It was a special night honoring a legend, and everybody who’s anybody was there. Alan Jackson’s final concert, “Last Call: One More for the Road — The Finale,” on Saturday, June 27, was a celebration as much as it was a goodbye and a thank you to a man who laid bricks for traditional country music in the 1990s.
Alan played all of the necessities, like “Livin’ on Love,” “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” “Little Bitty,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Gone Country” and “Remember When,” wrapping the show with one that was unexpected as a final farewell: “Where I Come From.”
But there was a ton of action before that. George Strait joined his old friend on a few songs, while other artists took the reins on other classics. Carrie Underwood did “Everything I Love,” Eric Church sang “Someday,” Riley Green performed “Little Man,” and Miranda Lambert did “Dallas,” and that’s just scratching the very surface of all of the tributes.
In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a country artist today who wasn’t influenced by the “Chattahoochee” hitmaker. At one point, all of the guest performers came together onstage to sing “Pop a Top,” which made for a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Alan had a little help walking onto the stage to give a final wave to the crowd. He’s 67, but age isn’t what’s slowing him down these days. The country icon decided it was time to retire from country music after he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a degenerative nerve disorder. He informed fans of his struggle during an interview with TODAY in 2021, noting that the future would make it more difficult to sing and perform as his condition worsened.
He didn’t want to harp on the negative on this special night, however, telling the crowd he wouldn’t be spending much time on the “last show stuff,” because, in his words, “I’m not dead.”
Alan Jackson’s final concert will air in a televised special later this year, date still to be announced. Though he’s done formally touring, he’s still making music. Just last week, Alan released “Still the One,” a tribute to his wife of 46 years Denise.
