Wynonna Judd Confirms Her GOAT Status in Upcoming TV Special: 'I'm Still Here'

During the filming Thursday night of her upcoming CMT special, as Wynonna Judd soaked up the roar of the sell-out arena crowd, she made a simple — and profound — declaration.

"I'm still here," said the 58-year-old artist, 39 years removed from her career start. "Crazy, huh?"

No, what's crazy is that this new era of mass adoration has been so long overdue — and that it took the horrifying jolt of her mother Naomi's death to remind the world that Wynonna Judd is a national vocal treasure.

For almost two hours, she put her singular gifts on full display for The Judds: Love Is Alive — The Final Concert at the Murphy Center on the Middle Tennessee State University campus in Murfreesboro. The TV show will be broadcast next March soon after Judd finishes the newly announced second leg of "The Judds: The Final Tour," and she seemed intent on making this concert her exclamation point.

She brought in more star power to add to her own sparkle, sharing the stage with several in her rotation of tour-mates, Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde and Martina McBride. She also brought along a flock of her lifelong companions — 25 songs, many of which are now a part of the country canon.

The only thing missing on such a magic night, of course, was Naomi Judd, and that fact never escaped her daughter.

During one song introduction, she paused mid-thought, looked heavenward, then spoke plaintively, "You should be here."

The meaning was clear: The duo had announced their tour on April 11, but just 19 days later, Naomi Judd took her life. Two weeks later, during a public memorial service, Wynonna Judd said the show would go on without her.

But in some notable ways, it hasn't, as Thursday's performance made so obvious. Though Naomi Judd's name was never even uttered onstage nor was her image shown, her presence was palpable from first note to last, whether it was in the songs she sang with her daughter, the songs she co-wrote for both of them, or just in a simple change of lyrics.

"My momma is gone, gone, gone forever more," Wynonna Judd mournfully sang in "River of Time." The original lyrics, co-written by Naomi, grieved the loss of "my love."

"She wrote this song for you," Judd said in her introduction. "I'm singing it as if it was written for me, because I'm feeling this song so deeply."

The show's location, as well, was itself a tribute to a major milestone in the duo's life. The 10,000-seat venue was the same site as The Judds Farewell Concert, the epic TV special that aired in 1991. Though mother and daughter appeared together on occasion in the following years, that concert marked the formal end of the Judds. After eight inseparable years, they dissolved their professional partnership so Naomi could address the debilitating effects of hepatitis C, and Wynonna went on to launch her solo career.

When the Thursday show was announced the previous week, it was described as a "re-creation" of the original special, but from the first song on, Judd signaled she had no desire to indulge in that kind of self-conscious nostalgia. Instead, she nearly matched the tribute tour's setlist, picking Judds favorites, as well as hits from her own soaring years solo. For the record, 13 of the 19 songs performed in 1991 were reprised, and 12 more songs were added, including six that were recorded after 1991.

Judd did make sure of one significant reminder of the original show: Halfway through, she changed out of an all-black outfit and into a black suit and colonial-style white blouse with long ruffled cuffs that were almost identical to what she wore in 1991. The loud response proved the audience instantly recognized the homage.

Whether intentional or not, her stage guests also evoked memories of Naomi Judd. Though no one dared to match her puffy petticoats, Carlile, Ballerini, McBryde and Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman, especially, mimicked Naomi's trademark stage twirls. But then, maybe Wynonna Judd's voice simply compels its harmonizers to spin.

To start the concert, Judd began at the beginning, opening with "I Had a Dream (for the Heart)" the Judds' debut single in December 1983. That song only made radio's top 20, but four months later, country fans' flirtation turned into a full-fledged love affair with the release of "Mama He's Crazy."

When the moment came, later in the Thursday show, for Judd to sing that signature song, she displayed its enduring punch by performing without vocal backup and only with the accompaniment of her guitar. The second verse, sung a cappella, was almost drowned out by a massive singalong.

"You still know the words!" she exclaimed, less with surprise than appreciation.

Song by song, she proved her music is as fresh as it is timeless, and her stage guests showed how well it fits on the Judds' musical successors.

Judd paired with McBryde on the Judds' 1986 No. 1 "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain" and on her sassy solo hit "Rock Bottom," from 1994. McBryde entered and exited the stage with a curtsy to the queen; for "Rock Bottom," Judd generously (and briefly) abdicated her throne to bestow on McBryde the final vocal run.

"I admire her courage," Judd ribbed to the audience at song's end.

Harmonies thrilled throughout the night: Martina McBride dueted with Judd on "Girls Night Out," and Ballerini teamed on "Born to Be Blue." Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and Schlapman flanked Judd for a triple girl-powered "Love Is Alive." (LBT's Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook had the good sense not to compete with that.) The quartet returned, with Brandi Carlile in tow, for an effervescent "Turn It Loose."

Carlile proved a frequent presence throughout the evening, first arriving for "Let Me Tell You About Love," the Judds' 14th and final No. 1, and then she happily took a spot with the band for background vocals on several more songs, mouthing the lyrics even when she wasn't singing.

By now, Carlile's hero worship is well known. "When I was 7 years old, The Judds were my first concert … then they were my second and then my third as well," she wrote on Instagram when her participation in the farewell tour was announced in May. "Thank you to Naomi and Wynonna for starting the dream."

During the show, Judd returned the admiration to Carlile, whose vocal powers splendidly complement her own.

"Of course, Brandi and I are related," Judd said during one introduction.

Carlile also received the ultimate honor, the only guest to take a solo turn. She drew "Have Mercy," a Judds No. 1 hit from 1985, and she delivered it on a cloud of joy while Judd made her costume change.

"I'll never be the same!" Carlile exulted post-performance to the appreciative crowd.

As much as Judd shared the stage, she clearly owned the night as she tuned her vocal instrument to every musical mood, from the tenderness of "Young Love (Strong Love)" to the torch of "I Want to Know What Love Is," Foreigner's power ballad that she covered on a 2004 album. She genre-hopped just as effortlessly, shifting from the classic country of "Flies on the Butter (You Can't Go Home Again") to the pop vibe of "I Saw the Light" to the growling blues of "Cry Myself to Sleep" and on to the jazzy strains of "She Is His Only Need."

In total, it was compelling evidence of what Judd had declared the week before at her news conference when she reflected on her tour: "It's the most emotional I've ever been and the most vulnerable I've ever felt and the strongest I've ever been able to sing."

In the midst of grief, this go-around has also been some of her most high-pressure stage work, and Judd finally confessed her nerves Thursday night after she did the unthinkable: Halfway through "Why Not Me," she forgot the words.

"We're gonna do that one more time because you can't suck on national television," she said, further endearing herself to the crowd during what will undoubtedly be an outtake. "I've been so nervous. This is big time."

Naturally, the evening built to the crescendo of "Love Can Build a Bridge," the Judds' signature anthem that Naomi co-wrote.

"All right, family, let's do this!" Judd commanded as she gathered her entire guest roster back onto the stage. Mid-song, they were joined by a robed choir that only added to the song's fervor.

But it was Naomi Judd who delivered the most poignance in the closing moments. Her voice — recorded during the 1991 concert and now piped in — solemnly echoed through the arena: "I believe in the power of love, and I believe there is always hope."

Her daughter now prepares again to keep spreading that spirit. The original 11-date tour, completed last month, proved so successful that Judd decided the second leg was a "no-brainer." The additional 15 arena concerts stretch from Jan. 26 to Feb. 25. But in the midst of such a revival, who knows how final "The Final Tour" will be.