The Judds Final Tour Will Include Celebrity Guest Tributes to Naomi
The Judds' final tour has been reworked as a tribute to Naomi Judd, with a roster of country music legends joining Wynonna Judd on the road. Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Trisha Yearwood, and Martina McBride have all signed on to join Wynonna throughout the tour. The 11-date tour was planned long before Judd's death to celebrate the mother-daughter duo's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
"I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for 38+ years, who continue to show up for me when I need them the most," Wynonna said in a statement Thursday, reports Entertainment Tonight. "I am grateful that we will continue to honor The Judds' legacy, together." Judd's widow, Larry Strickland, said he was "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."
McBride will open some of the shows as the tour's "very special guest." Wynonna will then perform some of the classics she recorded with her mother and as a solo artist. Each night will feature a different duet partner for Judd. Hill is confirmed to be joining Wynonna on the last stop at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The Judds were both born in Ashland, Kentucky.
The Judds announced the tour back in April, with McBride already signed as a guest. The tour begins on Sept. 30 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tickets are now on sale, but shows in Oklahoma, Texas, and Nashville have already sold out. Tickets for the Lexington date go on sale on May 21 at 10 a.m. ET.
Wynonna told fans she would go forward with the Judds' final tour during the Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration memorial in Nashville on Sunday. She performed "The Rose" with Carlile and ended the show with "Love Can Build a Bridge." Wynonna said the tour would be the best way to honor her mother. "So, I made a decision, that after a lot of thought, I'm gonna have to honor her, I'm gonna do this tour because that's what you would want. And mama once told me 'Give them what they want. Not what you want," she said before the crowd at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium erupted with applause.
Judd died on April 30 at 76, just one day before The Judds joined the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna's half-sister Ashley Judd told Good Morning America that their mother died of a self-inflicted wound from a firearm. Ashley said the rest of the Judd family asked her to speak out publicly to raise awareness of depression and mental illness.
"My mother knew that she was seen and she was heard in her anguish, and she was walked home," Ashley said. "When we're talking about mental illness, it's very important to be clear and to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease. It's very real, and it lies, it's savage."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.
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