This morning (6/10) country music duo The Judds delivered a riveting performance for over 10,000 fans in downtown Nashville as they launched this year’s 2010 CMA Music Festival. Wynonna and Naomi Judd helped kick off what USA Today calls “the crown jewel Country Music festivals,” setting the stage for their highly anticipated final tour, The Judds: The Last Encore. It has been over 10 years since their 2000 Power To Change tour, and this final reunion promises to be nothing short of spectacular.
In typical fan-friendly Judd fashion, Wynonna and Naomi recently invited dedicated “Judd Heads” and country music fans across the country to name their upcoming tour in The Judds “Name That Tour” contest. The response was overwhelming, and Jacqualine Budgell from Murfreesboro, TN was chosen as the lucky winner.
According to Naomi, The Last Encore tour is an opportunity to celebrate the relationship with their fans one last time.?? “There is nothing like music and laughter to connect people,” she says. “How I’ve missed that encounter with the very ones who’ve allowed us that awesome privilege! I’m counting the days till I can be back on my bus, visiting their towns.”
In addition to their enduring 26-year relationship with the fans, Wynonna shares her sentiment on reuniting with her mother, Naomi, again. ??“This tour gives me a chance to enjoy where Mom and I are in our relationship. I look forward to celebrating our personal and professional journey…together.”
For fans who have followed their journey together through the years, this final curtain call will be yet another reason to celebrate. The tour will kick off on November 26, the day after Thanksgiving, in Green Bay, Wisconsin and will continue on to their home state of Kentucky with a show in Louisville alongside dates in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Judds will close their final tour with a full circle moment in Phoenix, AZ where their 2000 Power To Change tour began. The Judds: The Last Encore tour will feature new Judds and Wynonna music from the upcoming album while also shining a bright light on all of the fans’ Judds and Wynonna favorites. And for the first time ever, they will also celebrate the holiday season during their final tour by weaving several classic Christmas songs in their set list.
“The Judds have been a major force on the arena level now for three consecutive decades,” says The Judds agent, Greg Oswald of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. “The response from buyers when we made The Last Encore show available was overwhelming. So many offers and not enough time to do them all!”
The Judds’ friends at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital also wanted to share in the excitement by partnering with the duo. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance, so no child is ever denied treatment because of their family’s inability to pay. The ongoing relationship between St. Jude and The Judds prompted the duo to include and honor the work of St. Jude on their final tour.
The Judds: The Last Encore tour will visit the following cities:
11/26 – Green Bay WI – Resch Center
11/27 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino
11/28 – Moline, IL – i wireless Center
11/30 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino
12/2 – Columbus, OH – Value City Arena – Schottenstein Center
12/3 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
12/4 – St. Charles, MO – Family Arena
12/5 – Council Bluffs, IA – Mid-America Center
12/7 – Colorado Springs, CO – World Arena
12/8 – Broomfield, CO – 1STBank Center
12/9 – Salt Lake City, UT – EnergySolutions Arena
12/11 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
12/12 – Sacramento, CA – Arco Arena
12/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
12/16 – Santa Ynez, CA – Chumash Casino
12/17 – Rancho Mirage, CA – Agua Caliente Casino
12/18 – Las Vegas, NV – Mandalay Bay Events Center/Arena
12/19 – Phoenix, AZ – US Airways Center
