Willie Nelson Joins Dylan, Mellencamp at the Ballpark

Willie Nelson photo by David McClister, courtesy of Lost Highway.

April 27, 2009 — Five years after they first hit minor-league stadiums, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will be on the road again this summer for a six-week tour of ballparks across the U.S.

John Mellencamp, who’s on the board of Farm Aid with Willie, will also be part of the entourage as the dates kick off July 2 at GCS Ballpark, the home of the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies in Sauget, Ill. The tour covers a total of 22 shows concluding with an Aug. 15 date at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif., where the California League’s Ports play ball.

Bob and Willie first put together a ballpark tour in 2004, launching it with a show in Cooperstown, N.Y., where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located. The next year they appeared during the second ballpark tour at Nashville’s Greer Stadium to play for an audience that included Emmylou Harris, Billy Joe Shaver and Holly Williams.

Tickets for this year’s run are $67.50. The itinerary follows:

• July 2 Sauget, Ill. (GCS Ballpark)
• July 4 South Bend, Ind. (Coveleski Stadium)
• July 8 Louisville, Ky. (Louisville Slugger Field)
• July 10 Dayton, Ohio (Fifth Third Field)
• July 11 Eastlake, Ohio (Classic Park)
• July 13 Washington, Pa. (Consol Energy Park)
• July 14 Allentown, Pa. (Coca-Cola Park)
• July 15 New Britain, Conn. (New Britain Stadium)
• July 19 Syracuse, N.Y. (Alliance Bank Stadium)
• July 21 Pawtucket, R.I. (McCoy Stadium)
• July 23 Lakewood, N.J. (FirstEnergy Park)
• July 24 Aberdeen, Md. (Ripken Stadium)
• July 25 Norfolk, Va. (Harbor Park)
• July 28 Durham, N.C. (Durham Bulls Athletic Park)
• July 29 Sevierville, Tenn. (Smokies Park)
• Aug. 4 Round Rock, Texas (The Dell Diamond)
• Aug. 5 Corpus Christi, Texas (Whataburger Field)
• Aug. 7 Grand Prairie, Texas (QuikTrip Park)
• Aug. 11 Glendale, Ariz. (Camelback Ranch)
• Aug. 12 Las Vegas, Nev. (Cashman Field)
• Aug. 14 Fresno, Calif. (Chukchansi Park)
• Aug. 15 Stockton, Calif. (Banner Island Ballpark)