Alan Jackson is revisiting one of his most enduring songs with a newly recorded live version of “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” arriving Friday, Sept. 11, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The new recording was captured during Jackson’s June 27 farewell concert at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, where he performed for a sold-out crowd of more than 50,000 fans.
Jackson wrote the song in the weeks following the attacks, completing it after waking in the early morning hours with the melody and opening lines in his head. He debuted it at the 2001 Country Music Association Awards, where the performance quickly drew widespread attention. The song was subsequently released as a single and became a No. 1 country hit, while earning Jackson the Grammy Award for best country song along with honors from the CMA and Academy of Country Music.
The new performance carries additional significance because it comes from Jackson’s final full-length concert as a touring artist. His Nissan Stadium set included the song among a career-spanning collection of hits, with George Strait also joining him during the show for “Designated Drinker” and “Murder on Music Row.” The concert is being preserved for a forthcoming live album, “Last Call: One More for the Road – The Finale (Live from Nashville).”
Nearly 25 years after its original release, “Where Were You” remains closely associated with the national grief and reflection that followed the attacks. Jackson has continued to perform the song on occasions marking the tragedy, including a televised National Memorial Day Concert performance earlier this year. The newly recorded version offers another rendition of the song as the country observes the anniversary of a day that permanently changed the nation.
Stream ‘Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning) (Live)’ – HERE.
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