SAN DIEGO — Willie Nelson was a young whippersnapper of 28 when he wrote "Funny How Time Slips Away" in 1961. He was 82 when he co-wrote and recorded "Still Not Dead" in 2017. On May 28, he will release "The Border," his ninth album since 2020.

So, when Nelson sang the line "Don't bury me, I've got a show to play/ And I woke up still not dead again today" during his San Diego concert at the Shell on Monday night — exactly one week before he will celebrate his 91st birthday — the sold-out audience of 6,454 cheered heartily. The longevity, talent and tenacity of this grizzled American music icon is always worth celebrating, even more so in the autumn of his years.

Yes, Nelson now performs seated, as he has in recent years and did at his two 2022 concerts here at Humphreys. He recites the lyrics to some of his songs as much as sings them, although the elasticity of his vocal phrasing can still inspire awe (if not quite as often as in the past). And his solos on his battered acoustic guitar sometimes include some clams.

But, really, so what?

That Nelson plays spontaneously in the moment — rather than repeating rote solos note for note, night after night — is to be applauded. Ditto the fact that, this summer, he will headline his annual Outlaw Music Festival, a 26-city tour. It includes a July 29 date here with Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp at Chula Vista's North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre.

On the road yet again after performing 68 concerts last year, Nelson doesn't defy the passing of time — slipping away or otherwise — he defines and embraces it. Like almost no other currently active performer in any genre, he makes no bones about looking and sounding his age.

This makes him a welcome anomaly in an era when some celebrities only a third as old as Nelson are desperate to appear younger, while Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's 9-year-old daughter, North, is preparing to launch a skin care and cosmetics line.

Of course, Nelson does not lack in entrepreneurial spirit himself. He launched his marijuana line, Willie's Reserve, in 2015. His most recent book, "Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs," was published last October. And his 2024 "Willie for President" merch line is now available for preorder.

Happily, there is not a hint of pretense or artifice in anything he says or sings. His earthy, eloquent music still resonates deeply, as the highlights of his Monday show here demonstrated, even when — make that, especially when — his concert begins with a bump and takes several numbers to get in gear.

The first selection, "Whiskey River" — his traditional opening song — was marred by Nelson's overly loud, discordant guitar playing, wavering vocals and a tempo that seemed to change several times. The following piece, "Still is Still Moving to Me," felt rushed.

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