“What the Hell Is Going On?” Lukas Nelson Recalls His Favorite Road Memory With Neil Young and Dad Willie

When your father is country music legend Willie Nelson, you’re bound to have a fantastical story or two about life on the road, and Lukas Nelson’s favorite memory of being on the road with his father and Neil Young is certainly no exception. Lukas described the fateful moment on social media. And indeed, the mental image it conjures is as goofy and hilarious as it is heartwarming.

It all started with an impromptu appearance in Italy’s capital city.

Lukas Nelson’s Favorite Memory on the Road

Proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the musical tree, Lukas and Micah Nelson have followed in their father’s footsteps and forged successful musical careers of their own. The two brothers worked together in Lukas’ band, Promise of the Real, which he formed in the late 2000s. Promise of the Real joined Neil Young for a European tour in the summer of 2016. It was on this run that Lukas made his favorite memory of touring with Young (and his family).

“One of the greatest memories I have being out on the road [is] with Neil Young in Italy,” Lukas said. “Mom and Dad came and joined us on the road. At one point, Neil had Dad come up and do a few songs during his set. The crowd went wild. Nobody expected Dad would show up or even be there. At the end, in sort of reverence to Dad, Neil, myself, and the rest of the band all started jumping around Dad in a circle.”

“Dad was just standing there like, ‘What the hell is going on?’” he continued. “He was laughing. We were just having a blast onstage, jumping around him, doing, you know, a prayer dance around him. It was really probably one of the greatest memories I have in my life—one of the happiest times I’ve ever had.”

A Legendary Family Affair

Willie Nelson, his two songs, Lukas and Micah Nelson, and Neil Young joined forces for an impromptu family reunion to the delight of the crowd at Terme di Caracalla in Rome, Italy, on July 15, 2016. “It’s family time here tonight,” Young told the audience. “We’re gonna have the whole family come out. What do you say, Pop?” Willie strapped on an electric guitar and went on stage.

The Nelsons and Young performed “Are There Any More Real Cowboys,” a Willie and Neil collaboration, and the Redheaded Stranger’s iconic hit, “On the Road Again.” Sometime after Willie made his guest appearance, the band began jumping in their “prayer dance” that Lukas described.

The lighthearted, touching moment is a testament to the musical bonds and legacies that Willie Nelson has forged over his decades-long career. Young, too. Lukas has long been a fan of the Canadian rocker, putting his own spin on hits like “Harvest Moon” in the past. Lukas shared a photo on Instagram of his father and Young shaking hands on stage after the performance. He wrote in the caption, “Dad joined us tonight in Rome. To be able to support my two heroes together on stage with my brothers is a joy that is indescribable.”

Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI/Shutterstock