The Judds: The Final Tour
February 10, 2023 @ 7:30 p.m.
Vibrant Arena at The Mark
1201 River Drive
Moline, IL 61265
The energy was electrifying as fans entered the Vibrant Arena, anticipating Martina McBride and Wynonna Judd. The crowd settled into their seats, awaiting McBride’s entrance to the stage. Throughout her 45-minute set, she sang many of her hits, such as “Independence Day,” “My Baby Loves Me,” and “This One’s for the Girls.”
After McBride’s set, the crowd waited patiently for Wynonna Judd to take the stage. The lights began to dim as Judd walked out to center stage. She opened the show with “Had a Dream,” which is an Elvis Presley cover. For her third song of her set, she welcomed to the stage Martina McBride and Little Big Town to sing along to her hit “Girls Night Out.” Throughout her set, she sang many hits from her solo career and her career with her mother, Naomi Judd, which includes “River of Time,” “I Saw the Light,” “No One Else on Earth,” and “Guardian Angel.” By her 16th song in her 21-song set, she brought back to the stage Little Big Town to sing along to a few more songs.
During her set, there were 2 short breaks to play tribute videos to Naomi Judd, showing both personal and professional photos and videos of her life and career. In April of 2022, Naomi passed the day before The Judds induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Judds were set to go on their final tour, which was almost cancelled after Naomi’s passing. After discussing with some of her close friends, she decided to continue with the tour to honor her mother and invited along some of her friends to perform with her. The videos touched the audience and left many of them with tears in their eyes.
o close out her set, Wynonna sang the song her and her mother would close every show with, which is “Love Can Build a Bridge.” She was accompanied by Martina McBride and Little Big Town, who all stayed off to the sides. They were brought to the stage to support her through a difficult song. When she reached the first chorus of the song, which is where her mother would come in and harmonize with her, a video appeared behind her. It was an overlay of her mother singing with her, and her audio was played along, so Wynonna could sing with her mother. By the second chorus, McBride and Little Big Town joined in and harmonized with her. As the song came to a close, a video of Wynonna and Naomi played, showing how much Naomi loved performing with her daughter.
After such a heartfelt performance, Wynonna left the stage and returned later to kick off her encore with “Mama He’s Crazy.” She then went into “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the God Old Days)” and concluded her encore with “Why Not Me,” where she brought back Martina McBride and Little Big Town to help close out her show. This concert was full of heartfelt emotion, and I am so thankful I was able to capture so many amazing moments.
For additional information on Wynonna Judd and Martina McBride, please visit:
Wynonna Judd – https://wynonna.com/
Martina McBride – http://www.martinamcbride.com/
Vibrant Arena at The Mark – https://www.vibrantarena.com/
Photographs and writing by Jaclyn Duske. Aside from covering all facets of Country music and culture in Joliet, Illinois, Jaclyn works with an equestrian therapy center just south of Chicago.
