The country music superstar, who announced he'd be slowing down his tour schedule following a nerve disease diagnosis, delivered a hit-filled set at Honda Center Saturday night.
It’s hell getting old, in case you didn’t know.
If your body doesn’t cooperate, it can be anguishing. If you’re lucky, you get to reminisce, with your loved ones along for the ride, while continuing to do the thing you’re best at for a while longer.
Alan Jackson is a lucky man, and he knows it.
Slowed by a nerve disease that makes it difficult for him to walk, Jackson still delivered a triumphant performance at Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday night, the third-to-last show on his Last Call: One More for the Road Tour. The packed house, knowing this could be the last time he plays California, poured out their hearts for the 63-year-old country veteran.
The emotional centerpiece, among many highlights, came with “Remember When,” his No. 1 hit from 2003. Jackson showed he still has strength and depth to his voice on some of his most personal lyrics: “Remember when we vowed the vows and walked the walk/Gave our hearts, made the start and it was hard. We lived and learned, life threw curves/There was joy, there was hurt.”
The crowd responded with a prolonged standing ovation. If you looked closely at one of the twin vertical big screens framing the stage, you could see his eyes glistening.
“Thank you so much,” Jackson said. “That was so sweet. I appreciate that.”
Jackson’s wife of nearly 43 years, Denise, was there, too. Earlier in the show, Jackson told the story of how, when he first got a record deal in Nashville after years of struggle, the label released his first single, “Blue Blooded Woman,” in 1989. But it was a dud, peaking only at No. 45 on the country music chart. Not long after, Denise told him she was pregnant with the first of their three daughters. Jackson, whose first job in town was in the mailroom at The Nashville Network, told the crowd: “It scared me, because my first song didn’t do good, and I thought ‘I guess I’m gonna have to go get me a job again and pay for this baby and everything.’ Luckily the record label decided to release this next song, and I haven’t worked since.” He then performed that song, “Here in the Real World,” which peaked at No. 3 back in 1990.
That song launched Jackson to megastardom, and the honkytonk crowd-pleasers (“Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” “Good Time,” “Mercury Blues,” “Chattahoochee,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” with Jimmy Buffett), as well as the ballads (“I’d Love You All Over Again,” his first chart-topper) became omnipresent on country radio. Jackson wrote or co-wrote most of those big hits. Many of the original videos aired on Country Music Television played on the big screen behind Jackson, interspersed with family photos, with a great deal of footage of Jackson water skiing.
At one point Jackson stared at the screen looking at pics, taking in the memories.
Jackson’s last No. 1, “Country Boy,” came in 2008. A couple years later he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a hereditary, degenerative condition that has damaged the muscles in his arms and legs.
He went public with his illness about a year ago on the “Today” show. Onstage, he appeared uncomfortable at times during the 90-minute-plus performance. Wearing a white Western shirt, light blue jeans and his customary Stetson, Jackson stood with help of a metal stand, but he walked gingerly from side to side to acknowledge the fans, and apologized for not being able to throw rolled-up T-shirts very far.
Jackson has two more dates on his tour – Friday in Atlantic City and Saturday in Pittsburgh – and he’ll be honored by CMT with its Artist of a Lifetime award during a special to be aired Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
And despite the tour’s name, he might not be completely done performing. On “Today,” he said he’d like to keep going “as long as my health will allow.”
Much of the polished look and sound of these shows is attributable to Jackson’s tight eight-piece band, the Strayhorns. They all took turns with solos, playing the kind of old-school “real country” Jackson has often lamented is disappearing.
Trusted friends, family, and music that makes adoring fans feel good. That’s what Jackson has as he continues his journey. We should all be so lucky.