The Austin City Limits pilot episode was taped on October 17, 1974 at KLRN in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and aired on 34 PBS stations on March 22, 1975. The show was the brainchild of Bruce Scafe, Paul Bosner, and Bill Arhos. Willie Nelson was invited to perform for the pilot episode and it was such a success that Austin City Limits went national in its first season on January 3, 1976. Austin City Limits is more than just a music show. It’s a showcase of the best musicians from Texas and beyond, performing every genre imaginable. From country to blues, rock to jazz, there’s something for everyone. The musicians aren’t actors, they’re artists who are passionate about their music. The intimate setting of the live studio audience allows the audience to feel like they’re right there on stage with them. 👍
@@TheMoose5 don’t worry, I listen to my own music on my own terms just like most everyone else these days. The Internet is so much better than any radio.
Crazy to think that Paul, Bobbie, Bee, and Jody are no longer with us. Of the folks on that stage, only Willie and Mickey are still alive - and still touring together.
I saw him at Doug Weston's Troubadour in Los Angeles a few weeks after this show. It was Halloween night. I was up front about 6 feet from the stage. It was the perfect Willie Nelson show. Two drummers and the original band.
The Austin city limit shows are always amazing. Must be something special there. Waylon Jennings shows amazing jerry lee lewis show amazing Merle Hagard show amazing....
I love this!!! I just saw Willie at John T Floore’s in Helotes on 10/23/24… and Mickey and Waylon Payne (Jody’s son)…50 years after I saw him there. ❤❤❤❤❤❤RIP Bobbie, Paul, Bee, Jody
Whoa! This is awesome stuff. Everyone looks like themselves, uh, as practically children (though i might now have recognized Bee :) )! Everything that makes ACL great is right here from the very birth. Great performers, great songs, laid-back intimate atmosphere, and killer sound. This is my best discovery of 2024 by far here on TH-cam. Mega thanks to the poster. BTW...look how small that hole is at this stage in Willy's Martin. It's already done some miles but has an unbelievable amount of time left to serve.
We all need to say a prayer for that guitar. If something should happen to it… if for some reason Willie should live more years than Trigger… it would be a true tragedy.
Wonderful energy on display by Willie, the band, and the crowd. Everything is authentic. Great to hear Willie sing on time with the music. This is the best I've ever heard Willie and the Family.
I loved watching this today, October 17, 2024, on the 50th anniversary. I'll be watching the live stream of Willie and Family performing at The Long Center.♥️🎶♥️🎵♥️
YEAH WILLIE YOU HAVE A NICE FAMILY I LIKE YOUR LONG HAIR I HAD THE SAME COLOUR TILL I HAVE NOT TURNED GRAY NOW I HAVE SILVER HAIR LIKE LEON RUSSELL YEAH WILLIE I HOPE THAT YOUR HEALTH IS BETTER YOU ARE A LEGEND AND I LIKE TO LISTEN TO YOU
Wow! This show was the year before I moved to austin from houston to attend UT for 5 years. Austin was such an epic place then and there were so many fantastic musicians there. Willy was at the top. To be able to see him and other great bands in laid back venues indoors and out made those years of my life some of the best ever. Thanks for posting this amazing video - thanks for the memories!! Keep on rockin Willie!!
Wow! This is treasure. Thanks for sharing! I love this era of the Family so much. I had no idea Jody or Bee could sing. Willie's band of this era is/was so underrated. So much talent.
Holy shit this is amazing. The best footage ive ever seen. My friends and I were at this show higher than a kite. We missed the memo on it being a "formal" show.
Damn that was awesome! Thank you for the back story as well! Very interesting. Austin was responsible for Willie's breakthrough and ultimately his success starting with the ultimate Red Headed Stranger album.
This is so damned good. Willie is the face of Americana and one of the GOAT's. This video is truly an historic landmark in music history of all genre's. Thanks for posting and you gained a new subscriber here.
oh yeah .. in the beginning there was the 'shotgun willie' and the light shone across the prairie .. hard to believe it was 50 years ago .. and here we have the genesis that led the way ...
The Austin City Limits pilot episode was taped on October 17, 1974 at KLRN in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and aired on 34 PBS stations on March 22, 1975. The show was the brainchild of Bruce Scafe, Paul Bosner, and Bill Arhos. Willie Nelson was invited to perform for the pilot episode and it was such a success that Austin City Limits went national in its first season on January 3, 1976. Austin City Limits is more than just a music show. It’s a showcase of the best musicians from Texas and beyond, performing every genre imaginable. From country to blues, rock to jazz, there’s something for everyone. The musicians aren’t actors, they’re artists who are passionate about their music. The intimate setting of the live studio audience allows the audience to feel like they’re right there on stage with them.
👍
How does this not have over a million views???
one day it will if PBS doesn't take my channel down for the 4th time ;(
@@VintageWillie I hope it stays on forever! Willie’s a national treasure ❤❤
Seeing him in May in Duluth, MN while he is the ripe age of 91
Me too😮
The real deal. His own music, in his own way. Man that is what America needs to get back to.
