Outlaw Music Festival
St. Louis

What to Expect at the Outlaw Music Festival in St. Louis

The August 18 date at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater kicks off the second half of the 2026 Outlaw Music Festival after a six-week summer break following the Texas shows. As opening night of the August run, the St. Louis stop sets the tone for everything that follows. The lineup features The Avett Brothers, whose high-energy blend of folk, bluegrass, and rock has made them one of the biggest live draws in American music over the past two decades.

Lukas Nelson — Willie's son and frontman of Promise of the Real — delivers a rootsy, guitar-driven set that channels classic rock through a modern Americana lens. Stephen Wilson Jr. has been one of country music's fastest-rising names, earning comparisons to Chris Stapleton for his raw vocal power and Southern rock sensibility. Sierra Hull, a bluegrass mandolin prodigy who first performed at the Grand Ole Opry at age 11, brings instrumental brilliance that adds a unique texture to the evening's sound.

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble round out the bill with a genre-crossing set rooted in soul and jazz. Was, a Grammy-winning producer who has helmed records for the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, and Bob Dylan, leads a band that celebrates the musical heritage of his hometown Detroit. Together, the six acts on the August 18 bill deliver a spectrum of American roots music that embodies the outlaw spirit Willie Nelson has championed for more than half a century.