Alan Jackson brought his “Last Call: One More For the Road” farewell tour to Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday, September 28, for an evening of the kind of traditional country music that made him one of the biggest hitmakers in the genre from 1989-2010.

It’s a continuation of a tour that played to sold-out crowds from coast to coast in 2022 and now sees the Country Music Hall of Famer playing 10 more cities spread out over nine months between August 2, 2024 and May 17, 2025. These aren’t necessarily Jackson’s last 10 shows, as more could be added, but then again, they could be, as well.

For Jackson, 65, it’s kind of all up in the air after he revealed a diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in 2021. This has led to balance issues that are obvious on the stage. Jackson needed help walking on and off of the stage and would lean on amps and speakers while gingerly moving around the stage — though he did move more than one might expect given the circumstances.  

Jackson began his show around 8:30 p.m. with an abbreviated performance of his 1994 No. 1 hit “Gone Country,” in which he only performed the chorus repeatedly.

This would be a disappointment for me throughout the night, as it was the previous time I’d seen him perform in St. Charles, Mo., seven years ago. Jackson does this annoying thing where he will only perform snippets of some of his biggest and best songs and would also do it during his set with “Here In the Real World,” “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” and “Midnight in Montgomery,” which all likely fall in my top-five Alan Jackson songs. However, I should probably be grateful for any of “Midnight in Montgomery,” which he said he hadn’t performed in years and only did so because of a fan-held sign in the crowd.

I understand Jackson has a hall of fame’s worth of hits and it would be hard to get through them all in a 90-minute show – I wonder if he performed longer sets earlier in his career or if it’s become a thing since the CMT diagnosis – but I’ve never liked being teased with snippets or medleys at live shows.

Other than this disappointment, which I was expecting thanks to my previous time seeing him, the show was mostly great (performing “Country Boy” and “Good Time” over those abbreviated classics knocks a point or two off the total score).

Among my favorite performances on Saturday night were “I Don’t Even Know Your Name,” “Little Bitty” and “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” all No. 1 hits for Jackson between 1994 and 1996.

Some of Jackson’s more touching songs, written and recorded throughout his legendary career, came toward the end of the set, like his tribute to his father, “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” his 9/11 remembrance, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” and “Remember When,” a love letter to his wife and the challenges of a long relationship.

The festiveness would pick back up to end his set with “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” his 2003 No. 1 duet with the legendary Jimmy Buffett, “Chattahoochee,” probably the song he’s most famous for, and the one that certainly got the most significant crowd reaction from the Bud Walton Arena crowd, and “Where I Come From,” his 2001 No. 1 hit that wouldn’t crack my top 25 Alan Jackson songs but the crowd appreciated.

He would return to the stage for a one-song encore of “Mercury Blues,” his cover of an old blues song from the ‘40s that he took to No. 2 on the country chart in 1993.

Lee Ann Womack opened the show for Jackson, as she had done the last time we saw him in 2017. The two make a terrific concert pair with their unwavering dedication and loyalty to traditional country music, though both have chased more pop-country-leaning trends at least once in their careers.

The sound in the arena for Womack’s set was atrocious initially. It lasted until about her fourth song, which is incredibly disappointing as her opening set was only 10 songs, and Womack has one of the greatest voices in country music of any era. The sound difficulties made it harder to enjoy some of her best songs like “Never Again Again,” “Ashes By Now” and “A Little Past Little Rock” than it should’ve been.

Thankfully, by the time her performances of “The Way I’m Livin’,” “I May Hate Myself in the Morning” and “Last Call” came around, the sound mix was crisp, and she could easily be heard throughout the arena.

She finished her set with the biggest hit of her career, “I Hope You Dance." The song, a Grammy Award winner for Best Country Song, saw her chasing some of those early pop-country trends but remains a prime example of how to do pop-country properly.

I’d like the opportunity someday to see Womack perform a full headlining set, but she doesn’t seem to tour much these days. What I really need, as a fan, from her is a new album, which she hasn’t released since 2017’s The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone.

​We’re down to 40 days before the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, and it’s already pretty much consumed the everyday lives of Americans and will continue to do so until the election is decided (which may or may not be on Election Day).

When you spend as much time consuming pop culture as I do, you start to see the election and politics seeping into the pop culture world as the election nears.

