Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 06/18/2022
(CAMDEN, NJ) -- Particle Kid, aka Micah Nelson, and his legendary father Willie Nelson duet on a new single, “Die When I’m High (Halfway To Heaven)”. The two will hit the road starting next week as part of the Outlaw Music Festival, across the U.S. through September. The tour closes out September 23rd at the Waterfront Music Pavilion in Camden. A limited-edition, wood carved single of “Die When I’m High (Halfway To Heaven)” will be available exclusively at the shows. Chris Stapleton, Zach Bryan, Larkin Poe, and Brittney Spencer are part of the festival lineup as well.
Discussing the creative spark behind the track, Micah offered, “Sometime back in December 2020, in between endless rounds of chess and dominos, my dad looked up at me and said, ‘If I die when I’m high I’ll be halfway to heaven’. It took me a second to process, but I said , ‘Dad, that's the best song title I ever heard. You better write the rest of it quick.’ He said. ‘Why don’t you write it?’ So I did. That night I wrote it for him, about him. It’s really just a love letter to him. A tribute.
"At the same time I realized it’s also a sort of ‘fuck you’ to anyone who ever thought of me as some lost prodigal son who doesn’t understand him or respect his legacy just because I’ve never imitated his style or pandered to his audience. HE is the one who gave me my Particle Kid moniker after all."
Micah continued, "We are both freaks, in our time. I’m no prodigal son. I am HIS Particle Kid. I would never try to be him, or even pretend, because nobody will ever be him. But believe it or not I do relate to the Willie fans because I am one of them. They know how incredible and one of a kind he is. So this song is for the real Willie fans too. They get it.
"I cut the video together using a combination of time-lapse footage I shot at Luck, concert footage of me and my dad performing the song live, and some animated portraits I created digitally of him at different times in his life.”
Micah Nelson released his experimental, psychedelic, future-folk magnum opus, Time Capsule, under his Particle Kid moniker in April. A 26-song musical journey through time, space and consciousness. Available digitally, on compact disc and inside a limited edition hempcrete time capsule, forged by Micah himself. Time Capsule takes listeners on a trip through various genres, ideas and sounds - an eclectic palette of sonic colors, both familiar and exploratory. Feelings painted together like a collage, as if 90s alt, 60s psych, 70s electric jazz, and some abstract future were all magazines — chopped up and somehow cohesively glued together by Micah’s voice and lyrics.
Outlaw Music Festival Dates:
06/24 - St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
06/25 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
07/01 - Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
07/02 - Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
07/04 - Austin, TX @ Q2 Stadium
07/29 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
07/30 - Cincinnati, OH @ River Bend Center
08/12 - Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
08/13 - Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center
08/14 - Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
09/09 - Atlanta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
09/10 - Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
09/11 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
09/13 - Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
09/16 - Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
09/17 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/18 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ SPAC
09/23 - Camden, NJ @ Waterfront Music Pavilion
EVENT PREVIEWS
WBJB's Songwriters on the Beach series presents Nicole Atkins on August 27th
(BRADLEY BEACH, NJ) -- WBJB's Songwriters on the Beach presents Nicole Atkins on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 7:00pm. Cory Blair will open the night. The free outdoor concert takes place at the Newark Avenue Beach in Bradley Beach. ** The show was rescheduled from July 16th due to the Air Quality Alert issued across New Jersey.
51st Annual New Jersey Folk Festival to Take Place August 29th
(SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Folk Festival (NJFF) is back for the 51st year on Saturday, August 29, 2026 at Davidson's Mill Pond Park in South Brunswick. The event is free and open to the public. It runs from 11:00am to 5:00pm.
The Strand presents Matt Stone as Elvis on August 29th
(LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- Most 22-year-olds are chasing the next trend, scrolling through TikTok, and binging Love Island. Matt Stone has spent the last decade looking in the opposite direction.
McCarter Theatre Center presents Mei Semones on September 4th
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center presents Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Mei Semones in the Berlind Theatre on Friday, September 4, 2026 at 7:30pm. Drawing on her background in jazz guitar and her Japanese heritage, she blends inventive harmonies, intricate rhythms, and bilingual lyricism into a sound that is both intimate and exploratory.
51st NJ Clearwater Festival to Take Place Labor Day Weekend in Asbury Park
(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Friends of Clearwater invites everyone to start their Labor Day Weekend at its free 51st Annual Clearwater Festival Saturday September 5, 2026, a late summer, family-friendly celebration of great live music, Mother Earth and more in Sunset Park near the ocean in Asbury Park.
The Machine performs Pink Floyd at The Newton Theatre on September 5th
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Machine Performs Pink Floyd on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at the Newton Theatre. The band has forged a nearly 40 year reputation of extending the musical legacy of Pink Floyd. Showtime is 8:00pm.
MPAC presents Melissa Etheridge: Rise Tour on September 9th
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) presents Melissa Etheridge: Rise Tour on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 7:30pm. Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America's favorite female singers for more than two decades.
Prudential Center presents Ella Langley on September 10th
(NEWARK, NJ) -- It's been a landmark year for Ella Langley. Fresh off a sweep at the ACM Awards where she won all seven awards she was nominated for, two recent American Music Award wins, and being the soundtrack of the summer for a trio of German fans on Twitter traveling through America during the World Cup. Ella continues one of the most dominant runs in music. She brings The Dandelion Tour to the Prudential Center in Newark on September 10, 2026 at 7:00pm. Special guests ERNEST and Gabriella Rose will open the night.
The Soundtrack of Resilience: Explore Music's Role in Post-9/11 America at the Lacey Library
(FORKED RIVER, NJ) -- In honor of Patriot Day, the Lacey Branch of the Ocean County Library will host "The Soundtrack of Resilience: Music and 9/11" on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Tony Award Nominee Joshua Henry to open Kean Stage's 2026-2027 season
(HILLSIDE, NJ) -- Kean Stage is thrilled to announce that Joshua Henry, three-time Tony nominee and star of Lincoln Center Theater's Ragtime, will open their 2026-2027 season with two performances of his show Get Up, Stand Up! on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm at Enlow Recital Hall (215 North Avenue) in Hillside.
FEATURED EVENTS
