Willie Nelson at Melody Fair Music Theater — September 13, 1996

Willie Nelson brought his road-worn baritone to Melody Fair’s revolving stage on September 13, 1996 — one of at least seven return trips he made to the North Tonawanda theater-in-the-round across a decade. He was fresh off releasing Spirit that June, a stark, largely acoustic detour from the outlaw-country sound that made him famous, just his voice, Trigger, and a tight little band. It was the kind of intimate homecoming Melody Fair specialized in, two years before the beloved venue closed its doors for good.