💯
@@JohnnyCBCSthere's plenty of that around. You just have to get away from the radio BS
@@TheMoose5 don’t worry, I listen to my own music on my own terms just like most everyone else these days. The Internet is so much better than any radio.
@@JohnnyCBCSmy bad, I meant to respond to the other guy
@@TheMoose5 it’s totally ok, man 👍. I like your attitude and how you’re pointing people to the right music
October 17, 2024 will be 50 yrs!!!!
Thanks for the reminder, I was born just two weeks prior to this.😢
Great concert thanks dear Willie love you ❤❤❤❤❤❤
That Drum solo at about 50 minutes was NUTS
THE BEST COUNTRY SINGER OF ALL TIME, THANKS WILLIE
What an amazing country we lived in and life we lived back then. We had dreams and hope for the future.
Amen
Early 70s.
Willie and Grateful Dead. Some of the best music we may never get again.
oh lordy .. thankfully there are tapes .. best dead years 70-74 ...
hey , he opened for the dead at Giants stadium. I was there.
Thank god for or archives 💘😻💜💛💛💚🧡💘😻💜💛debbie
Crazy to think that Paul, Bobbie, Bee, and Jody are no longer with us. Of the folks on that stage, only Willie and Mickey are still alive - and still touring together.
Chris Ethridge played bass with Willie and he's gone, too.
The best Willie Nelson concert ever❤
Yup...1974 was a year of pure magic for the Outlaws.
I saw him at Doug Weston's Troubadour in Los Angeles a few weeks after this show. It was Halloween night. I was up front about 6 feet from the stage. It was the perfect Willie Nelson show. Two drummers and the original band.
Trigger was red hot that night and that drum solo was sick!
There's Willie in his element at the prime of life...
He's still in the prime of life😄
This concert is why Willie is in the rock and roll hall of fame
Remember watching this on our PBS channel. Made me a Willie fan forever.
BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO A FANTASTIC ARTIST, AND FAMILY,THANKS .❤
Bravo the mouth harp!
Thank you for everyone that made this possible to watch on YT...a historic milestone!
Modern Country music lost that drummers wearing capes swagger. Willie really was an Outlaw. ❤
Ain’t nothing like it.
Trigger looks brand new!
My thoughts exactly. 😅
50 years later Trigger is just as weathered as Willie is but they're both still going strong.
Thank you for uploading this vintage historic treasure of Willie and the band! A real treat : )
RIP Bobbie Nelson. 😢
Damm that was a phenomenal show!
A gift to Austin and to the world!
He's always been the best.
Pure gold.
The Austin city limit shows are always amazing. Must be something special there. Waylon Jennings shows amazing jerry lee lewis show amazing Merle Hagard show amazing....
Willie is Eddie Van Halen! Shredding on Trigger!
One of the best musical venues of all time,IMHO.🎺🎷🪕🎸🎻🎹❤❤❤❤
Super backing band
The Nelson Family!
This is gold.
Dynamics like no other band ever!! Mickey's on fire, too!
God bless Willie and the Band.
My heart belongs to Willie and his greatest band. 💘
That guitar lead at 27 minutes is absolutely vintage Willie. Damn can he coax some melody out of that old ax.
I’m still in awe that what you called an “old axe” in 1974 still put out some good licks in the 2023 90th birthday concert. 😂
Im only 32, but ive been to around 10 Willie Nelson's picnics and they were always tons of fun. Love this footage too. Bobby sounds great, RIP
Willie❤❤❤❤So hot! I've always loved you Willie!
I love this!!! I just saw Willie at John T Floore’s in Helotes on 10/23/24… and Mickey and Waylon Payne (Jody’s son)…50 years after I saw him there. ❤❤❤❤❤❤RIP Bobbie, Paul, Bee, Jody
Unreal.
Perhaps the ultimate country/hip reckoning show.
Just like one big HAPPY family with all the spirit of love and harmony.So beautiful!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU 😊LOVE HISTORY 😊❤
this is one of the greatest clips I've ever seen on youtube
Doesn’t get better than this!
Whoa! This is awesome stuff. Everyone looks like themselves, uh, as practically children (though i might now have recognized Bee :) )! Everything that makes ACL great is right here from the very birth. Great performers, great songs, laid-back intimate atmosphere, and killer sound. This is my best discovery of 2024 by far here on TH-cam. Mega thanks to the poster. BTW...look how small that hole is at this stage in Willy's Martin. It's already done some miles but has an unbelievable amount of time left to serve.
We all need to say a prayer for that guitar. If something should happen to it… if for some reason Willie should live more years than Trigger… it would be a true tragedy.
The one and only Willie!!! What a treat to watch and enjoy this TH-cam special show! Thanks to all involved who brought this gem to us!!
Wonderful energy on display by Willie, the band, and the crowd. Everything is authentic. Great to hear Willie sing on time with the music. This is the best I've ever heard Willie and the Family.
