Robert Earl Keen is bringing fans back to his home turf for Labor Day weekend, hosting the 5th Annual Homecoming Weekend at John T. Floore's Country Store in Helotes from September 5 through 7. The three-day gathering opens with a celebration of the 30th anniversary of his live album No. 2 Live Dinner and closes with a free Fan Appreciation Day concert, all while doubling as a fundraiser for his longtime guitarist, who is battling a serious illness.
Keen told CBS Austin that Homecoming Weekend gives him a chance to be present with the people who have followed his music for decades, and that Floore's Country Store has always been his home venue. He said fans could get in for free and see a bunch of music, referring to the closing Fan Appreciation Day show, which the singer-songwriter described as a celebration of the community that has supported him throughout his career.
A 30th-Anniversary Salute to a Texas Classic
Saturday's outdoor stage opens with Gary P. Nunn and Coleman Jennings before Keen performs No. 2 Live Dinner in full, according to MusicRow. The album was recorded primarily at Floore's Country Store on August 12, 1995, with three additional tracks captured at Austin's Cactus Cafe that October before Sugar Hill Records released it in March 1996, per Wikipedia. The record features Keen's enduring anthem “The Road Goes On Forever” and is widely regarded as a defining document of 1990s Texas Americana.
Sunday shifts indoors for a Songs & Stories session featuring Ray Wylie Hubbard, Steve Poltz, and Suzy Bogguss, with Andrew Duhon opening, the same MusicRow report notes. The weekend then wraps Monday with the free Fan Appreciation Day concert, giving fans multiple nights of live music and special guests across the full run.
Raising Funds for Guitarist Rich Brotherton
Two of the weekend's shows are benefit performances tied to Keen's non-profit, Applause for the Cause, which raises money to support Rich Brotherton, the guitarist and producer who played and recorded with the Robert Earl Keen Band for 25 years. Brotherton was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in April 2025, according to a Podbean interview. Beyond his work with Keen, Brotherton produced several of the singer's studio albums, ran Ace Recording studio in Austin, and performed with local groups including Úlla and the Purgatory Players.
The Homecoming Weekend benefits follow two dedicated fundraising shows Keen scheduled for August 25 and 26 titled A Night for Rich Brotherton, set for the historic Devil's Backbone Tavern in Fischer, as reported by Texas Public Radio. Those twin performances mark the second major fundraising push under the Applause for the Cause foundation on Brotherton's behalf. An earlier all-star benefit for Brotherton took place on December 9, 2025, at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, featuring Lyle Lovett, Patty Griffin, Charley Crockett, and Loudon Wainwright III, according to Úlla Music, with radio host Jody Denburg serving as emcee for an event organized by local musicians to help cover ongoing medical costs.
A Foundation With a Track Record
Applause for the Cause has already shown it can move serious money for Texas causes. In May 2025, the initiative organized a flood relief benefit at Whitewater Amphitheater that raised $3.2 million for the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, per Grateful Web. Keen built the foundation to funnel his philanthropic efforts toward Texas community emergencies and toward fellow musicians facing hardship.
The Homecoming Weekend also arrives years after Keen tried to walk away from the road entirely. He launched a 2022 farewell tour called I'm Comin' Home: 41 Years On The Road, intended to mark his permanent retirement from live performing, and played what was billed as his final public show at Floore's that September. He returned to active touring in 2023, admitting, as Tucson.com reported, that he was “failing fantastically” at quitting the stage.
Reissues and Recognition Round Out a Big Year
Keen's 2026 has also included a pair of anniversary vinyl reissues through a renewed partnership with Lost Highway Records. Gravitational Forces got a 25th-anniversary pressing on July 10, and Ready for Confetti followed with a 15th-anniversary edition on August 21, according to the Kerr County Lead. Both releases feature special colored vinyl and new liner notes, including contributions from Keen's daughter, Clara Rose.
The Texas Legislative Conference also named Keen its 2026 Texan of the Year, presenting the award during its 60th annual policy and business assembly in March, per his official website. Floore's Country Store itself carries its own weight in Texas music history: founded in 1942 by John T. Floore in Helotes, the venue earned its reputation as the early musical birthplace of Willie Nelson, who played Saturday nights there for tips, and has hosted acts ranging from Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan, according to Good Grit. The dance hall, located 22 miles outside San Antonio, still retains its 1940s architecture, complete with cowboy boots hanging from the rafters.
Fans hoping to attend can find event information and lottery-entry details on robertearlkeen.com, and the weekend's outdoor stage and indoor Songs & Stories format give attendees a mix of full-band anniversary performances and more intimate acoustic sets. Keen is also set to headline the 40th annual Gruene Music & Wine Fest this October in New Braunfels alongside Shane Smith & the Saints, part of a fall lineup already turning heads across the Hill Country music circuit.
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