Severe Weather Delays Country Star Alan Jackson’s Final Concert

Alan Jackson’s Nashville farewell show, Last Call: One More For The Road – The Finale, hit an unexpected snag on Saturday when severe weather forced a delay and briefly threw the evening into uncertainty.

The 67-year-old country music icon, beloved for classics including Remember When and Livin’ On Love, had been scheduled to perform at Nissan Stadium when lightning moved into the area around the open-air venue.

A star-studded lineup was on hand to honor Jackson’s decades-long career, with Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Lee Ann Womack among those attending the celebration.

Nissan Stadium alerted concertgoers in a post on X, writing: ‘At this time, lightning is approaching Nissan Stadium and the event has entered a weather delay.

‘Please proceed to covered areas of the concourses or other interior areas at this time.’ The advisory was later lifted, allowing fans to return to their seats.

In a follow-up message, the venue announced: ‘Inclement weather has cleared the area and fans are welcome to go back to their seats. Alan will take the stage at approximately 9:25 p.m.!’

Opry announcer Kelly Sutton had also told fans that the show will still go on but encouraged attendees to ‘shelter in place’ while the storm passed, per The Tennessean. 

Jackson’s final concert comes amid his battle with the rare genetic disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which he was diagnosed with in 2011. A decade later, he went public with his diagnosis for the first time. 

Those who were not able to score a ticket to the sold-out show still had a chance to catch the concert which was live-streamed on a screen on Broadway Street in Nashville, per Fox 17 Nashville. 

Last year in October, Jackson announced the date of his final concert ahead of his retirement. 

The two-time Grammy winner said he couldn’t ‘think of a better place to put on a big show and give the fans a finale than in’ the country music capital.

‘We just felt like we had to end it all where it all started for me, and that’s in Nashville – Music City – where country music lives,’ Jackson told People in a statement at the time. 

The stalwart singer-songwriter added, ‘It’s been a long road… and it’s taken me places I never imagined.’

Jackson added that he looked forward to including ‘so many special friends’ in his finale performance. 

The star’s retirement comes amid a 15-year battle with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which has impacted his ability to sing on stage. 

The It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere vocalist also previously stated that he would donate a dollar from every ticket sale at his farewell show to the CMT Research Foundation.

The organization is focused toward ‘investing in innovative research to find treatments and cures for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.’

EXCLUSIVE: Andy Burnham's Policies Poised to Benefit His Wife Financially

According to the foundation, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT, ‘is a progressive, degenerative disease involving the peripheral nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body, including the arms, hands, legs and feet.’

The foundation noted how the brain and nerves are in constant communication with each other, and CMT interferes with those signals – resulting in symptoms such as ‘numbness, sensory loss, muscle weakness/atrophy and nerve degeneration.’

According to the foundation, ‘Symptoms may begin as early as birth or during adulthood, and they become gradually worse over time.’

The condition was discovered by the three doctors it’s named after in 1886: Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth. 

There are no cures or treatments at this time, the foundation said. 

The Don’t Rock the Jukebox singer revealed his ongoing health battle in September 2021 in an effort to let ‘the fans and the public… know what’s going on.’

The Chattahoochee artist added: ‘I don’t want them to think I’m drunk on stage because I’m having problems with mobility and balance. I have this neuropathy, neurological disease I inherited from my daddy.’

The Newnan, Georgia-born singer said he had ‘been reluctant to talk about this publicly, but it’s been a while, and it’s starting to affect my performance on stage a little bit where I don’t feel comfortable.’

Throughout the course of his career, Jackson has released 21 studio albums. 

He first signed with Arista Records back in 1989 and dropped his debut single Blue Blooded Woman later that same year. 

The music artist gained further recognition in the 90s as he produced hits such as Here In The Real World, I’d Love You All Over Again and Chattahoochee. 

His career in the industry continued during the decade as Jackson released more albums. 

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Jackson released Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning). The track won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2002.  

In 2011, the star signed with Capital’s EMI Records Nashville after his time with Arista Records. 

He continued to release albums and was eventually inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Jackson has additionally garnered two Grammys, 16 CMA awards and 17 Academy of Country Music Awards. 

His last studio album was released in 2021 and titled Where Have You Gone.