The love and adoration flowed both ways during The Judds Final Tour at Chaifetz Arena Saturday night in St. Louis.
The tour, initially completed in 2022, was so well received that an additional 15 dates were added for 2023.
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Clad in an elegant, all-black bustier dress and jacket, 14-time Grammy-nominated artist Martina McBride kicked the evening off for the nearly packed house. Amid the stage’s soft pink and purple hues, she took the audience with her for a 45-minute retrospect of many of her greatest hits. Exuding grace and charm throughout her set, McBride engaged fans with her classic country-pop songs, including “Wild Angels,” “Anyway,” cross-generational favorite “This One’s for the Girls,” and her first number-one hit, “A Broken Wing.” “This tour has been so special,” McBride told the crowd. “I watch Wynonna’s every performance from the sidelines. This tour is about loving and supporting Wynonna by having a good time.”
The Judds’ set began with three giant video screens showing a younger Wynonna singing Elvis Presley’s “Had a Dream (For the Heart)” before she strode on stage and took over singing the rest on stage. Emotions ran high during the nearly two-hour set. A moving tribute to Naomi Judd, who died last spring, found many with tears in their eyes.
Early on, Wynonna told her fans, “I’m so glad I went ahead with this show. I wasn’t sure if I would but I sought counsel. In the end, it’s really about the fans, and you’ve been there with me for 40 years.”
Despite some tears, there were still plenty of celebratory moments throughout the night. Wynonna brought out Martina McBride and special guest Kelsea Ballerini for a robust rendition of “Girls Night Out,” a fan-favorite twangy tune. During “Love is Alive,” Wynonna said, “Thank you for all the hits. You changed my life.” She then asked the crowd to light up the night and sing along.
Ballerini also sang several other duets with Wynonna, including “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain” and “Born to Be Blue,” during her last night on tour with the country icon. Wynonna then fronted several other hits with her backing band including “Let Me Tell You About Love,” “Cry Myself to Sleep,” and “River of Time.” She also broke out a few covers, such as Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Ballerini and McBride accompanied Wynonna on the melancholy “Love Can Build a Bridge,” as well as the final song of the night, the sublime “Why Not Me.”
The crowd, reflective and sated, left humming their favorite tunes at the close of this emotionally-charged night.
For more photos from the night, visit bit.ly/Judds23cz. For full setlists from The Judds and Martina McBride, visit setlist.fm
