POP MUSIC REVIEW : Willie Nelson Offers More of the Same

Yes, Willie Nelson wore his usual red bandanna around his neck when he walked on stage Friday night at the Universal Amphitheatre. Yes, he opened the first of his three weekend Amphitheatre concerts with “Whiskey River,” the same song he has used to begin his shows for at least 12 years. Yes, a little later he played the same medley of his early songwriting successes (including “Night Life” and “Crazy”) that he has also spotlighted for at least that long.

Yes, he also found time, as usual, for some of his favorite Kris Kristofferson ballads, a standard Lefty Frizzell honky-tonk tune and a couple of the “outlaw” numbers he and Waylon Jennings popularized in the ‘70s. Yes, he did the long-standing, pop-oriented “Stardust” segment. Yes, Nelson was accompanied by his regular Family band, including Paul English on drums and Mickey Raphael on harmonica.

Yes, for much of the show’s 100 minutes you wished that he’d notice all the empty seats in the balcony and take it as a sign that it’s time to introduce some new material to give each tour more of a sense of occasion--rather than a sense of replay.

But yes, Nelson--for all the lack of spontaneity and surprise--remains one of the most valuable figures in all of pop: a singer whose exquisite phrasing, unbending respect for a good song and generosity in sharing the stage with band members are reminiscent of Frank Sinatra. Yes, indeed.