A low-angle close-up of country music legend Willie Nelson performing at a microphone. He is wearing his signature black cowboy hat and has his long grey hair in braids. A colorful, multi-strand beaded guitar strap is visible over his black t-shirt against a bright, slightly overexposed sky.
Willie Nelson plays Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington, Virginia on Sept. 4, 2014. Credit: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock

Willie Nelson turns 93 this year, and he’s still on the road with plans to visit the Tampa Bay area this summer.

The Highwayman recently hit the stage for his own Luck Reunion festival, his first public show since Farm Aid in Minneapolis last September.

And good news for fans who like to party during the show, despite venue rules saying no smoking or vaping allowed: Nelson’s May stop in Clearwater happens outdoors.

Tickets to see Willie Nelson play BayCare Sound in Clearwater on Sunday, May 17 go on sale to the public Friday, April 10 at start at $44.50.

The “Roll Me Up” songwriter has talked openly about believing in reincarnation, recently telling CBS’s Anthony Mason that people probably come back as themselves.

“I don’t believe life ends,” Nelson added. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

That’s still not a good enough reason to miss this visit.

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UPDATED 04/07/26 1:42 p.m. Updated to point out that smoking and vaping are not allowed at BayCare Sound.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...