BuffettNews.com

From Billboard.com:
http://tinylink.com/?7l5ZiyvDzZ

Willie Nelson has canceled concerts for the next two months to have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. The 71-year-old star was apparently in so much pain he couldn't finish a show Saturday in Las Vegas. Nelson had 10 concerts scheduled for the remainder of May and June, including a June 12 appearance at the three-day Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn.

It is unclear when Nelson will resume touring. Among the events on his upcoming schedule include a June 26 show in Chicago's Grant Park and his annual Fourth of July Picnic in Ft. Worth, Texas. That show is also tipped to feature performances by Asleep At The Wheel, Los Lonely Boys, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, among others.

From Lost Highway Records web site:
http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/willi ... tpone.html

For Immediate Release
May 10, 2004

Willie Nelson Postpones Concert Tour Due To Carpal Tunnel Flare-Up

Willie Nelson fans will have to wait a little while before the Red Headed
Stranger makes his next concert appearance. Willie has been temporarily
sidelined by a case of carpal tunnel syndrome, forcing postponement of the next leg of his tour.

Last week, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum examined Willie in his Los
Angeles office. He determined the eight-time Grammy winner suffers from significant carpal tunnel syndrome aggravated by continuous guitar playing.

Electromyographic tests documented the extent of the nerve injury to
Willie1s wrists and hands. Willie was treated with medication but remained
symptomatic, prompting doctors to recommend rest, splinting and medication in an effort to avoid surgery.

All current concert dates will be postponed until after July 3rd. Ticket
holders will be advised soon about rescheduled dates. Willie promises his
fans he1ll be back in the saddle and on the road again soon.

Postponed dates include:

May
11 Davenport, IA Adler Theatre
13 Mt. Pleasant, MI Soaring Eagle Casino
14 Erie, PA Warner Theater
15 Albany, NY Pepsi Arena
16 New York, NY Beacon Theater
18 Purchase, NY Performing Arts Center Purchase
19 Florence, MA Pines Theatre
21 Durham, NH Whittemore Center Arena
22 Bangor, ME Bangor Civic Center
23 Presque Isle, ME Presque Isle Forum

June
11 Evansville, IN Mesker Aphitheatre
12 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival
14 Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre
15 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center Performing Arts
17 Boston, MA Fleet Boston Pavilion
18 Westbury, NY Westbury Music Fair
19 Westhampton Beach, NY Westhampton PAC Great Lawn
21 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap Farm Park
22 Jim Thorpe, PA Penn's Peak
24 Muskegon, MI Heritage Park/Muskegan Summer Celebration
25 Cadott, WI Chippewa Valley Country Festival
26 Chicago, IL Grant Park/Petrillo Bandshell
29 Fort Smith, AR Fort Smith Convention Center
30 Ardmore, OK Heritage Hall

Willy can finally qualify for medical marijuana

Maybe he could just sing...and give his beat up guitar a rest

daddymention wrote:Maybe he could just sing...and give his beat up guitar a rest

It wouldn't be the same. That guitar has a sound all it's own.

ph4ever wrote:

daddymention wrote:Maybe he could just sing...and give his beat up guitar a rest

It wouldn't be the same. That guitar has a sound all it's own.

That is true....that guitar is classic!

Good to see Willie back at it last night on the Academy of Country Music Awards even though he wasn't able to play geetar.

Jahfin wrote:Good to see Willie back at it last night on the Academy of Country Music Awards even though he wasn't able to play geetar.

Man did he look uncomfortable without his guitar. And nice job by Kenny singing along

7lords wrote:

Jahfin wrote:Good to see Willie back at it last night on the Academy of Country Music Awards even though he wasn't able to play geetar.

Man did he look uncomfortable without his guitar. And nice job by Kenny singing along

Yeah and it just didn't sound the same without it either. I was just glad to see him back on stage though. I knew Willie wouldn't be able to pass up the chance to poke fun at the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award he recieved which he said he thought was the "Green" Weed Award at first. As for Kenny, he needs to keep up the good work.

From Billboard.com:
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/artic ... 1000522672

With his recovery from May 19 endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery proceeding as planned, Willie Nelson expects to return to the road July 3 in Roswell, N.M. The artist will share a bill with Merle Haggard and Lacy J. Dalton at Haggard's second annual UFO Music Fest a day before his own annual event, Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic in Ft. Worth, Texas.

"After a year of trying everything from Arnica to Zinc to relieve the pain, he finally had to break down and let them whittle on it a little," the artist's daughter, Lana Nelson, writes on his official Web site. In a statement, orthopedic hand surgeon Norman P. Zemel says Nelson "no longer has numbness and tingling in the fingers of his left hand."

Nelson, who pulled himself off the road for the surgery in mid-May, was seen wearing a cast as he accepted an award during the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards last week in Las Vegas. Nelson's site is expected to post information soon regarding rescheduling of some of the missed shows.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

From Billboard.com:
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/artic ... 1000562378

Willie Nelson plans to sing but won't be able to play guitar at two concerts this weekend. The country music icon will make planned appearances tomorrow (July 3) at Merle Haggard's annual UFO Festival in Roswell, N.M., and his own annual Fourth of July picnic in Ft. Worth, Texas, but won't make any other appearances in July because of a slow recovery from carpal tunnel surgery.

Nelson, 71, said he has unusual soreness and swelling in his left hand six weeks after the wrist surgery aimed at relieving the painful nerve condition. "Naturally I'd love to play, but it hurts so much that I'm not yearning to play. I'm willing to wait until it's not hurting," he said from Hawaii, where he has a home.

Nelson had the surgery after apparently suffering so much pain that he couldn't finish a May 8 show in Las Vegas. The surgery was done May 19, and Nelson had a large cast on his left hand and forearm on May 26 when he accepted an award with Toby Keith at the Academy of Country Music awards.

"I can tell it's getting a little better each day, but I can tell by the rate it's improving, it's not going to be ready tomorrow," he said.

After a month of rest, Nelson is scheduled to return to the road for a month of dates with Bob Dylan. As previously reported, the 22-show tour will play minor league baseball stadiums through a Sept. 4 show in Kansas City, Kan.