Alan Jackson will take the stage tonight for the final show of his career, the star-studded Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The concert is one of the hottest tickets of the year, and Nashville has been buzzing all week for one of the biggest concerts we’ve seen in a long time. Along with Alan, the show will feature an all-star lineup including Eric Church, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and Lee Ann Womack – and of course we also expect some surprise guests too. The show sold out almost instantly when it went on sale, and tickets have been hard to come by. But the good news is that the show will be livestreamed on Broadway. Keepin’ It Country on Broadway, presented by Edward Jones, will feature a screen and stage right in the middle of Broadway to livestream the entire show. It’s truly the end of an era for a country music icon. Alan Jackson is one of my personal favorites and probably deserves a spot on my own personal Mount Rushmore of country music legends… a staple of my childhood, my college years and even now as an adult with my own kids, Alan’s timeless catalog still finds ways to move me all these years later. And while tonight is his final concert, let’s take a look back at the very beginning… His First TV Appearance Ever It’s always cool seeing some old footage of country music superstars, before anybody even knew who they were. It’s also crazy to me how many stars competed in these singing competitions, trying to get their name out there, and didn’t even win. Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves both got their start on Nashville Star – and neither of them won. Morgan Wallen was on The Voice and didn’t make it out of the playoff rounds to compete on the live shows. And the list goes on and on. It just goes to show how these “competitions” really don’t mean all that much when it comes to finding the next big thing. But every once in a while, somebody comes through one of these shows and ends up going on to become a superstar… and I guess that’s what keeps us all watching. For example? Mr. Alan Jackson. Alan was featured on the Tennessee News Network’s show You Can Be A Star, a daily talent show featuring amateur country singers, way back in 1985. But Alan wasn’t a contestant, he actually worked in the mailroom at TNN and was sitting in the audience at the time. He performed a little rendition of George Jones’ hit, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” as the show was headed to a commercial break. Little did everybody in that room know they were getting to watch a country mega-star in the making. As is turns out, Glen Campbell saw that performance and hired Alan as a writer with his publishing company, and he went on to become the first act ever signed to Arista Records. Alan’s longtime producer, Keith Stegall, was also a judge on the show, who saw this brief performance, and the rest was history. He produced just about every album Jackson has ever released. Talk about the right place at the right time. George Jones’ Funeral Alan Jackson would later go on to perform that very same song at George Jones’ funeral, many years later. A video resurfaced on YouTube of Alan Jackson singing at country legend George Jones‘ funeral back in 2013, covering one of Jones’ all-time classics: “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Fighting back the tears, Jackson delivers an incredible rendition to the crowd, the auditorium at the Grand Ole Opry erupting with claps and cheers as he hits the crescendo of the ’80s classic. You can tell Alan was doing his best to keep from breaking down, as Jones was an inspiration to himself as well as tons of other country music singers. But as he approaches the final notes, he just can’t quite fight it any longer. He pulls off his cowboy hat for one last goodbye, and with a tear in his eye, works up the strength to say, “We love you, George.” Talk about cutting DEEP… and a true full circle moment for the kid from Newnan, Georgia. The post End of an Era: Watch Alan Jackson’s 1985 TV Debut Ahead of Tonight’s Farewell Concert In Nashville first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Miranda Lambert's journey in country music is a masterclass in resilience and creativity; her story unfolds like a heartfelt song you can't help but sing along to. Continue reading…

