4th of July Picnic 1983

Danny Garrett, Austin artist and music poster designer, created this poster for the Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic in 1983.

From The history of Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnics, by Dave Thomas
The 1983 Willie Nelson Picnic

PICNIC? Sorta. Willie played July 4 at Atlanta International Raceway, July 3 at Giants Stadium in New Jersey and July 2 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

WHAT HAPPENED: Two years without a Picnic apparently gave Willie the itch to ease back into it with a few all-day stadium shows. The Associated Press duly noted that the show in Syracuse would mark the first time beer would be sold in the Carrier Dome since a Kenny Rogers concert in 1982. About 25,000 showed up.

The show in East Rutherford, N.J. attracted nearly twice that, though dueling reports said temperatures reached 96, 103 and 115 degrees on the field

And in Hampton, just outside Atlanta, up to 30,000 saw a show that mixed David Allan Coe with the Stray Cats and Linda Ronstadt.

QUOTE: “I’ll tell you how much we love Waylon. We love Waylon so much we’d give him all the beer in our cooler,” a fellow named Mac told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.