Even before Alan Jackson took the stage in Nissan Stadium, his Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale was billed as one of the biggest concerts of the year. And it made perfect sense. Aside from Jackson spending nearly four decades in country music, he also held over two dozen No. 1 hits. Add that to his ACM and CMA Awards, and Jackson was nothing short of a country music icon. But while the night was a tribute to his legacy, the country singer used it and his final tour to help raise over $2 million for Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease research.
What exactly is CMT disease? It’s a degenerative nerve condition that can severely affect a person’s ability to walk and stand. And given that Jackson can spend hours a night on his feet entertaining thousands of fans, he sought to leave the stage while still being physically able to do so. Jackson first announced he suffered from the disease back in 2021.
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At the time, Jackson addressed the condition, insisting it was already having an impact on his life and career. “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.”
Alan Jackson And Fans Donate Millions To The CMT Research Foundation
When allowing fans to purchase tickets to his final concert, Jackson watched as the entire event sold out in just a few minutes. Adding stars like Adam Wright, Lee Ann Womack, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, and Lainey Wilson to the lineup, the night was a full-blown country celebration. And to make it better – it was held in the heart of country music, Nashville.
Closing out the night, Jackson gifted fans one last performance of “Where I Come From.” A fitting ending to his touring career, the final numbers revealed that the singer and fans raised over $2 million for the CMT Research Foundation.
The non-profit hopes to use the funds to further research surrounding CMT disease and ways to improve the lives of patients living with the condition. With CMT affecting more than 3 million people worldwide, the money raised during Jackson’s farewell concert will help support the search for new treatments and, hopefully, a cure.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Grand Ole Opry)