Willie Nelson cancels concert at Fresno’s Save Mart Center. The rest of the tour is still a go

Update: Willie Nelson won’t be returning to Fresno’s Save Mart Center next month, after all.

The Save Mart Center announced on Saturday, that organizers had canceled the concert due to a schedule conflict. Refunds will sent automatically to those who purchased tickets online through Ticketmaster. Tickets purchased at the arena can be refunded at the arena box office from noon to 5 p.m. Monday to Wednesday.

The show was one of two slotted between stops on the Outlaw Music Festival. Nelson still plays Oct. 21 at the Santa Barbara Bowl with Lucinda Williams.

Last week the arena announced a swap of opening acts for System of a Down’s Oct. 16 concert at the Save Mart Center. The Bakersfield metal band Korn will play in place of Faith No More.

Original story: Willie Nelson has a busy schedule for the rest of 2021.

The 88-year-old outlaw county pioneer recently announced the date and lineup for his annual Farm Aid festival (it includes Sturgill Simpson, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, plus Neil Young and others); the production of a multi-part, career spanning docuseries; and a series of tour and festival dates.

That last part is of particular note to Fresno-area fans as Nelson is slated to perform Oct. 20 at the Save Mart Center with The Avett Brothers and Lucinda Williams.

Tickets for the show start at $49.50 and are available at 10 a.m. Friday, online only at Ticketmaster.com. Club Luck and American Express presales are happening now.

Nelson is a country music icon who has been performing since the 1950s and remains an important voice in county music. The singer performed to a sold-out crowd at The Big Fresno Fair in 2019. He was at the Save Mart Center in 2018 with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.

In February, Nelson released a new studio album featuring songs by Frank Sinatra. The album is a follow-up to 2018’s “My Way,” which won Nelson a Grammy. He recently released a book “Willie Nelson’s Letters to America” and his special “Willie Nelson: American Outlaw” aired on A&E last year.

He is currently filming “Willie Nelson and Family” the multi-part series directed by Oren Moverman and Thom Zimny (who directed “Springsteen on Broadway”).

This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 1:08 PM.