The 5-hour concert of a lifetime is coming, Boise: 3 legends — combined 246 years in age

Some concerts appeal to a Gen Z crowd. Others lure a mostly baby boomer audience.

But a festival coming to the Boise area this summer should attract multiple generations — even if the majority leans an enthusiastic gray.

Country icon Willie Nelson, songwriting legend Bob Dylan and classic-rock luminary John Mellencamp will perform Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater in Nampa. They’re the main acts at the Outlaw Music Festival, an annual, Nelson-led tour launched in 2016. Rising country star Brittney Spencer also is on the bill.

Tickets to the outdoor show become available to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, March 1, through fordidahocenter.com. They start at $59.50 general-admission lawn and increase to $299.50 for front row. Presales begin Tuesday, Feb. 27.

Nelson will be 91 years old when he takes the stage in Nampa. Dylan will be 83. Mellencamp? He’s the kid — only 72. (Which makes opening act Spencer the grandkid at 35.)

Objectively, these influential male musicians are a day or two past their primes. But subjectively? How jaw-dropping is this lineup? All three men are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. For some fans, this will feel like the concert lineup of a lifetime. (Except, perhaps, for the ones who made it to Woodstock back in ’69.)

The roughly 5 1/2-hour music marathon will start at 5 p.m. (Gates open at 3:30 p.m.) Nelson, Dylan and Mellencamp could probably almost fill an hour each by sticking to radio classics, right? Although who knows what the notoriously unpredictable Dylan will choose for a setlist. His last Boise visit — two years ago at the Morrison Center — wasn’t exactly a hit parade. Hopefully, Zimmy’s in the mood to exude the same jubilant spirit as everyone else. Because this festival is going to involve thousands of sweaty, smiling people singing along, reminiscing and reveling in the history of rock and country. (Do not forget to hydrate, folks!)

The Outlaw Festival is North America’s largest touring festival, according to creator and producer Blackbird Presents. In past years, Nelson has brought along acts ranging from Robert Plant, Neil Young and Van Morrison to Luke Combs, Sturgill Simpson and The Avett Brothers.

This will be the first time the event has come to Idaho.

“This year’s Outlaw Music Festival tour promises to be the biggest and best yet with this lineup of legendary artists,” Nelson said in a media release. “I am thrilled to get back on the road again with my family and friends playing the music we love for the fans we love.”