How often do we see three legendary performers on the same bill? We saw precisely that Saturday evening at Tinley Park's Credit Union Amphitheatre. Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and John Mellencamp each played a set to a sold-out audience. The three performed as part of the Outlaw Music Festival, which is traveling across the United States.

My evening began with John Mellencamp (blues/soul band Southern Avenue played a set before we arrived). The 71-year-old singer/songwriter was the youngest of the three headliners. Unsurprisingly, his was also the most energetic performance. He packed many of his hits into an hour set, including a solo acoustic version of "Jack and Diane," in which he mocked the audience (they skipped the second verse and went straight to the chorus) and himself ("I'm going to sing the second verse, even though it sucks.")

Bob Dylan followed with a set in which he decided to forego his guitar and play the piano, accompanied by an excellent ensemble of musicians. I saw Dylan perform seventeen years ago in Ypsilanti, MI, at a show where he seemed to ignore the audience. On this night, he did acknowledge the audience occasionally despite displaying his known shyness. Bob Dylan's strength has always been his songwriting, but he also mixed in covers by Chuck Berry, The Fleetwoods, and the Grateful Dead.

Willie Nelson headlined the evening. The audience's excitement was palpable when he walked slowly onto the stage. At 93 years, Nelson chooses to sit during his show, and his vocal range is less than it once was. Willie's guitar contained the scars of years of experience - not unlike his body. His hands are gnarled, and numerous wrinkles crease his face. But his joy in performing was apparent, and his guitar solos still impressed. Nelson took his time, singing each song with care. If he skipped some of the high notes, he showed emotion in his singing. His guitarist took the lead on two songs, and I wondered if this was Willie's son Lukas with eyeglasses and his long hair cut short or it may have been Waylon Payne. I could see a resemblance to each, but no one introduced the band to confirm this. On "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," Southern Avenue returned to the stage to sing backup.

I find it amazing that Nobel laureate Bob Dylan was the warmup act, but that is what one gets when Willie Nelson headlines. Even more impressive was that John Mellencamp, who possesses countless awards, platinum albums, and top 10 singles, was the warmup act to the warmup act.

Four hours of music left us exhausted and satisfied. We enjoyed every act, and I finally saw the iconic Willie Nelson in concert!