In a case that will go down in Country Music Outlaw history, a Waco, Texas jury has acquitted 70-year-old Texas Country Music Hall of Fame member Billy Joe Shaver of aggravated assault in the shooting of a man outside a Lorena, Texas bar in 2007. the incident came after Shaver had played a show.Willie Nelson and actor Robert Duvall had been at the trial to show their friend moral support.
My favorite parts of the released testimony were: during cross examination by the prosecuting attorney Shaver was asked if he might have pulled a gun on Billy Coker in the bar’s parking lot because Coker (who had first allegedly pulled a knife to which Shaver pulled a gun from his truck and famously asked him “Where do you want it?” ) was talking to talking to Shaver’s wife, Wanda, Shaver said “I get more women than a passenger train can haul. I’m not jealous.” When asked why he didn’t leave the bar without his wife after realizing his argument with Coker was escalating. Shaver replied, “Ma’am, I’m from Texas. If I were chickenshit, I would have left, but I’m not.” Classic.
Texas singer/songwriter wrote a song entitled “Where do you want it?” shortly after the incident.
The crowds were large an estimated 750,000 – more than Coachella, Lollapalooza and All Points West combined – urbane, hippies, street buskers and hipsters all in Golden Gate Park and under mostly warm Indian Summer skies. The bill on all 6 stages (one more added this year) were all impressive and walking from stage to stage through the huge crowd to stave off any regrets of missing something can wear you out.