Willie Nelson 'not feeling well,' cancels Outlaw Music Festival ...

Willie Nelson had to miss the start of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour due to illness, according to a statement shared on his social media pages.

The 91-year-old Texas native was scheduled to perform Friday, June 21, in Alpharetta, Georgia. He was also set to perform on Saturday, June 22, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Sunday, June 23, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“We regret to inform you that Willie Nelson is not feeling well and, per doctor’s orders, has been advised to rest for the next four days,” the country legend’s social media announced hours before the tour kicked off. “He is expected to make a quick recovery and join the Outlaw Music Festival next week.”

From Raleigh, the tour will head to Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Wednesday, June 26, where Nelson is expected to join.

In the meantime, his son Lukas Nelson and guests were expected to perform a “special set to include Willie’s classics and other songs,” according to the announcement.

Despite Willie’s absence on Friday, the tour kicked off as scheduled with co-headliner Bob Dylan surprising fans with a new set and surprise covers, according to Rolling Stone.

The Outlaw Music Festival features both Nelson and Dylan for the entirety of the tour, which concludes in New Hampshire on Sept. 20.

The tour also features Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Celisse for the first half of dates, with John Mellencamp joining for the second half. Brittney Spencer and Southern Avenue will also switch off on the latter half. Additionally, Billy Strings has signed on for the tour’s Aug. 10 stop in George, Washington.

The Outlaw Music Festival Tour will also coincide with Nelson’s annual 4th of July picnic, which is taking place in the Philadelphia area this year instead of Austin. Maren Morris is slated to join for that show.

At 91, Nelson has not slowed the constant touring, recording and performing he’s kept up for more than six decades.

Last November he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and in April, he teamed up with Orville Peck for a duet cover of ”Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other,” a 1981 song about gay cowboys. In an interview with GLAAD, Peck compared Nelson’s support of the LGBTQ+ community with that of Dolly Parton.

Nelson’s 75th solo studio album, “The Border,” debuted in May.

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