Man, Trigger was so young back then..........
5 years old 😆 A baby!
@@VintageWillieTrigger looks less busted here. And so does Willie, lol.
I loved watching this today, October 17, 2024, on the 50th anniversary. I'll be watching the live stream of Willie and Family performing at The Long Center.♥️🎶♥️🎵♥️
This one gives me goosebumps.
If you went to a Willie concert back in those days you damn sure got your money's worth! Saw him several times in the late 70s and 80s!
Loved the sound checks❤
Moltes gràcies Willie, des de Catalunya.
YEAH WILLIE YOU HAVE A NICE FAMILY I LIKE YOUR LONG HAIR I HAD THE SAME COLOUR TILL I HAVE NOT TURNED GRAY NOW I HAVE SILVER HAIR LIKE LEON RUSSELL YEAH WILLIE I HOPE THAT YOUR HEALTH IS BETTER YOU ARE A LEGEND AND I LIKE TO LISTEN TO YOU
Thanks, PBS!
Phenomenal band
Willie, you take this Great song to a WH
Hole new dimension with your magical vooic❤❤❤❤❤❤❤my arms are Jody waiting.
Greatest concert of all time.
Look how young Trigger was .
Looks less busted here. And so does Willie, lol.
Miss them
Saw Willie and Dylan tour in 2008 or so as they toured California. Great day and show!
Willie was 41 here.
a young man
FANTASTIC!!!
Thank You!
Willie starting it all ACL legend
Love ya Willie!
Ciao Nelson, anche da noi in Svizzera sei apprezzato per la tua musica. Chissà che un giorno io non vengo a trovarti in Texas.
Oldie but Goidie❤❤❤
I am loving it!
Ah! Willie said "alright, alright, alright" before Matthew McConaughey 😊
Wow! This show was the year before I moved to austin from houston to attend UT for 5 years. Austin was such an epic place then and there were so many fantastic musicians there. Willy was at the top. To be able to see him and other great bands in laid back venues indoors and out made those years of my life some of the best ever. Thanks for posting this amazing video - thanks for the memories!! Keep on rockin Willie!!
This was actually recorded at UT. Pretty cool!
I love these good old jams
I was just less than 1 month old when this aired😮
I was 10 but didn't get into him until I experienced consistent radio exposure.
Wow!
This is treasure.
Thanks for sharing!
I love this era of the Family so much.
I had no idea Jody or Bee could sing.
Willie's band of this era is/was so underrated.
So much talent.
Truly a relic. It’s so vintage and the Family was full of energy. Probably my favorite concert ever! Glad you enjoyed
Jody could definitely sing- got his "My First Album" from 1980- especially like "Living With My Dreams That Let Me Down".
You can hold me forever.
Great backstory thank you for sharing
Holy shit this is amazing. The best footage ive ever seen. My friends and I were at this show higher than a kite. We missed the memo on it being a "formal" show.
That’s the only to do it! I bet that was a core memory for yall.
Amazing if u don't love willie something wrrg❤❤❤❤debbie
You got about the best account on the internet
Amen to that!
Thank you. Austin has changed so much…. it’s really nice to step back into those days….
It really has! This Austin has my heart
Damn that was awesome!
Thank you for the back story as well!
Very interesting. Austin was responsible for Willie's breakthrough and ultimately his success starting with the ultimate Red Headed Stranger album.
Thank you for liberating this show!! I had it as an MP4 years ago
Very good. How are you baby? I’m crazy for thinking that my love could hold you.
Just great. Thank you
Of course! More to come!
Willie’s tribute to Leon Russell (played solo no less!) literally moved me to tears 😂
Check out the video of Willie and Ray Charles doing this song at a Leon Russell tribute
th-cam.com/video/2UW4ELmVD9M/w-d-xo.html
What a treasure. Thanks so much for posting this.
The Zen Master at work
gotta love willie no choice
This is so damned good. Willie is the face of Americana and one of the GOAT's. This video is truly an historic landmark in music history of all genre's. Thanks for posting and you gained a new subscriber here.
Willie is the face of Country!
The hell with this americana thing
YEAH YOU FOLKS ARETHE BEST
Thanks so much for this historical upload. Amazing!
Of course. I am here to bring justice for what is right:))))) this should NEVER be hidden from public eye!
This is.... astonishing.
I don't think i'd ever heard Willie & Co. do "Up Against the Wall." Man, great upload.
@@williamjoshualucas6503 this show was one of a kind my good friend!
These are all great.
oh yeah .. in the beginning there was the 'shotgun willie' and the light shone across the prairie .. hard to believe it was 50 years ago .. and here we have the genesis that led the way ...
Wonderful!! A true treasure!!
That guitar is starting to develop a hole. I hope he got a new one since then.
😂
This is wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Was there a better time or music than this?
This is awesome!!! First got to see em in the 90s just secured my ticket to see em with Fogerty and am super super stoked 🤘
What a find.
Love u 2❤❤❤❤debbie
This is so great! Thanks for posting!❤