Sure, the setting was intimate, but Alan Jackson's Wednesday night (Sept. 10) performance on Nashville's Lower Broadway was anything but "Little Bitty."
Jackson took the stage to help celebrate the grand opening of Acme Feed and Seed, a restaurant and performance venue that's one of Music City's newest hot spots. And just as you'd expect from one of country music's greatest voices, it was a night to remember.
The ever-humble Jackson took the stage to the sounds of thunderous applause, smiled shyly and chuckled, "All righty!" before launching into his No. 1 classic "Don't Rock the Jukebox." From there, the hits and party continued with songs like "Good Time," "I Don't Even Know Your Name," "Dixie Highway" and a few classic covers, including Merle Haggard's "Back to the Barrooms."
Between songs, he talked to the crowd of fans, even joking at one point during the show that the Acme Feed and Seed is "a lot nicer bar than I used to play back in the day."
There is something magical about Jackson. It radiates from him. It shines on the faces of folks at performances like the one Wednesday night.
He'll return to the stage in downtown Nashville next month during his tenure as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's artist-in-residence. He'll be performing Oct. 8 and 22 at the museum's new 800-seat CMA Theater. Tickets to both of the special shows sold out within an hour of going on sale earlier this week.
Jackson's 25th Anniversary tour will hit 25 cities when it launches next year.