Willie Nelson Armadillo Caper – Take Two By Don Logay It all started very innocently Monday night, March 31st, when Lake Las Vegas kicked off the first major entertainment event of the season with a highly anticipated Willie Nelson Concert held at the lavish Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa. The concert, produced by local impresario, Mirko Zeppellini – head of Lake Entertainment – played to an audience of about 1,500 enthusiastic Willie fans in a 90-minute, non-stop knock-out performance that included all the famous hits one would expect. At the end of the show – while Willie graciously remained on stage signing autographs for the hundreds of clamoring fans – it happened. Somebody stole Willie’s lucky Armadillo ! A little bit of History Like most performers, Willie has certain things that are a key part of his life and are present at every show he does. One is his guitar – a Martin N-20 Classical (serial number 242830) – that he bought way back in 1969, as a struggling country signer trying to start a career with a “coulda been better” first-time record deal. Today, after some 11,000 or so performances worldwide, Willie still plays that same guitar – which he affectionately named “Trigger” – and it bears the all the scratches, autograph signatures of superstars and a gaping hole in the face (just below the strings and to the right of the hole in the sound board) worn through by a million or so strums of the pick by Willie as he practiced and performed every show over the last 45-years. Another Willie staple, is a stuffed Armadillo that travels with the show and has garnered a coveted role as the good luck “mascot” for the band. If you are lucky enough to make it back stage, you’ll see the taxidermied Armadillo – named “Ol’ Dillo” – faithfully perched atop the expansive electronic sound board, manned by Willie’s long-time sound engineer, Aaron Foye, and prominently placed stage left (to the right if you’re in the audience) where the country superstar can glance and see it all throughout any and all performances. The Great Armadillo Caper Back to the story. While Willie was graciously signing autographs out front after the show, a no-good Armadillo rustler with a mean streak made off with the band’s good luck mascot. Needless to say, when discovered, it created a bit of an uproar. The mysterious disappearance of “Ol’ Dillo” quickly hit Willie’s Facebook page and more than a thousand fans registered their protest. Willie and the boys also posted a plea online to please return “Ol’ Dillo” – no questions asked – and “Wanted Dead or Alive” posters were sure to follow. The next morning, the swiped Armadillo furor continued until about 9:30 am when another event made things even more “curiouser and curiouser.” “After the concert , I received a call from Willie Nelsons distraught road manager,” states Matt Boland, Director of Marketing for the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa, “asking if we could look through the security cameras to determine who stole the Armadillo.” “Both he and I were very upset that... of all places... the Westin and Lake Las Vegas would now (and forever) be known as the place where Willies Armadillo went missing,” Boland lamented. “Then at 9:30am this morning (i.e., April 1st) I was standing out in front of the hotel, talking to a guest , when a gold Saturn pulls up... only a few feet away... and a man leans over hands me a orange Nike shoe box through the passenger side window and says ‘This is not a joke... please give this back to Willie and tell him Im sorry’...” Boland recounts,” and as I opened the box and saw it contained the elusive Armadillo, the car peeled out before I could say a word.” “I stood there a bit dumbfounded,” notes Boland,” feeling like I had just received a silver bullet from the Lone Ranger... wondering ‘Who was that masked man?’” “I immediately notified Willie’s road manager. The eagle... er, Armadillo... has landed. Ol’ Dillo is back !” Armadillo Caper – Take Two As they say in late night infomercials... “But Wait, There’s More”. While everyone was greatly relieved that the coveted stuffed Armadillo had been returned, it soon came to light that this had happened before. Reports state that a yet-to-be-identified woman was videotaped Armadillo-napping “Ol’ Dillo” after a recent concert – in Syracuse, New York –in a similar caper back in September 2013. After a similar furor and resulting Facebook plea by Willie, the beloved little preserved mammal with the leathery armored shell was returned the next day – and it was in a shoe box...with a note... directing that this be returned to Willie. Sound familiar? So, it begs the question... was Lake Las Vegas a “copy-cat (copy-Armadillo) crime”... or, is the beloved Armadillo being stalked by a crazed souvenir hunting fan? Or perhaps, was it a cruel “April Fools” prank? Regardless (and to everyone’s great relief) “Ol’ Dillo” is NOT on the road again. And it is safe to say, at all future performances Willie will be keeping a very close eye on his lizard buddy and the little guy just might also be wearing an ankle bracelet. Armadillo rustlers... consider yourself warned ! _________________________________________________________________________ This story picked up by the AP Wire Service and distributed nationwide. --------- GOOGLE: willie nelson and armadillo, lake las vegas
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 02:47:56 +0000
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