Tallahassee packs two venues for musical titans Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris

It was a golden moment Saturday night in Tallahassee as two musical legends performed to sell-out crowds blocks away from one another.

Just as Emmylou Harris was closing out her Opening Nights show at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, the fans waiting for hours around Adderley Amphitheater in Cascades Park rose to welcome Willie Nelson at 9 p.m. Nelson opened with his trademark "Whiskey River" in an hour-long set that included "Always on My Mind," "Good Hearted Woman" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

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The crowd at the amphitheater, which holds roughly 3,200, spilled into every corner of the lawn with blankets, beach chairs and a festive spirit.

Harris opened her show with the hit song "Right Now" to a full house at the 1,200 seat Ruby Diamond at Florida State University. The appreciative audience cheered her "Red Dirt Girl," a song she wrote about her childhood, and the guitar solos on "Greener Pastures."

Harris and her six-piece band performed Townes Van Zandt's masterpiece "Pancho & Lefty," and a tribute song to her war hero Dad (he was a POW for 16 months during the Korean War) co-written with Guy Clark. Harris also performed a cover of Billy Joe Shaver's "Old Five and Dime Like Me" and finished the show with "The Pearl."

Harris met with fans at an Opening Nights meet and greet after the show.

Nelson waved goodbye and tossed his hat and a handful of red bandannas into the crowd. After what had been a long line and wait to get into Cascades Park for the shared hour with Willie Nelson, the cheerful crowd streamed out in all directions under the shining moon of a mild March night.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris draw sell-out crowds to Tallahassee shows