This was not on our 2024 bingo cards.
For the first time ever, Willie Nelson and Kermit the Frog performed “Rainbow Connection” as a duet Thursday at Nelson’s 2024 Luck Reunion festival.
The Muppet also joined the legendary stoner for the 12th annual festival at his Texas ranch for a gospel medley of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” “I’ll Fly Away” and “Hard to Be Humble.”
Kemit’s version of “Rainbow Connection” appeared on 1979’s “The Muppet Movie” soundtrack and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Nelson, 90, released his cover of the song in 2001 on his album of the same name. It, too, was critically recognized, earning a Grammy nod for Best Country Album. The album also peaked at No. 52 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart.
He most recently duetted “Rainbow Connection” with Kacey Musgraves at the 2019 Country Music Association Awards, but has also performed the hit with the likes of Debbie Harry and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James — but never with Kermit until Thursday.
Artists including the Carpenters, the Chicks, Kenny Loggins, Weezer, Hayley Williams and Johnny Mathis have all covered the song, too.
Other performances at the Luck Reunion included Tyler Childers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Madi Diaz and John Oates.
The “Red Headed Stranger” is currently on a break from his tour, which picks up again on April 17 at Cooks Garage in Lubbock, Texas.
Earlier this week, Nelson announced his 75th studio album, “The Border,” will drop on May 31. The album includes a cover of Rodney Crowell’s 2019 song by the same name, which Nelson released on Thursday.
The “On the Road Again” singer is also preparing for his annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, which kicks off on June 21 in Alpharetta, Georgia, and wraps on Sept. 17 in Buffalo, New York.
Other headliners for the Outlaw festival include Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and John Mellencamp with Brittney Spencer, Celisse and Southern Avenue.