Why Gretchen Wilson Says She Can’t Let Alan Jackson Leave Nashville Without Owning Up to One Regret. ML

Gretchen Wilson has always embraced her “Redneck Woman” persona, but even the boldest stars have moments of uncertainty—and hers involved Alan Jackson in a way few knew.

With Alan slated to perform his final full-length concert in Nashville next summer, Gretchen recently offered a heartfelt apology to the man she says quietly carried her through the most nerve-wracking performance of her career. In a revealing interview, she recounted her first CMA Awards appearance in 2004 and how Alan Jackson, without intention, became her anchor.

“I was terrified,” she confessed, chuckling at the memory. “I kept thinking I was in the wrong place. I might collapse.” During her performance of “When I Think About Cheatin’,” the fear crept in fast. “I looked for something familiar—a friendly face.”

That face belonged to Alan Jackson, seated prominently. Gretchen admitted she locked eyes with him throughout, seeking calm. “For years I wondered if he thought I acted crazy staring at him like that,” she said with a laugh.

She also joked that Denise Jackson might have questions later. “Between the lyrics and that intense stare,” she laughed, “I may have given the wrong impression. So Alan, if you see this—thank you for that steady presence. You carried me through that night, and I owe you an apology and a thank you.”

It’s poignant timing: Gretchen burst onto the country scene with “Redneck Woman” the same year she had that scary debut. Now, as Alan plans his final tour, she uses this moment to pay tribute to a man whose influence stretches across generations.

Alan Jackson, turning 67 this month, has revealed his final concert will be June 27, 2026, at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. Dubbed Last Call: One More for the Road – The Finale, it’s gearing up to be among the biggest events in country history, with performances by Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Lee Ann Womack, and more to be announced.

For Alan, the concert is more than a finale—it’s a celebration of a career that shaped country music. After more than three decades, he’s stepping back because of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a hereditary nerve condition affecting his mobility. Though not life-threatening, it has made performing more challenging, and he’s expressed a longing to focus on family and life offstage.

“We just felt like it had to end where it began,” he said, explaining why Nashville was the choice. “That’s where country music lives.”

For artists like Gretchen Wilson, this moment will be deeply emotional. Alan Jackson’s catalog has been the soundtrack to countless lives—small towns, backroads, Saturday nights—for over forty years. Hits like “Chattahoochee” and “Remember When” speak to life’s most intimate stories.

But in Gretchen’s eyes, Alan’s role extends beyond legend. He was the calm face she looked to in terror. “He may not remember that moment,” she said, “but I do—and it changed me.”

As Alan prepares his final bow, it’s fitting that one of country’s bravest voices steps forward to say: thank you for guiding us through.