The final show of his legendary career. Alan Jackson will take the stage tonight for the final show of his career, the star-studded Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The concert is one of the hottest tickets of the year, and Nashville has been buzzing all week for one of the biggest concerts we’ve seen in a long time. Whether you’re going to the show or weren’t able to get tickets but still want to watch, here’s everything you need to know about Alan’s final show: Why Won’t Alan Jackson Be Touring Anymore? Alan announced back in 2021 that he was suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a degenerative nerve condition that made it hard for the country music legend to stand and keep his balance. While he assured fans the disease isn’t fatal, it’s made it harder for the legend to tour and deliver the performance that he wants for fans: “It’s starting to affect my performance on stage a little bit, where I don’t feel comfortable and I just wanted the fans and the public to know, if they’ve come to see me in the last few years or if they come to see me in the future if I play anymore, what’s going on.” What Time Is The Show? Gates at Nissan Stadium open at 4:00, and the show starts at 6:00. Who Else Will Be There? Along with Alan, the show will feature an all-star lineup including Eric Church, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and Lee Ann Womack – and of course we also expect some surprise guests too. Are Tickets Still Available? The show sold out almost instantly when it went on sale, and tickets have been hard to come by. SeatGeek is the primary ticketing platform for Nissan Stadium, and there are still some resale tickets available, but they’re going to cost you: As of right now, the cheapest tickets (obstructed view seats in the upper level of the stadium) start at $400. Where Should I Park? Onsite parking at Nissan Stadium is extremely limited – especially given the ongoing construction on the new Nissan Stadium – and must be purchased in advance. Stadium lots will open at 2 PM, but there are plenty of lots and garages in downtown Nashville, across the river from the stadium, and the easiest way to get there is to simply walk across the pedestrian bridge. Nissan Stadium also offers shuttle serves through Gray Line Tennessee Event Shuttle. Fans can park at 220 French Landing Drive to ride the shuttle, and the cost is $20 round trip. Tickets can be purchased here for the shuttle. What’s the Bag Policy In The Stadium? Like most stadiums and arena, Nissan Stadium enforces a clear bag policy for all events. Clear bags must be 12″ x 12″ x 6″ or smaller. All styles of clear bags are acceptable as long as they are 12″ x 12″ x 6″ or smaller. This includes clear cinch sacks, clear diaper bags, gallon ziploc bags, etc. Guests will not be allowed to empty and collapse a non-approved bag into a clear bag. Non-transparent bags can be no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5,” even if you are placing it inside your larger clear bag. Non-transparent bags are still subject to inspection by security personnel at the gates. What If I Couldn’t Get Tickets, But I’m In Nashville and Still Want To Watch? The show will be livestreamed on Broadway. Keepin’ It Country on Broadway, presented by Edward Jones, will feature a screen and stage right in the middle of Broadway to livestream the entire show. Gates open at 4:00pm CT, and at 5:00pm there will be performances from James Carothers and Cory Farley, two artists who regularly perform at Alan’s AJ’s Good Time Bar and have opened for him out on the road. The livestream from Nissan Stadium will start at 6:00pm CT. What’s The Weather For Tonight? There’s a good chance of rain and thunderstorms tonight: As of right now, the forecast calls for a 40% chance of thunderstorms starting around 7 PM, with chances increasing to 70% at 9 PM. Like most stadiums, per Nissan Stadium policy a lightning strike within 8 miles would trigger a mandatory 30-minute delay.The post Alan Jackson Performs His Final Concert Tonight: Here’s Everything You Need To Know first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Album after album, Alan Jackson stays true to what he's always been: country. Continue reading…

What a legacy he’s leaving in country music. We’re just a day away from Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale, Alan Jackson‘s final concert of his legendary career. It’s a career that’s included nearly 60 million albums sold, 35 #1 hits, 22 ACM awards, 17 CMA awards, two Grammy awards, and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame back in 2017. Alan’s easily in my top 5 favorite country artists of all time, and it’s hard to even know where to start when going back over his catalog with hits like “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Livin’ On Love,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Gone Country,” and of course, “Chattahoochee.” Of course I grew up listening to Alan Jackson so his music was the soundtrack to my childhood. But aside from his music, one thing that always stood out to me was his music videos. The ’90s were the golden age for country music videos. There are so many classics that I still remember to this day, from Tracy Byrd’s “Watermelon Crawl” and Sammy Kershaw’s “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer” to Garth Brooks getting splattered with paint in the video for “The Red Strokes.” But among all of the artists who were pumping out incredible music videos, Alan