The last couple weeks of December closed out a strong 2018.

Like a gargantuan hit of skunky Texas-grown chronic, Willie Hugh Nelson wasted no time blowing the minds of the sellout crowd – on the first of two straight sold-out nights – at the Sunset Center. At 85 years old, the lovable country outlaw moves quicker than most of the up-and-coming country stars who call him their influence: Without pause or any brief hesitation, Willie & Family shot onto the stage and immediately jumped into the grandfather of drinking singalongs, “Whiskey River.”

Willie took care of lead and rhythm guitar on Trigger, which has gained so much fame for a guitar that it now rivals the late B.B. King’s Lucille. “Whiskey river, take my mind, Don’t let her memory torture me/ Whiskey river, don’t run dry, You’re all I got, take care of me,” Nelson belted out with vigor as an enormous Texas flag unraveled right on cue behind the bandmembers.

It was a fitting conclusion to another great year for music.

Nelson is an anomaly: He may be closing in on 90 years old, but his live performances remain strong. Another anomaly: renowned indie rocker Lou Barlow putting on an intimate solo acoustic show for a sold-out audience at the Dennis Murphy School of Music, an unorthodox Monterey spot not usually known to house a hip, high-caliber rock and roller. The alt-rock pioneer, known for his part as a founding member of Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, randomly happened upon the downtown Monterey music school where about 50 lucky fans experienced a nearly three-hour night of stories, requests and Barlow completely unplugged.

Meanwhile, (((folkYEAH!))) Presents delivered some killer hot tickets down the coast in Big Sur, including several standout Henry Miller Memorial Library shows: Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, folk singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, prolific virtuoso Ty Segall and a big surprise show from indie powerhouse Modest Mouse. (((folkYEAH!))) also hosted its annual boutique festivals at Fernwood Resort: Chris Robinson’s co-curated Freaks for the Festival and Mother Hips’ co-curated Hipnic, which celebrated its 10th year in 2018.

In the spirit of what promoter Britt Govea has been able to cultivate through (((folkYEAH!))) – large-scale performers playing intimate, destination venues – Live in the Vines (a series concocted by Folktale Winery and KRML radio) has hosted everyone from G. Love to Lukas Nelson to, most recently, Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Can’t wait to see what’s on tap for 2019.

Per usual, the Monterey Jazz Festival and Cali Roots, which celebrates 10 years in 2019, sold out all three days again at the Monterey Fairgrounds. In each case, female performers dominated the grounds.

Even with headliners like Jon Batiste, the buzz was about the likes of Tia Fuller, Ingrid Jensen, Jane Ira Bloom, Anat Cohen and others at the famed Jazz Fest. Norah Jones made her debut and Dianne Reeves was feted, but the event showcased the depth and talent of many rising stars in jazz.

Dispatch may have been a cover story act at Cali Roots. Slightly Stoopid took the stage, as well. But Tash – short for Natasha – Sultana blew away the crowd. She monopolized conversation for weeks after the festival. There is a reason the Australian went from playing for coins on corners to taking over a California festival in such a short time.

Meanwhile, 2018 was the year that brought one of rock and roll’s most famous trios back to the Monterey Peninsula. Though David Crosby, Stephen Stills (who performed with Judy Collins) and Graham Nash performed the Golden State Theatre this year, they all showed up separately on various dates spanning a six-week period. Call it Crosby, Stills and Nash, deconstructed.

Maybe Neil Young will be on the bill for 2019, just to fill out the lineup.

One of folk’s last remaining heroes from the 1960s, Arlo Guthrie, returned to the Peninsula in 2018, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Alice’s Restaurant, both the record and the Arthur Penn film of the same title, loosely based on Guthrie’s epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” a nearly 20-minute, perpetually evolving story of folk music, freedom and anti-Vietnam War draft dodgers scorned for littering on Thanksgiving.

From Wilmington, Delaware to Santa Cruz and Carmel, I’ve seen Guthrie perform several times, and every time he’s played a variation of “Alice’s Restaurant.” But I had never heard him play the tune in its entirety until that April 2018 night at Golden State Theatre.

Each of the 18 minutes that make up the tune was better than the one before it. Our country may be worse off now – sans any mandatory military draft – than it was back then.

While hip-hop remains in the background, at least in this county, performers like La Sofa Queen, Bar$ Marley and Seaside Organics are gaining notice – and creating their own thriving (though still small) scene. With the Hip Hop Speakeasy at Salinas’ XL Public House providing a chance for audiences to catch on, however, this is bound to grow.

For a taste of country, Clint Black visited and the Cowboy Festival had one of its strongest musical lineups yet.

The sound may have faded as 2018 draws to a close, but it was a year of memories.