Wynonna Judd to Welcome Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini & More for The Judds: Love Is Alive Concert Special
Written by djfrosty on October 26, 2022
Wynonna Judd is set to pay tribute to a special concert moment she shared with her mother and The Judds partner, Naomi Judd, during The Judds 1991 Farewell Tour.
The Country Music Hall of Fame member will welcome Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Martina McBride on Nov. 3 when she headlines The Judds: Love Is Alive – The Final Concert in Murfreesboro, Tenn., at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center, the same venue where the Judds played their final show together on Dec. 4, 1991, as part of their farewell tour that year. The concert was filmed for a pay-per-view show.
CMT and Sandbox Productions will film the upcoming concert, with plans to air it as a television special in March 2023 on CMT. Additional special guests are still to be announced.
The event will also mark the largest concert to take place at the Murphy Center since The Judds held their final show together at the venue nearly 31 years ago. Tickets for the event go on sale Wednesday (Oct. 26) beginning at 2 p.m. CT.
“Stepping onstage at the Murphy Center for the first time since Dec. 4, 1991, will be so surreal for me. It was an emotional night over 30 years ago, and will be an emotional night — for different reasons — now,” Wynonna said in a statement. “I can’t wait to lean into the nostalgia with the artists who have made this tour so special, and recreate one of the most iconic nights in Judd ‘Herstory!’”
“It’s serendipitous magic on so many levels to be able to capture Wynonna’s return to the Murphy Center, almost exactly 31 years to the date. And it’s especially meaningful as an MTSU alum to produce such a landmark event, working hand in hand with the university’s faculty and staff to have their students actively participate in the production in its entirety,” said Margaret Comeaux, CMT’s executive producer & senior vp of production, music & events. “We are also extremely excited to collaborate once again with our amazing partners at Sandbox to present a true Judds event spectacular that has been decades in the making, and continue to tell the next chapter in Wynonna’s story.”
“I remember when I was 15 years old, watching The Judds 1991 Farewell Concert on repeat when it first came out on Pay-Per-View. This is such an incredible, full circle moment to reproduce that same iconic special with Wy, and having her joined by all the powerhouse women she has brought with her on tour,” said Sandbox Productions’ Jason Owen, executive producer. “I’m so excited for everyone to watch – and for the incredible legacy of The Judds to live on forever.”
“What is most compelling about the Judds’ music is that it captures the love between two women. The Murphy Center event will allow us all to celebrate that love. After all, it was love that built a bridge between the Judds and their audience,” added Beverly Keel, dean of the college of media and entertainment, MTSU. “It is love that connects the family of country music females and strengthens them as they work to make their voices heard.”
Earlier this week, it was revealed that The Judds: The Final Tour will extend into 2023, with a slate of additional shows, welcoming McBryde, Carlile, Ballerini, Little Big Town and McBride on select dates. The tour will visit Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday, Oct. 28, featuring McBride and Trisha Yearwood.
Wynonna’s mother and The Judds partner Naomi died in April at age 76, just one day before The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.