Willie Nelson was too ill to perform — and for a heartbeat, it felt as if the soul of the festival had fallen silent. Then his son, Lukas Nelson, stepped into the light. Carrying the weight of his father’s legacy, with icons like Bob Dylan and Alison Krauss looking on, he delivered “Funny How Time Goes By” with a raw, aching tenderness. It wasn’t a substitution — it was a sacred handover, a tribute in song, and undeniable proof that Willie’s spirit still lingers, alive in every note Lukas sang.
The crowd had gathered with one expectation: to see Willie Nelson, the 92-year-old troubadour whose...