The most significant pop culture meets the election moment came a few weeks ago when pop music sensation Taylor Swift endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for President while encouraging her fans within the U.S. to register to vote and vote.

This caused outrage among some, primarily those who will vote for Republican candidate Donald Trump. Some don't like it when celebrities endorse politicians in general, no matter whom they’ll be voting for in November.

My perspective on celebrity endorsements has always been that it’s the celebrity's right, as any other American, to share whom they want to vote for and why. If I can speak out about my preferred political candidates on my social media outlets, Swift and Kid Rock have every right to do so on their platforms.

It’s risky, though, for celebrities.

Swift undoubtedly has fans of all political backgrounds, and endorsing a particular candidate may turn those fans off from her music. It doesn’t mean she should keep her mouth shut and sing. It simply means there are pros and cons to celebrities endorsing politicians. She’s no doubt weighed these pros and cons and made her decision.

I’ve never let a celebrity endorsement or celebrity commenting on politics change my feelings about their art. But there have been celebrities I’ve come to view as idiots and lost respect for personally because of their political views, and it’s an unfortunate feeling to have about someone whose work you admire.

It’s the risk the celebrity takes when they venture to talk about matters unrelated to their day jobs. And I will always stand by their right to do so because – as I’ve said – I reserve the right to do the same.

One thing I’ve seen lately that has bothered me about politics and celebrities is the demand for celebrities to spill their guts about their political opinions.

When you go to your local polling place on Election Day, you enter a booth because your vote is confidential. It’s your vote and yours alone, and you don’t have to share it with anybody.

The same confidentiality given to us regular Joes and Jills should be afforded to celebrities.

Fans and, especially, the media shouldn’t inquire about celebrities' political endorsements, affiliations or opinions unless the celebrity offers them up.

You’ll seldom hear/read me saying specific questions should be off-limits to the press. It’s truly a no-win situation for many celebrities when it comes to being asked about politics as a non-answer can be viewed in today’s world as just as deadly to one’s reputation as answers regarding politics.

Many celebrities are brave or dumb (depending on how you view such things) enough to discuss political topics, leanings, opinions, etc. If they offer up the topic, please ask away as often and as much as you’d like. But for those who don’t want to be involved with politics out in the open, let’s afford them the privacy they deserve. We don’t have to know everything about our favorite pop culture icons.

Will Hoge brought his one-man act to Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack in Little Rock, Ark., on Wednesday, September 18, for a fantastic night of music.

It was night one of a short trek out west for Hoge at Stickyz, where he mixed in a number of fan favorites from his more than 20 years on the road and some new stuff from his latest release, Tenderhearted Boys, which came out in mid-April.

The 51-year-old singer-songwriter from Nashville is one of the most underrated songwriters in the Americana world. His songs range from folk to country to rock and pop. He can do a little bit of it all and showcased that perfectly on Wednesday night, swapping between multiple guitars, harmonicas, and a keyboard.

Hoge opened the show on Wednesday night with the plaintive “Even the River Runs Out of This Town” from his 2020 album Tiny Little Movies. It’s one of my favorite songs in his repertoire.

What makes Hoge such a terrific songwriter is his ability to perfectly capture the little moments in life that make up our world. His songs are lived in. They’re real, and you feel them in your heart, soul, and mind.

You can feel the highs and lows of a relationship in “A Little Bit of Rust,” you can feel the young high school love in “17” and how a relationship can change one for the better in “Better Than You Found Me.”

Then there’s the songwriter who’s trying to make the world a bit of a better place with important message songs about the despicability of the Confederate flag in “Still a Southern Man” and poking fun at the absurdity of the MAGA cult in “Whose God Is This?”

Hoge told the Stickyz audience that “Still a Southern Man” had gotten him hate mail from the Ku Klux Klan. That’s a pretty badass badge of honor if you ask me.

Hoge is certainly not afraid to speak his mind in his work and has done so terrifically, especially with his 2018 politically tinged album, My American Dream, which I wish he’d perform more tracks from in person. I can certainly understand why he doesn’t. It’s risky. But I think his crowd is with him. And, if they aren’t, that’s their problem.

Hoge had the opportunity to highlight a couple of tracks off his 14th album, Tenderhearted Boys. However, I wouldn’t have minded hearing even more from the new record; it’s another solid release by the veteran singer-songwriter. He performed “Deadbolt,” a song about being caught up in rapture with the one you love. He finished his show with “I’d Be Lying,” which is about being a traveling performer and leaving your family behind while making a living. Hoge spoke before the song about his teenage boys, and you can tell the impact family life has had on him and his music.

