Country singer Wynonna Judd has announced that she will carry on with the Judds‘ “The Final Tour,” despite the death of her mother and musical partner Naomi in April. The dates will now include tributes to her mother and their musical legacy, with appearances by artists such as Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde and Trisha Yearwood.
“I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for 38-plus years, who continue to show up for me when I need them the most. I am grateful that we will continue to honor the Judds’ legacy, together,” Wynonna said in a statement.
Larry Strickland, Naomi’s longtime husband, also released a statement saying, “I am so happy that in this time of grief for us all, Wynonna has agreed to move forward with this tour as my sweet wife Naomi would have wanted her to do.”
It has yet to be announced which guest performers will appear at which shows on the short tour, except for a newly added final date in Lexington, KY, the Judds’ home state, where Hill has been announced as the special guest. McBride will open most of the shows on the tour, as she was previously scheduled to.
Wynonna Judd first revealed her plan to go on with the show atan all-star tribute in Nashville on Sunday night.
“So I made a decision I thought I’d share it on national television,” she said as the memorial was drawing to a close — “that after a lot of thought, I’m gonna have to honor her and do this tour… “I’m gonna have to,” Wynonna said, adding that it’s what her late mother would want.
Additionally, CMT has scheduled two repeat airings of “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration.” The first will be tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT, commercial-free, and the second will be Saturday at noon ET/PT.
Besides Wynonna, the telecast included performances by Carlile, Little Big Town, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Jamey Johnson and a pairing of Emmylou Harris and Allison Russell. “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts hosted the memorial, which was broadcast on CMT and also included Martina McBride reading a Maya Angelou passage, a video of Bono reciting a Judds lyric, and filmed testimonials from Oprah Winfrey, Reba McEntire, Salma Hayek, Reece Witherspoon and Morgan Freeman.
CMT announced Wednesday that “A River of Time Celebration” was the network’s highest-rated special in more than two years. The executive producers of the telecast went in-depth with PvNew about the creation and production of the show, here.
Of the newly added Kentucky tour finale, Wynonna said, “What a full-circle moment it will be to end the tour in Kentucky where it all began. It means so much to have my sister-friend, Faith, join me for this musical celebration. It is pretty amazing – all of the people who have come forward to offer up their time and their gifts. I am feeling extra grateful.”
Tickets for the tour are available here:
Friday, September 30 — Grand Rapids, MI at the Van Andel Arena
Saturday, October 1 — Toledo, OH at the Huntington Center
Friday, October 7 — Sioux Falls, SD at the Denny Sanford Premier Center
Saturday, October 8 — Green Bay, WI at the Resch Center
Friday, October 14 — Duluth, GA at the Gas South Arena
Saturday, October 15 — Huntsville, AL at the Propst Arena @ The Von Braun Center
Friday, October 21 — Durant, OK at the Choctaw Grand Theater
Saturday, October 22 — Ft. Worth, TX at the Dickies Arena
Thursday, October 27 — Biloxi, MS at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Friday, October 28 — Nashville, TN at the Bridgestone Arena
Saturday, October 29 —Lexington, KY at the Rupp Arena
