Article: LOCAL MUSIC; Willie Nelson is alive and kicking.(VARIETY)(LOCAL MUSICAL MUSIC)

Byline: CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER; STAFF WRITER

Nobody goes to a Willie Nelson concert to hear the guitar solos. Nor do his fans anticipate new songs. Heck, most people don't even expect to hear great singing.

Three months after celebrating his 75th birthday, though, ol' Willie sure did show new signs of life at a sold-out concert Friday night at the Grand Casino Hinckley Amphitheater. His guitaring was alternately fierce and elegant. His handful of new songs were a pleasant kick. And would you believe his voice sounded refined and virtuosic?

Nelson and his otherwise unchanged Family band were hit with guitarist Jody Payne's retirement this year. The 30-year Family ...

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