Robert Randolph at Outlaw Music Festival 2026
Robert Randolph at Outlaw Music Festival 2026
- Randolph plays 3 New York dates only — Wantagh (Aug 28), Bethel (Aug 29), Saratoga Springs (Aug 30).
- He arrives as a 2026 Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Preacher Kids.
- He shares the bill with Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, and Stephen Wilson Jr.
- Primary tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster and outlawmusicfestival.com.
Robert Randolph brings his Grammy-winning Sacred Steel sound to the 2026 Outlaw Music Festival for three New York dates in late August. He joins Willie Nelson & Family, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Wilson Jr., and Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble at Wantagh, Bethel, and Saratoga Springs. Here is everything you need to know before the shows.
Who Is Robert Randolph?
Robert Randolph is the most prominent Sacred Steel guitarist alive and one of the most versatile musicians in American roots music.
Rolling Stone placed him on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He learned pedal steel inside the House of God Church in Orange, New Jersey, where the instrument is used in Pentecostal worship to mimic the human voice.
Beyond his church roots, Randolph has earned 13 Emmy Awards for sports broadcast music scores and provided the Thursday Night Football theme for Amazon Prime for two consecutive years.
He is not a niche act. He has recorded and performed with Eric Clapton, Beyoncé, Santana, Metallica, Elton John, and Dave Matthews Band.
His Grammy Win in 2026
Robert Randolph won his first Grammy Award at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, taking Best Contemporary Blues Album for Preacher Kids his debut solo record on Sun Records, produced by Shooter Jennings.
The album channels faith, family, rebellion, and redemption into a sound that is gritty, jam-driven, and deeply personal.
Randolph also contributed pedal steel to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter on “16 Carriages” and “Ya Ya,” and played on Jon Batiste’s We Are both Grammy Album of the Year winners. That is three Grammy-winning albums in two years. The man is on a run.
What Is Preacher Kids?
Preacher Kids released June 27, 2025 on Sun Records. It is Randolph’s first album under his own name rather than as Robert Randolph and the Family Band.
Recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles and Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Studios in Nashville, the album features a new stripped-down band alongside guest vocalists Margo Price and Judith Hill.
Producer Shooter Jennings helped Randolph build something gritty, jammy, swampy, and real a deliberate departure from his previous Family Band sound.
Randolph described the record plainly: “We’re all preacher’s kids. This album feels like our collective diary, rooted in gospel and shaped by the journey from the church to the stages of rock and blues.”
His 3 Outlaw Festival Dates in 2026
Robert Randolph plays the final three dates of the 2026 Outlaw Music Festival all in New York state in late August.
| Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 28 | Northwell at Jones Beach Theater | Wantagh, NY |
| Aug. 29 | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts | Bethel, NY |
| Aug. 30 | Albany Med Health System at SPAC | Saratoga Springs, NY |
All three shows feature Willie Nelson & Family, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Wilson Jr., Robert Randolph, and Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
Bethel Woods is the site of the original 1969 Woodstock festival. Playing that ground carries its own weight for a musician whose sound lives at the intersection of gospel, blues, and rock.
Why He Fits the Outlaw Festival
The Outlaw Music Festival has always programmed wider than its name implies.
The 2025 edition earned Rolling Stone’s designation as the most exciting and eclectic multi-artist festival of the summer amphitheater season. That eclecticism is exactly where Randolph operates.
Sacred Steel sits outside both mainstream country and mainstream blues. Randolph had no plans to take his church-born sound to secular audiences until a promoter caught him at a Sacred Steel convention in Florida in 2000 and introduced him to the rock and jam scene. That origin story music born in faith, carried to the masses fits the Outlaw spirit precisely.
He has performed at previous Outlaw Music Festival editions and returns in 2026 as a Grammy winner for the first time.
What Will He Play?
No official setlist exists for festival dates. Based on his most recent 2026 concert data from Setlist.fm, expect the following.
From Preacher Kids: “Sinner,” “7 Generations,” “When Will The Love Rain Down,” “Big Women”
Family Band classics: “I Need More Love,” “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That,” “Colorblind”
Covers: “Foxy Lady” (Jimi Hendrix), “The Thrill Is Gone” (B.B. King), “I’m So Glad” (Skip James)
Randolph does not work from a fixed set list. Concert length varies based on how jams develop and how the crowd responds. At a festival with Willie Nelson closing the night, his set will likely run 45 to 60 minutes tight enough to stay sharp, long enough for at least one extended jam to take off.
How to Get Tickets
Tickets for all three New York dates are available on Ticketmaster. VIP packages include premium seating, Citi Club access, and fast lane entry options depending on the venue.
Buy primary tickets at Ticketmaster.com or outlawmusicfestival.com. Verified resale is available through Ticketmaster Fan-to-Fan for any sold-out dates.
Robert Randolph’s Career in Brief
Robert Randolph and the Family Band has released six studio albums and earned seven Grammy nominations prior to the 2026 win for Preacher Kids.
He moved from drums to pedal steel at around 15 years old inside his New Jersey church. He had almost no exposure to secular music until his teens, when a borrowed tape of Stevie Ray Vaughan permanently redirected his playing.
The arc from Pentecostal church to Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists list took roughly a decade. He is considered the first artist in the Sacred Steel church tradition to achieve critical and commercial success outside of that religious context.
FAQ
What dates does Robert Randolph play at the 2026 Outlaw Music Festival? August 28 in Wantagh, NY — August 29 in Bethel, NY — August 30 in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Did Robert Randolph win a Grammy in 2026? Yes. He won Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 68th Grammy Awards for Preacher Kids.
What is Sacred Steel music? Sacred Steel is a gospel tradition from African-American Pentecostal churches that uses pedal steel guitar as the primary instrument of worship.
Who else plays the New York Outlaw Festival dates? Willie Nelson & Family, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Wilson Jr., and Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
What is Robert Randolph’s latest album? Preacher Kids, released June 27, 2025, on Sun Records, produced by Shooter Jennings.
Has Robert Randolph played the Outlaw Festival before 2026? Yes. He has appeared at previous Outlaw Music Festival editions and returns in 2026 as a Grammy winner for the first time.
Where can I buy tickets for Robert Randolph at the Outlaw Festival? Ticketmaster.com and outlawmusicfestival.com handle primary sales for all three New York dates.