A Country Music Farewell Concert Is Having an Unexpected Impact Beyond the Stage

A country music legend’s final concert was expected to mark the end of an era. But what happened after the show wrapped is now drawing attention for a very different reason.

Alan Jackson performed his final concert, "Last Call: One More for the Road—The Finale," in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, June 27. The "Remember When" singer donated a portion  of the last show’s ticket sales to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) Research Foundation. That amount, coupled with other donations and matching contributions, helped raise more than $2.25 million.

In an update shared with Parade, CMTRF plans to use the funds to "advance potential treatments for CMT, which currently has no approved therapies."

"What [Alan Jackson] chose to do with this tour will make a difference for the 3 million people living with CMT worldwide," the organization said.

In 2021, Jackson revealed that he'd been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a neurological disorder that affects the nerves and impacts balance, coordination, and muscle strength.

"I have this neuropathy and neurological disease," Jackson said on Today. "It's genetic that I inherited from my daddy ... There's no cure for it, but it's been affecting me for years. And it's getting more and more obvious. And I know I'm stumbling around on stage. And now I'm having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel very uncomfortable."

"It's not going to kill me. It's not deadly," Jackson continued. "But it's related (to) muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease."

As the disease has progressed over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for Jackson to tour.

"If anyone has lived the American dream, it's me," Jackson said during his final show.