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New York Times By ANN POWERS If any fans of cutting-edge club music stood among the would-be Texans at Willie Nelson's show at the Beacon Theater on Saturday, perhaps a thought crossed their minds: this music would be great in a megamix by Fatboy Slim. Mr. Nelson may be country to his 68-year-old bones, but his set felt nearly as much like a dizzying rave as a hoedown. This wizened road warrior stepped onstage with his longtime touring band, the Family, attached his weather-beaten acoustic guitar to a strap that resembled an Olympic medallion, and sped into "Whiskey River," the first of nearly 50 songs in a two-and-a-half- hour performance. Classics he wrote, including "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Crazy," slid into classics he repopularized, like "Stardust." A tribute to Mr. Nelson's old partner Kris Kristofferson, including a cumbia-flavored version of "Me and Bobby McGee," kept tempo with a bluegrass breakdown of the hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Mr. Nelson rarely spoke, except to shout out the genre he was about to cover. "Blues time now!" he announced before the title track from his latest album, "Milk Cow Blues" (Island). He limited his gestures to raising his right arm, finger pointing skyward in time with the rapid beat. The shifting sound stream made the theater into a honky-tonk, and the audience abandoned its seats to prance, pitch and woo in the aisle. Remarkably, Mr. Nelson and his band made complex music within this frantic atmosphere. The star's plain-spoken, scat-influenced vocal style, familiar from his recordings, was matched by subtle prowess on the guitar. Trading licks with the guitarists Jackie King and Jody Payne and the pianist Bobbie Nelson, his sister, Mr. Nelson made quick connections between Western swing, Gypsy jazz and Piedmont blues. Saxophone, harmonica and the sparest rhythms — the drummer, Paul English, played only a snare, while the percussionist, Billy English, wielded shakers and bongos — rounded out the supple arrangements. Mr. Nelson also made the "Rainbow Connection," giving the Paul Williams song made famous by the Muppets a reading that bespoke of hard-earned wisdom. (The song is the title track of a coming family- oriented album.) Veering dangerously close to corn, the singer managed to find the song's seriousness. The audience found what it wanted in Mr. Nelson's oeuvre, howling along with cowboy chestnuts like "Pancho and Lefty" and baby boomer anthems like "Move It On Over." The elegant patterns created onstage by a nearly telepathic group juxtaposed strangely with the mayhem in the crowd. But Mr. Nelson has made it his life's work to break down musical divides, and his expansiveness, like musical Ecstasy, inspired his fans to mingle. Mixmaster Willie claimed America as his dance floor, and his groove was supreme. |