More than 40 years after Alabama charted its first No. 1 song with “Tennessee River,” the Country Music Hall of Famers opened their Nashville headlining show at Bridgestone Arena with the chart-topper on Friday night.
Fans packed the room to near capacity and cheered wildly as Randy Owen, the band’s singer, and Teddy Gentry, the group’s bass player, walked out.
The men, both in their 70s, played for more than two-and-a-half hours, treating the crowd to all their favorite Alabama hits.
“The show reminded me of the ’80s,” Owen told American Songwriter on Monday. “It was just like I prayed it would be. It was very emotional, and the audience was perfect.”
The men worked for their applause.
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Alabama Changed Lyrics to Reflect Jeff Cook’s Passing
After “Tennessee River,” they moved into “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle In The Band).” Alabama’s original guitar and fiddle player, Jeff Cook, died in 2022 following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. The lyrics in “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle In The Band)” originally included Cook’s name. But now that he’s gone, Owen changed the line to reflect the band’s current fiddle player, Megan Mullins Owen.
The new line was: “Them Texans raised the roof when Megan opened up her case.”
Alabama – If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (Live at Farm Aid 1986) (youtube.com)
Owen borrowed a cowboy hat from a man in the audience and wore it around the stage during the song, even taking it off and plopping it on Gentry’s head. By the song’s end, Owen tossed the hat to its rightful owner.
“The Closer You Get” followed, and then the band flowed into “Sad Lookin’ Moon,” slicing through all four songs without pausing for a beat. Owen, clad in black with his trademark bandana tied around his neck, bounded from one side of the arena’s stage to the other.
Gentry greeted the audience at the song’s end, saying, “It’s two hours past my bedtime, and we’ve done four fast songs in a row. I’m going on strike, or we have to do a slow one.”
Alabama Passed on “Lost In The Fifties Tonight,” A-String Section Walked Onstage and Joined for “Forever’s As Far As I’ll Go”
After the song, Owen told the story of how the band passed on Ronnie Milsap’s “Lost in the Fifties Tonight” but found “When We Make Love” on the same demo tape.
Alabama did a reimagined version of “Song of the South,” complete with an accordion. Owen shared his history of raising millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ahead of a tender version of “Angels Among Us,” including a gospel choir.
“Feels So Right” led into “Dixieland Delight,” with a “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” interlude. “Take Me Down” and a rowdy version of “Mountain Music” officially ended the show.
Owen’s wife, Kelly, his children, and his grandchildren watched the show from an area beside the stage. At 74, Owen seemed determined to give the crowd of at least 10,000 and his family the most energetic show he could muster. His voice remained strong most of the set, and the band returned for a hit-packed four-song encore.
Alabama Gifted With Custom Predators Jerseys
Owen and Gentry were gifted Nashville Predators jerseys with their names on the back, and Gentry wore his new shirt during the encore.
They closed the show with “My Home’s In Alabama,” “Roll On,” “Old Flame,” and “I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why).”
Owen, Gentry, and the players in their band–including Mullins and guitarist Kimo Forrest, who replaced Cook – came forward and took a bow.
“When you play Nashville, there’s a little added pressure on yourself to perform well in front of a lot of your peers and fans,” Gentry told American Songwriter on Monday. “The crowd was incredible from the start. They gave me their energy, and I gave them all of mine. It was a great team effort from a great band as well. I love it.”
(Photo Credit: Nick Zimmer/CMA)
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