CMT News

Alan Jackson fielded several song requests early Thursday afternoon (Feb. 25) during an extended luncheon showcase at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. The event was sponsored by Sony Music Nashville. Jackson compared the performance to one of his earliest gigs in Nashville when he was paid $25 for singing during a four-hour brunch at a Ramada Inn near the Opryland Hotel. He then sang part of his first hit, "Here in the Real World." Not working from a set list and going well over the 20 minutes allotted for his segment, he mixed some of his own favorites with audience requests, performing "Good Time," "Little Bitty," "Remember When," "Mercury Blues," "Livin' On Love," "God Bless the Working Man," "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," "A Song for the Life," "Chattahoochee" and Merle Haggard's "The Way I Am." However, Jackson did not perform his new single, "It's Just That Way," included on his upcoming album, Freight Train, due for release on March 30. American Idol finalist Danny Gokey opened the luncheon with four songs from his debut album, My Best Days, which will be released on Tuesday (March 2).
View photos from the luncheon.