AUSTIN, Texas — Weekend 2 of the Austin City Limits Music Festival got off to a rocking start with two appearances from legendary country artist Willie Nelson.

Country music star Chris Stapleton surprised fans to start his headlining act by bringing out the beloved Texas music icon. 

Nelson, 91, and Stapleton jammed out on the American Express stage to two songs, the first being Nelson’s classic concert opener “Whiskey River.” The duo then went into another Nelson classic, “Bloody Mary Monday.”

Then, on Sunday, Nelson made his second appearance of the weekend as Orville Peck's surprise guest when the two performed the 1981 song “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other,” written by Latin musician Ned Sublette. The tune is widely known as a song about gay cowboys, as the title suggests. Nelson covered it for his 2009 album "Lost Highway" before covering it once more as a duet and music video for Peck's third studio album "Stampede," which was released earlier this year.

In an interview with GLAAD in April, Peck praised Nelson for his allyship to the LGBTQ+ community in a genre that has a large conservative fanbase.

Although Nelson’s appearance during Stapleton’s set was a surprise, the two singer-songwriters have performed together before. They toured together on the Outlaw Music Festival Tour and Stapleton performed alongside Nelson at the Texan’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. 

This past weekend won’t be the last ACL performances for Nelson this week. On Oct. 17, the 91-year-old will be at the Long Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Austin City Limits’ first broadcast, which featured Nelson.