Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard will launch tour in Florence

Willie Nelson and Family will kick off a national tour on Oct. 15 at the Florence Civic Center.

Nelson performed in the venue in 2013, but fellow country music icon Merle Haggard will be joining him for his return to the Pee Dee.

Although the pair released a duets album titled “Django and Jimmie” in June, they will take the stage in October with two separate performances.

Nick Hooker, senior marketing manager at the Civic Center, said he has a good feeling that the duo will play at least one of their hits together, though.

Bringing performers of this caliber to the venue is big news for Florence and the surrounding area, he said, particularly since it is the first tour stop.

“It’s a great way to put the city and the venue in the spotlight,” said Hooker, who called the show a bucket list item for many music fans.

The Civic Center has been hoping to get Nelson back to Florence since he most recently played two years ago.

“We wanted to get Willie back,” he said. “And we wanted more talent with him.”

The center, which holds 7,000 people when being used for concerts, worked with Haggard’s tour producers to ensure that he could play the show, too.

“Now we have two living legends coming together for one incredible night of music,” Hooker said.

Tickets for the show go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. All tickets are for reserved seating. Tickets for floor seats cost $55. Prices for other seating ranges from $30 to $45.

The Florence Civic Center offers some deals for those looking to purchase tickets in groups. Groups of 10 or more will receive $5 off each ticket when purchased in advance.

The show will start at 8 p.m.

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 7:08 AM with the headline "Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard will launch tour in Florence."