Willie Nelson headlined a rally for Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke tonight in Austin, Texas. The event is called “Tour Out for Texas.” On the event’s Facebook page, 11,000 people RSVP’d that they were planning to attend, and 45,000 people indicated that they were interested. KXAN crew who were at the concert said there were about 15,000 to 20,000 people in attendance, but later estimates put the crowd at closer to 55,000 people, El Paso Times reported. Read on to learn more about what happened at the Turn Out for Texas rally tonight and see photos of the crowd and the event. The feature photo for this story was shared with Heavy by Adam Dunhoft, who attended the event.
Dunhoft told Heavy about the rally: “It was electric. The crowd response brought back memories of Obama’s rallies in 2008. It felt like more people were there to see Beto than Willie, which is impressive.”
Here’s a photo of Willie Nelson at the event, wearing a BETO shirt while he sang:
Beto Live Stream
Some people thought the crowd was closer to 50,000:
50,000 people waiting for #BetoForSenate
Whether 20,000 or 50,000, the backdrop for the rally was stunning:
Even at 7 p.m., an hour before the event was beginning, a big crowd was already arriving:
Incredible turn out just at 7pm for the Turn Out For Texas rally for Beto. And people just kept on pouring in. Such a beautiful and hopeful vibe! #turnoutfortexas #BetoForTexas @BetoORourke @WillieNelson
The event was held outside in Austin at Auditorium Shores on 900 W. Riverside Drive.
A huge crowd at Auditorium Shores in Austin tonight for the Beto O’Rourke rally with Willie Nelson. #2018Midterms #txsen #txlege
The event began at 8:15 p.m. and Beto spoke around 10 p.m., with Willie Nelson concluding the concert to a crowd of excited fans.
Beto O’Rourke and Willie Nelson.
Austin, Texas
.@BetoORourke joins @WillieNelson on stage in Austin during the campaign rally/concert for Beto. #TXSen #rollcallontheroad
Also performing were Leon Bridges, Carrie Rodriguez, Tameca Jones, Joe Ely, and Willie Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah Nelson.
The night started with speeches from Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Rep. Lloyd Doggett.
No, this isn’t Woodstock or ACL, it’s a @BetoORourke rally with @WillieNelson at Auditorium Shores. #TribFest18 #BetoForSenate #atx #txlege #tx2018
This post from KVUE shows the attendance, which was phenomenal:
Beto O’Rourke spoke just before Willie Nelson came on stage:
And here’s a photo of Willie Nelson performing, wearing a BETO shirt:
Willie Nelson at a Beto O’Rourke event in Austin right now.
Willie Nelson played some fan favorites, like “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys” and “On the Road Again.”
People were really excited to be there, and the weather seemed to hold, despite Austin having a lot of rain earlier today.
Beto with Willie Nelson and Leon Bridges!! t.co/Tw1cPcbzln
There was also a screen so you could see Beto and the performers if you were too far away.
Another crowd shot:
And, of course, Willie Nelson:
Nelson also shared a new song called “Vote Them Out” about voting people you don’t like out of office. “If you don’t like who’s in there, vote them out,” he sang.
And of course, Willie Nelson and Beto O’Rourke had a moment on stage together too:
Willie Nelson hasn’t been shy about his approval for Beto O’Rourke. In fact, he brought O’Rourke onstage with him during his Fourth of July picnic, just a few months ago. But his announcement about tonight’s rally outraged some of his Republican fans. Many of his fans shared their anger on social media. Nelson’s publicist responded with a press release. The statement said, in part: “My wife Annie and I have met and spoken with Beto and we share his concern for the direction things are headed. Beto embodies what is special about Texas, an energy and an integrity that is completely genuine.”
There are some really great crowd shots from the event. Here are a few more:
Were you at the concert? Let us know your experience and how many people you thought were there in the comments below.
This is a developing story.