Willie Nelson

WIllie Nelson transformed the Cape Cod Melody Tent into “Willie’s Place” last night, storming through a history of country and Americana music, much of which Nelson himself composed.

With only a harmonica, a snare drum, an electric bass and a piano backing him, Nelson moved quickly from hard-driving country blues to soft, sweet and sometimes haunting ballads. At times, it seemed the music icon simply was playing whatever song came into his head, as if he was sitting on his back porch, smiling to his family as he played their favorites tunes.

For first-time Nelson watchers, the sold-out concert brought many “he wrote that?” moments. Nelson reminded Cape Cod that he composed “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “On the Road Again,” “Beer for My Horses,” and the country classic made popular by Patsy Cline, “Crazy.”

During the course of more than five decades, Nelson has played the role of musician and songwriter, actor, Farm Aid promoter and political activist. For awhile in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it seemed he was as well-known for his bandana, marijuana smoking and tax problems as his music.

But Nelson has nothing if not staying power, and he’s one of the top songwriters America has ever produced. It would take dozens of Nashville superstars to top the 77-year-old’s number of Billboard charted albums. And despite his elder superstar status, Nelson appeared last night to have lost very little if any of his performance and guitar skills.

As a multi-generational crowd stomped, clapped and smiled along, Nelson blazed through what at times felt like one big medley of hits. Indeed, the stage contained no set list. The only guide Nelson seemed to follow was a big digital clock at his feet, which let him know how many more songs he could squeeze in before he hit 90 minutes of straight music.

The crowd featured a few dozen cowboy hats bobbing up and down, and to the sides, as Nelson performed songs about drinking, loving, losing and dying. And the iconic country troubadour appeared to have as much fun as anybody. His waist-long braids have been trimmed down to a shoulder-length bob, and Nelson wore New Balance sneakers rather than cowboy boots. But the distinctive soul of his voice left no mistake that an American-music master was on stage, and his only goal seemed to be to get as many people clapping as possible. That, and to have as much fun as he could.

And when he left the stage as his band played Hank Williams’ gospel number “I Saw the Light,” the crowd was on its feet, clapping and singing away, saying thanks to the old Texan for bringing 90 minutes of merry-making music to a perfect Cape Cod evening.