stood firmly at the top of the list. Here’s a look at 5 times Alan Jackson proved he was the ultimate king of ’90s country music videos: 1. “Chattahoochee” Everybody still remembers his classic music video for “Chattahoochee,” which featured the country singer water skiing in jeans and a cowboy hat. It’s maybe THE defining country music videos of the ’90s, and may go down as the greatest country music video of all time – especially after artists largely turned their focus away from videos in the 2000s. In the 2017 documentary Alan Jackson – Small Town Southern Man, Sony label exec Gary Overton recalled that Alan was the only one who believed in the song, and he was the one who came up with the idea for the now-iconic video: “He came up with the idea of the water-skiing with his boots on video. And everybody was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what are we doing?’ This guy was taking off, are we going to mess up? And Alan said, ‘No man, this is going to work.'” Spoiler alert: It worked. 2. “Midnight In Montgomery” While this video is the polar opposite from the rowdy, colorful party scene in “Chattahoochee,” it was still a cinematic masterpiece that proved Alan’s range far beyond the summer anthems and honky tonk twangers. Shot in black-and-white, the video shows a late-night encounter with the ghost of Hank Williams in a foggy graveyard. It’s a visually stunning example of the power of storytelling in a music video, yet understated enough to serve as the perfect complement to the haunting ballad. 3. “Mercury Blues” This video is peak ’90s: The fashion, the lighting, the at-times seizure-inducing jump cuts between scenes – and to top it all off, a then-unknown guitar player named Keith Urban in the background. As Keith recalled: “They needed a guy, a long-haired guitar player, to come in and be in this video… I signed with this publishing company, and the guy who ran the company was Alan’s manager, so they just went, ‘Oh, we got the guy for you.'” And when he got the details of the video shoot, he assumed he would get some up close and personal time with AJ: “We had a scene where I had a very tiny stage… and it was going to be basically me playing the solo, kind of silhouette, with a bit of lightning and stuff, and Alan right there singing the song.  I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s going to be great. Just him and me. Fantastic.'” But that’s not exactly how it went on the set: “So they shot my stuff a few times and then they said, ‘Alright, we’re going to bring out Alan.’ So here he comes, Alan walks out, stands right there, and he sorta looks at me, and looked back at the camera and they go, ‘And action!’  I went, ‘Well ok.’ Played the song a few more times. He never said anything to me. Nothing. I kept waiting to introduce myself. Nothing. Just a look to me and then just, ok back to the camera again. And then he walked away and that was the end of it.” Of course that wasn’t REALLY the end of it. Keith and Alan would cross paths again a few years later, and he says that the two are good friends now – and that Alan even apologized for that music video: “He’s like, ‘Man, I’m so sorry, I hated that video.'” Sorry Alan, we still love it. 4. “Gone Country” An at-times satirical look at the country boom of the ’90s, the video for “Gone Country” highlights the culture shock between the big city and rural America, with scenes from New York and Las Vegas along with Alan even singing from atop Grand Central Plaza in the Big Apple – after opening with a scene that looks straight out of Hee Haw.  5. “I Don’t Even Know Your Name” This one may be my favorite of them all. It’s so ridiculous, so over-the-top, that it will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest country music videos of the ’90s – even if it’s not as well-known as some of his other masterpieces. The video features comedian Jeff Foxworthy as the main character in the story, who falls in love with the waitress serving him drinks at a bar. As it goes on, it gets even more ridiculous (in the best possible way) as Foxworthy snaps out of his bender and finds himself in the middle of a wedding with a woman who…well, doesn’t look exactly like he thought she did when he was throwin’ back shots of tequila. Oh, and the video also features a tribute to Alan’s now-infamous 1994 ACM Awards protest, when he was asked to perform to a backing track so he sent his drummer out without drumsticks to prove a point. It’s an all-around masterpiece, one that perfectly sums up how ridiculously amazing the ’90s were for country music videos. And among all the incredible artists who were making country music videos at the time, Alan Jackson was the ultimate king. Enjoy your time off the road Alan, you deserve it for all that you’ve given us over the past 40 years.The post Five Times Alan Jackson Proved He Was The King Of ’90s Country Music Videos first appeared on Whiskey Riff.