In April 2003, Willie Nelson headed to New York’s Beacon Theatre to celebrate his 70th birthday in style: hosting an all-star concert which would soon make its way to CD, TV, and DVD under the name “Live and Kickin’”.
The star-studded line-up promised an incredible event; celebs including Elvis Costello, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Shania Twain, Paul Simon, ZZ Top, and Wyclef Jean all taking to the stage to honor Willie’s milestone birthday.
But when rock god Steven Tyler joined Willie Nelson for a duet of “Once Is Enough” (or “One Time Too Many,” as it’s known to Willie’s fans), nobody was prepared for the surprise the Aerosmith frontman was about to pull off. Music Man readers can watch the moment unfold in the video above—it’s already wowed more than 766,000 viewers to date!
As Willie strums his acoustic guitar, Steven Tyler unleashes the most epic harmonica solo you’ll likely hear this year, stepping miles away from his power rock roots to join country legend Willie for a song in his own genre.
It’s not often we come across rock icons forgetting all they know to enter the realms of country stars, but this clip has us wondering why some of these icons don’t make the leap more often. Steven transforms from a show-stealing frontman to a humble instrumentalist as he hands Willie Nelson the lyrics, the aged star working wonders with his raspy voice and captivating stage presence.
When the first chorus arrives, Steven drops his harmonica to harmonize with Willie in a heartwarming, cross-generational moment. On paper, Steven and Willie’s diverse vocal styles seem destined to clash, yet the pair iron out their musical differences to find a stunning middle ground where the power of glam rock meets the sweetness and comfort of old-school country, crafting a duet that would outlast the ages.
After one viewer commented, “Those two go together like apple pie and ice cream,” another top commenter revealed, “I would never imagine these two greats getting together but they complement each other perfectly! Brilliant!”
However, this wasn’t the only headline moment to come from Willie Nelson’s 70th birthday concert. Most notably, Willie performed his very last duet with his close and long-time friend Ray Charles during this show; an emotional moment which Music Man readers can watch in our second clip above…