Currently, Wynonna Judd is on the road for The Judds’ final tour, a jaunt she and her mom and duet partner Naomi Judd had intended to take.
But after the schedule of events was made public, things began to alter. After struggling with mental illness for her whole life, Naomi took her own life on April 30.
She was 76 years old. Wynonna has decided to continue the tour, albeit with a new format: an all-star girls’ night featuring performances from Trisha Yearwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, and others.
Despite the fact that performing without Naomi is an emotional challenge for Wynonna, she sees this tour as an opportunity for both her and the fans to bid goodbye to an era in the iconic mother-daughter duo’s history.
The singer tells People, “This is my opportunity to go into a scenario that I don’t know that I am ready to do what I’m about to do, but I think it’s going to heal me.”
Since many of the concertgoers have been Judd’s fans for decades and are mourning Naomi’s death, she hopes they will find the concert as cathartic as she did.
“I’m teaching what I want to learn, which is how to have peace and joy in a bad situation,” Wynonna elaborates. People need to know that they are loved, and that is what I desire more than anything. I aim to spread the message that change is possible.
There are still a few weeks left on the Judds’ farewell tour. Since Martina McBride was initially listed as the opening act, she will be performing at each and every one of the scheduled concerts.