Introduction:
Getting emotional singing one for his daddy.
Alan Jackson is on the final few shows of his Last Call: One More For The Road Tour, which will be his final tour.
In 2022, Jackson announced 16 dates that he said would be his last. After those dates wrapped up and he spent some time away from the spotlight, Jackson decided he had a little more road time left in him and announced his final Last Call.
“I’ve been touring for over 30 years – my daughters are all grown, we have one grandchild and one on the way…and I’m enjoying spending more time at home. But my fans always show up to have a good time, and I’m going to give them the best show I can for this Last Call.”
Jackson suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a degenerative nerve disease that affects the arms and legs and causes difficulty standing and walking. He admitted that his disease is beginning to affect him on stage, making it hard for him to balance in front of the microphone, so on this tour, you might see him sitting on a stool or using a post that helps him stay stable throughout the performances.
On his final show run, Alan announced that $1 from every ticket sold for the Last Call: One More for the Road Tour will be donated to the CMT Research Foundation. This organization funds research for the neurological disease. In addition, a group of CMTRF donors and board members will match $1 for each ticket.
Jackson has yet to let this affect his performances, delivering stellar concert after concert on this tour. However, Jackson’s emotions are beginning to peek through as the final show approaches.
Jackson got visibly choked up on stage during his most recent show in Orlando, FL, at the Kia Center, as he performed “Drive.”
The single, released in 2002, is a heartfelt song that Jackson penned after he lost his father. In it, he reminisces about his childhood memories and the love for cars his father instilled in him.
“This is a song I wrote quite a few years ago when my daddy passed away. I wanted to write a song for him; I didn’t want to write some old crying-dying typical kind of thing, you know? When I started thinking about growing up, all I ever wanted to do was drive something. He taught me all about that. That’s what this song is about.”
He told the crowd before diving into the lyrics of the tune.
During the final chorus, Jackson has to turn his head away from the microphone, becoming visibly upset while singing the song’s last notes. Given that it’s an emotional song to begin with, it makes a lot of folks in the crowd cry anyway, but then pairing that with the fact that Jackson is realizing this is one of the last few times he will perform this song on stage for his dad makes him emotional.
I’m not going to lie; a few tears welled in my eyes as I watched this clip, so I can only imagine there were many waterworks from the show’s attendees. The arena erupted in applause once the song concluded, lifting Jackson up when his emotion took over.
But gosh, that’s also a testament to the songwriter Jackson: He feels the lyrics of the song he writes entirely. He writes straight from the heart, and his fans feel that wholly. This performance of “Drive” shows that no matter your age, you’ll always love and miss your parents.