In 'The Final Tour,' Wynonna a singular presence on DCU Center stage

WORCESTER — Anyone going into the DCU Center Sunday for the third night of the 15-show, second-leg of “The Judds: The Final Tour” already knew Wynonna Judd is a great singer and stellar performer in her own right.

And during her reign as one-half of the mother-daughter duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd — The Judds — they were second to none.

Since the passing of her mother April 30 under tabloid-rich circumstances, Wynonna (she has dropped the Judd from her stage name) has been keeping the spirit of her mother alive.

And she has been doing this by honoring the rich legacy of the music that mother and daughter made and shared over the years, as well as having a lovefest with her fans who are helping her, through her own admission, get through the grieving process.

Despite the grim circumstances that surrounded her mother’s passing, this wasn’t a pity party.

In fact, the evening was made up of a series of powerhouse performances that celebrated the human experience and the healing powers of music, while showcasing Wynonna’s strength as a singer.

Martina McBride opens

Wynonna’s stellar, two-hour-plus, 25-song set included 11 of the Judds’ 14 country music chart-toppers, four of the Judds’ Grammy winners and three of Wynonna’s solo chart-toppers. And this is after Martina McBride’s 45-minute, 11-song opening set featuring for four country music chart-toppers of her own.

Coming out in a white pirate shirt with ruffled neck sticking out of her neckline and long sleeves extending way past the cuffs of her black overcoat, Wynonna opened with the Judds’ debut single, “Had a Dream (For the Heart).” Accompanied with a big white acoustic guitar and a beaming smile that had enough wattage to light up the back of the arena, Wynonna unleashed her inner rock star on this ditty once recorded by Elvis.

After singing the Judds’ No. 2 country hit “Give A Little Love,” Wynonna took a moment to express her gratitude to the estimated 6,000 concertgoers that came out to see her, while joking that she has been working all day on the pronunciation of the city.

Fun in 'Woosta'

After saying “Woosta! Woosta! Woosta!” several times, Wynonna told the audience, “Let’s have fun. C’mon now.” And fun they had.

Fellow country superstar Martina McBride and soon-to-be country superstar Ashley McBryde joined Wynonna on the chart-topping country single “Girls Night Out,” off the Judds’ 1984 first full-length studio album, “Why Not Me.”

After the rousing number, Martina exited from the stage while Ashley stayed to sing alongside Wynonna on two more Judd country chart-toppers, "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain" and “Love Is Alive.” And hearing the two singing together, it was easy to see what attracted the crimson hair country superstar to the raven-haired up-and-comer. A little rough around the edges, the tattooed-covered troubadour has plenty of unbridle passion and powerful pipes that easily reminds one of a young Wynonna.

Wynonna took center stage once again for the heavy-duty, country-tinged rocker “Tell Me Why,” the stirring, wanderlust chart-topper, “I Know Where I’m Going,” and the scorching, chart-topping cover of Carl Perkins’ rockabilly romp, “Let Me Tell You About Love.”

During a video montage, Wynonna momentarily slipped into something more outrageous — a black majorette outfit that looked like it was lifted out of Michael Jackson’s closet.

Accompanied by a stripped-down musical combo of two acoustic guitars, mandolin and upright bass, Wynonna warmly sang the Judds’ “Guardian Angels,” which seamlessly segued into the slice of simple life vignette "Flies on the Butter (You Can't Go Home Again)," a 2004 solo single that originally featured the singer harmonizing with her mother.

If you were sitting in the audience totally unaware that Wynonna’s drummer/occasional mandolin player was Cactus Moser, her hubby for the last 10 years, you certainly suspected it by the end of country chart-topper “Young Love (Strong Love).”

Cactus Moser

As they warmly harmonized on the same mic, the two artists were lovingly looking into each other eyes until Moser snuck an unscripted kiss on the lips at song’s end. Seemed to be taken a little off-guard, Wynonna playfully scolded her husband, "Never touch the hair or the lips. He knows better.”

Not only did she make some noise (in a good way), Wynonna showed off her sassy, “rock chick” side with her solo hit “Rock Bottom.” Sporting an eagle tattoo visible above her chest and wearing silver, frilly tassels hanging from her lowcut black T-shirt, McBryde once again joined forces with Wynonna onstage and the two powerhouse singers were on equal footing. As she exited the stage, Wynonna praised McBryde as being “the next generation of greatness.”

With her roaring vocals combining with roaring guitars, Wynonna absolutely scorched the stage during a bluesy rendition of the Judds’ chart-topper “Cry Myself to Sleep.”

Wynonna recognized Jeff Beck as one of the greatest guitarists of all time during her cover of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is,” a song she once recorded with Beck. Not only did the number rock heavier than Foreigner’s original, Wynonna showed she has what it takes if the Wilson sisters ever have a falling out and Nancy Wilson needs a replacement for her sister Ann on vocals.

Before singing the Judds’ “River of Time,” Wynonna confessed to the audience, “This next one’s tough. She (Naomi) wrote it. I know I can do it but it’s just not easy. But it’s worth it because I know you’re out there and you got me.” And, boy, did they ever.

With a steady stream of family snapshots flickering on the large screen behind her, Wynonna poured her heart out on this emotional showstopper. Her intimate, unguarded vocals and her nostalgic musings were enhanced by mournful pedal steel guitar and somber piano.

On “Born to the Blues," Wynonna and McBryde soulfully belted out the top-five country single like a pair seasoned blues singers, before changing the arrangement to a more accessible, pop-country opus.

Country hits

After another video segment that focused on her successful solo career, Wynonna returned to the stage in a black frilly shawl that she looked like she stole from Stevie Nicks’ closet. Showing the audience that her career was far from being done after the breakup of the Judds, Wynonna sang three consecutive No. 1 country hits that she recorded as a soloist, including the romantic honkytonk “She Is His Only Need,” the reaffirming rocker “I Saw the Light” (with McBryde) and the full-body country rocker, “No One Else on Earth.”

Wynonna performed a virtual duet of sorts with her mother on the gospel-inspired, Grammy Award winner, “Love Can Build A Bridge,” which closed out the main set. Concluding with the prerecorded, “I believe in the power of love” soundbite from her mom, Wynonna added, “I believe in love and that’s what you gave me tonight.”

As encores go, Wynonna saved the Judds’ best for last. She opened with “Mama He’s Crazy,” the first of 14 No. 1 singles for Judds, as well as the duo’s first Grammy Award winning single, which made the Judds only the second female duo to score a country No. 1. She sang this heartfelt musical conversation to her mother alone on stage while strumming her acoustic guitar. That is, when the crowd wasn’t singing along with her, making it one of the most emotionally stirring numbers of the evening.

In a symbolic passing of the torch, McBryde, now wearing a Judds T-shirt and leather pants, delivered her solo song, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” smack-dab in the middle of Wynona’s encore.

After joking that someday she would open for McBryde (and then got all serious saying "I will” because country artists support each other), Wynonna ended the triumphant evening with two combination Judds chart-toppers/Grammy Award winners, “Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" and "Why Not Me."

Leaving the arena, fans realized that Wynonna is a survivor and torchbearer, not only of country music but the inseparable bond she will always share with her mother.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: In 'The Final Tour,' Wynonna a singular presence on DCU Center stage