Among my other favorite performances of Hoge’s set was his tribute to songwriting legend John Prine, “John Prine’s Cadillac,” which appeared on his previous album Wings on My Shoes from 2022 and is such a fun listen, and “Middle of America” and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” which show off Hoge’s more commercial songwriting abilities. “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” is arguably the most successful song of Hoge’s career as it was taken to No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart in 2012 by Eli Young Band and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Country Song of the Year.

The most fascinating thing about Hoge is how he can capture the attention and imagination of a room of people just by himself and a guitar. That’s the power of songwriting.

For years, the music industry has been known for wanting artists to put out albums that are almost carbon copies of their previous works. These works, of course, were massive commercial successes and sometimes even critically acclaimed. These companies wanted a return on their investments, and why not continue with what has proven to sell?  
​
Lately, artists are starting to evolve in their crafts and not feel tied down creatively to continue exactly what they were doing. It surprises fans, and it has been great from my perspective.

Beyonce released her first country-influenced album in February, Cowboy Carter. The R&B superstar that gave us massive hits such as “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” decided to put out an album taking her back to her country roots. Beyonce is originally from Houston. The result was a creative, powerful, beautiful country album that should easily be nominated for the next Grammy Awards. It has a considerable chance of finally getting Beyonce the top honor that has evaded her for so long, even though she has won more Grammys than anyone. My favorite song from the Cowboy Carter album was “Levii’s Jeans,” featuring Post Malone. At the time, I had no idea Post Malone was planning his own foray into the country music genre but I was full of anticipation for its release date.

Post Malone’s seventh studio album, F-1 Trillion, was released on August 16th and was 100 percent worth the anticipation.

It took me several days to get through this album but for the best reasons. The album's first eleven tracks are so catchy and sound like they could all be hit singles on country radio. I found myself replaying these songs on repeat because of how great they were. Post Malone has assembled a team of writers who know what a country music song needs to please country music fans. The rest of the album is just as fantastic, though. The original album had 18 songs, but on release day, Malone surprised his fans with nine more songs, bringing the total to 27 new songs.  
​
F-1 Trillion is a love letter to country music that makes us all swoon.

Post Malone has assembled some of the best artists in country music to collaborate with on this album. Fifteen songs are collaborations, leaving 12 as songs with just Malone as the artist. These artists include Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, ERNEST, Sierra Ferrell, Chris Stapleton, HARDY and Billy Strings.

The songs cover a wide variety of topics. There are songs about drinking (“Pour Me A Drink”), wanting the fine things in life (“Finer Things),” finding beauty in struggles (“Nosedive”), embracing being different from the status quo (“Losers”), not wanting to break someone’s heart (“Have The Heart”), and a sweet song about giving your daughter away that is sure to be played at many upcoming weddings (“Yours”). Of course, the album mostly touches on love, how amazing it can be, and how it can wreck us for the rest of our lives.

What is really interesting is that while most of the album sounds like contemporary country, the song “Missin’ You Like This” begins, and you feel like it is a 1980s or early 1990s country song that you, for some reason, didn’t hear when it was first released. I love this song, and it takes you back.

It isn't easy to pick favorites from this album because this is a no-skip album. However, my favorite songs are “Killed A Man,” “Nosedive,” “Guy for That,” “What Don’t Belong to Me,” “Goes Without Saying” and “Wrong Ones.”

“Killed A Man” was the most surprising song on the album. You think it will be a saloon fight kind of thing, but it ends up being a look at ourselves and how we try to evolve to become better people by “killing” our old selves. It is such a therapeutic song and probably my favorite on the album. As a girl dad, the song “Yours” definitely tugged at my heartstrings as a dad reminds his daughter’s future husband that he was there first. I could see this playing as a father-daughter dance at both of my daughters’ weddings.

“What Don’t Belong To Me” breaks your heart a little because Malone sings that he can give this woman everything but cannot give her his heart because it has slowly been given to other things throughout his life, and he has nothing left to give.

The entire album surprised me and made me a Post Malone fan. I am excited to hear all of his previous albums that are more pop and alternative rock now. This album should be a contender at the Grammys in some country categories and the general field.