The first time the “Django and Jimmie” tour was postponed it was due to health concerns regarding Willie. Even though it wasn’t life threatening, Willie and his management team didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. But now the second setback has struck, leaving his outlaw partner, Merle Haggard, out of action.
Just recently Haggard was released from the Eisenhower Medical Center after being hospitalized on the 5th of December. At that point nobody knew what was going on and Haggard admits he was closer to death than he anticipated. He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia, but the severity of his condition made everyone think his lung cancer had returned. As a long time smoker of tobacco and marijuana, Haggard quit both during the mid-nineties. However, an interview with Rolling Stone in 2009 suggested that he picked up the marijuana habit again.
For the most part Haggard hasn’t had many health issues and apart from undergoing surgery in 1995 for clogged arteries, his biggest challenge came in November 2008. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and a section of his lung had to be removed. Luckily for Haggard, the surgery was successful and none of the cancer was left. But as doctors observed the condition he was in they didn’t throw out the possibility of the cancer returning. To everyone’s relief this wasn’t the case and as it turns out Haggard suffered from double pneumonia, which explained his near-death experience.
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As it stands Haggard is recovering nicely, but there is no telling when the tour is going to continue. In fact, he’s just 
happy that he’ll get to see another Christmas. When taking into account that Nelson is 82 and Haggard 78, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some health issues are going to make touring more difficult. It’s also interesting to note that the venues they have chosen for this specific tour are much larger than the ones they used for their solo shows in the past, informing the fans that they want to go big this time around.
The “Django and Jimmie” tour was scheduled two months after releasing their sixth collaborative album by the same name. These two outlaws have been playing together for more than thirty years and fans will recognize the big start to their collective career as “Pancho and Lefty”. More notably, they stuck to their guns when country was facing a heavy influence from the pop genre by doubling up on everything with a twang.
Now, after thirty years they are still capable of recording an album that quickly went into the charts while receiving praise from fans and critics alike. The title of the 14 track album “Django and Jimmie” is also a song that pays tribute to Django Reinhardt and Jimmie Rodgers.
Whether Haggard will be healthy enough to continue the tour can only be speculated, but as everyone knows this legendary musician never goes down without a fight. Chances are he’ll come back in the New Year playing better than ever. But until then everyone is wishing him the best as he makes a full recovery.
