Well, here I am again. Almost a year after Tami Neilson and Dinah Lee teamed up for their Rock n Roll Revue tour of Aotearoa, our ‘Queen of Country’ is back for another celebration of the titans of her beloved genres, Willie Nelson. The ‘Neilson Sings Nelson’ tour is as much of a celebration of the career and works of a pivotal artist as the Rock n Roll Revue was an exhibition of the female artists that came before.

The Opera House is buzzing with anticipation for what we can only hope is an annual appearance from Tami, but with a different focus each time. A career spanning 152 albums and duets with Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, and Dolly Parton, to Orville Peck and Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson is an artist that transcends the boundaries of genre, and as Tami would reveal, makes it incredibly difficult to formulate a setlist of his songs to cover, let alone an album.

Dressed as vibrant and elegantly as ever, Tami takes to the stage in a red, sparkling dress with horseshoe prints at the hem that meet golden boots. The tower of her hair cascades down her shoulders like rivers. Through the opening tracks of Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain and Whiskey River, she shares that she is grateful to be home and amongst friends, revealing that the only other time she performed these songs was in Luck, Texas on Willie’s ranch, and tonight, she is feeling somewhat at ease in comparison.

To accompany her iconic fashion style, her band is also dressed to impress, donning black cowboy attire and scarfs, embroidered with their names so they “wouldn’t have a choice” in wearing them. First the fringe, and then the scarves, she refers to them jokingly as the “Kens to my Barbie”.

Tami calls Willie her “northern star”, reminiscing over times in her childhood when her family would venture to record stores and line up a direct path to the ‘N’ section where Willie’s albums would be, destined to reside within a welcome proximity to her own records. Providing some background on Willie’s humble beginnings as a staff member in a studio before he would record songs of his own, basically “becoming an overnight sensation in his 40's”, something that Tami, and undoubtedly many artists take comfort in.

As expected, the performance of the song that started the Neilson-Nelson relationship comes with a brief anecdote that is impossible to summarize in a few sentences. Beyond the Stars began as a duet between Tami, her brother, and Nelson through incremental vocal recordings during the pandemic, only coming together physically in Luck after the borders opened, a performance that came with a mix of emotions and nerves. The song comprises haunting chord progressions and lyrics that entwine the grief of both Tami’s father, Ron, and Willie’s sister and bandmate, Bobbie. Tami has revealed that she cried for days after listening to the finished product, and how overwhelmed and proud her father would be to have her duet with an artist he revered so much, with Willie taking on the voice of Ron Neilson.

The performance of I Thought About You highlights the sheer power of Tami’s voice and why she is referred to as one of the greatest Aotearoa vocalists. To my ears, she has the full force of a gospel choir in her voice, so much so that I swear I could hear one anyway. I’m reminded of a quote from one of Tami and I’s favourite artists, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who was asked about her performances without a microphone for her vocals; “who needs a microphone when I’ve got a voice as big as a church and lungs as powerful as the holy spirit.”

She is unafraid to show her emotions as she pays tribute to her own brother, hospitalized and recovering, as well as the loss of Bobbie Nelson, saying that the piano on Willie’s ranch was played in one of their duets for the first time since the loss of Bobbie. “I’ll try not to cry”, she states, with an audience member replying “so will we” before the song begins.

To further the reflection of the souls both past and present, Tami pays tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson with an excellent rendition of Sunday Morning Coming Down, a track that Kris himself went to great lengths to get into the hands of the right people to kick-start his career, pulling some strings from his military background to drop the demo off to Johnny Cash via helicopter.

The highlight for me comes with the performance of Always On My Mind, originally recorded by Brenda Lee, but has been covered countless times, including Nelson, after it graced the world. Tami says that it was hard enough to compile an album of Willie’s songs that have held special places in her heart and have been covered the least of any of his discography, but Always On My Mind was the exception. I, and undoubtedly countless others, are grateful for the admission. Her rendition is poignant, and full of the fervour. As I look to my partner beside me, hands entwined, the lyrics send a wave of gratitude through me in their own reflective and longing way. “Little things I should have said and done, I just never took the time” serves as a path for one to take heed and cherish in the time you do have, and when you do truly realise what’s in front of you, you wonder how you ever went your whole life without it. They were always on your mind before you even met them. Tami’s voice is at its most emotive here, aching with the regret of the words, sending a gasping wave through me that sends tears to my eyes. The potential and magic of what you hold dear. It’s a feeling you can only get when you’re looking at the person you love.

After a brief intermission and wardrobe change, the band returns. The second set, while including further Nelson covers, almost feels like a different show entirely. Tami laces the second set with her own songs, Come Over, Cry Over You, Texas, and one of the first performances of Sandy Cheeks a track recorded for the recent Spongebob Squarepants spinoff that centres around the North American squirrel that ventures to the South Pacific; a story very relatable for Tami. She jokes that her band must comply with the vocal call and responses of the track, reminiscent of the opening tune we all know and love.

The last few years have been a whirlwind for Tami to say the least. With constant trips back and forth between Aotearoa and North America, health challenges, loss, and remarkable opportunities, it’s amazing that these shows have happened at all. She tells us of the privilege that she feels to have shared stages with the legends she has admired so long, as well as the reverence towards the stages themselves having just recently performed at The Grand Ole Opry, the longest standing radio show on earth (just shy of its 100th anniversary), and the birthplace of some of the most fabled careers in country music. She belts an incredible performance of Patsy Cline’s 3 Cigarettes In The Ashtray, which she advises us earned her a standing ovation at the Opry. The honour is not lost on her, but she is undeniably happy to be home and bringing with her the closing tracks of Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, and the essential On The Road Again. Elated applause bids her farewell, and such a worthy response for our own titan that I’m pleased to know is making waves internationally.

After the show, we were given the opportunity to come backstage and mingle. From my first Tami Neilson show, where I had to privilege to observe and convey my thoughts on the exhibition that paid tribute to the women who brought their art to the world against all odds, to sharing a hug with her and chatting away over our own love of this music, it’s not lost on me that a lot can happen in a year. Through the labyrinth of hallways behind the stage of the (possibly haunted?) Opera House, Tami and I share a laugh over the tenacity and fire of our shared idols, thinking back to Sister Rosetta rocking up on horseback to an awe-struck Manchester crowd in 1964. I asked her if making a covers album was a particularly delicate task, to which she answered that it was relatively without pressure, having been made as a gift to give to Willie Nelson on his 90th birthday that she just happened to release to the world. She referred to herself as more of a “tortoise, than a hare of an artist” in that she does not feel the rush to progress her career at the expense of her family life, while still maintaining ambition. She comments that her idea of success changes over time and that she is a “bed by 9:30 kind of gal”. My partner and I laugh with her and express our echoes of these sentiments. We’re musicians too, but we were happy to know that Tami appreciates the importance of the 9:45 bus home.

Photo Credit: Maeve O'Connell
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