and waterlogged, making their condition difficult to assess in time to accurately and safely use for tomorrow’s show. The potential damage has halted the festival production as they recover and replace what’s necessary for the tour to resume.”

Willie shared the same statement on his own Instagram account and was deluged with comments asking if Trigger, his famous guitar, was affected.

His spokesperson told People magazine: "Trigger is safe."

Performer Tami Nielson had shared a video on Instagram that showed a storm approaching the Thunder Ridge venue in Ridgedale, Missouri, and explained she had been able to perform but Willie and Bob's sets had been cancelled.

She captioned an image of the stage: “We are all safe, but these tents ended up wrapped around this flag pole.

"The sound desk was cooked and much of the gear on the left side of the stage was damaged in the winds and heavy rain.”

The tour is expected to continue in Austin, Texas, on 4 July and refunds for the Oklahoma date will be issued.