Willie Nelson to play benefit for West, Texas, explosion victims

Willie Nelson, performing in Nashville recently, will donate proceeds from his April 28 concert in Austin, Texas, to the volunteer fire department in West, Texas.

By Randy Lewis

April 19, 2013 12 AM PT

Country star Willie Nelson will play a concert on April 28 to benefit the West Volunteer Fire Department in the wake of the fertilizer plant explosions in West, Texas, near his hometown, which killed at least 13 people, including five volunteer firefighters, and injured 200 earlier this week.

“West is just a few miles from my hometown of Abbott,” Nelson said in a statement. “I was born and raised here and it was my backyard growing up. This is my community. These friends and neighbors have always been and are still a part of my life. My heart is praying for the community that we call home.”

Nelson had been scheduled to perform on April 28 at a club in Austin, Texas, and now will donate proceeds from that show to the West volunteer fire unit. He’s also using his website, willienelson.com, to post updates on the situation and information on where to make donations of money and goods, as well as how to make blood donations targeted to West.

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