At 61, Wynonna Judd sold out The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas last month and walked off stage to reviews that would make any artist half her age jealous. “I’ve seen her live several times through the years and she’s never sounded better,” one attendee wrote on Ticketmaster. Another called it “perfection.”
The country legend has spent the past two years proving grief doesn’t silence great voices. Since losing her mother Naomi in April 2022, Judd has delivered some of the most talked-about performances of her four-decade career, from emotional television tributes that left viewers in tears to recent tour stops where fans report her vocals sound better than they did in the 1990s.
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December 2025: Las Vegas Shows Draw Standing Ovations
The Venetian Theatre residency wrapped up this month with consistent five-star reviews. Fans mentioned her voice in nearly every testimonial posted to ticket sites.
“Wynonna still has an amazing voice and her backup band is unbelievably talented,” wrote Angela, who attended a December 8 performance. Lisa Stroud brought her sister who “doesn’t listen to country music normally and she was really taken by Wynonna’s talent.”
Sandy, reviewing the December 6 Harrah’s show, described 42 years of hits spanning “old school to gospel rule.” The setlist included Judds classics like “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Love Can Build a Bridge” alongside solo career hits.
Multiple reviewers singled out The Big Noise, her backing band led by husband Cactus Moser on drums. Moser lost his left leg and part of his hand in a 2012 motorcycle accident but returned to touring within months.
Summer 2025 Tour Stops Generate Viral Moments
Michigan Concert (August 2025)
Judd posted photos from a Michigan show in August that racked up thousands of comments. She brought two young girls on stage to share her microphone, a moment fans called “adorable.”
The performance took place in brutal humidity. “It was amazing to be there and see you again! The humidity was awful but you slayed,” one attendee commented. Judd’s Instagram caption joked about the heat: “Was it hot last night or is it just my career?”
Kentucky Homecoming (April 2025)
When Judd opened for Tyler Childers at a sold-out Lexington stadium show, some fans questioned the billing. “Opening act?????” one commenter wrote. “I don’t ever see Wynonna as an opening act. He should be opening for her.”
Judd seemed unbothered. She told fans that performing “your Kentucky girl’s been waiting patiently” in her home state created a feeling she couldn’t describe. “I checked off a bucket list item and had a great time,” one fan responded.
CMA Fest Nashville (June 2025)
Her “Girls Night Out” showcase at the Ascent Amphitheater brought out Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Noah Cyrus, and The War and Treaty. Wilson’s surprise appearance to duet on “Mama He’s Crazy” got the biggest response.
Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman commented: “Singing beside you will never get old!!! DREAM COME TRUE!!!”
The 2023 Television Moments That Sparked National Conversation
CMA Awards (November 2023)
Judd opened the show with Jelly Roll performing “Need a Favor.” Throughout the entire song, she gripped his shoulder and held his arm. Social media filled with concerned messages asking if she was okay.
She posted a video response the next day. “I’m just gonna come clean with y’all. I was so freaking nervous,” she said. “I got out there and I looked at Jelly Roll, I wanted it to be so good for him. I was so nervous that I just held on for dear life.”
Backstage, she told Entertainment Tonight about an emotional moment at a recent concert. “I felt mom,” she explained, referring to Naomi. “I got a little bit overcome and I just said, ‘I need some water. I need somebody to hold on to me for a second while I take a deep breath and cry.'”
CMT Awards (April 2023)
The performance one year after Naomi’s death hit harder. While singing “I Want to Know What Love Is” with Ashley McBryde, Judd stopped to address her mother directly.
“Mama, you need to be here tonight. I miss you and I love you and I don’t understand.”
The tribute came almost exactly one year after Naomi’s final public appearance at the 2022 CMT Awards. Backstage, Judd told reporters she was working on new music as “part of the grieving process.”
“It’s part of the shedding of the guilt and the shame, and it’s also hope,” she said.
What Concertgoers Say About Her Stage Presence
Fan reviews mention two things repeatedly: her voice and her personality.
“She is very personable with her fans. Would pay to see her again in a heartbeat,” one reviewer wrote after a Tennessee show. Multiple attendees mentioned extended storytelling between songs.
“She loves to talk and did talk quite a bit during the show between songs,” one fan noted. “She seemed very humble and really appreciates anyone who comes to see her. She is surprised that people still want to see her after all of these years.”
One California reviewer watched Judd take flowers and notes from fans in the front row. “She answered most all comments and questions said to her from the audience.”
Reviews from the 1990s mentioned similar traits. What’s changed is the depth of vulnerability she now brings to performances. She talks openly on stage about mental health, suicide prevention, and grief.
Recent Shows vs. Career Peak: What the Data Shows
Ticketmaster and concert review sites show her recent performances scoring as high or higher than shows from her commercial peak in the early 1990s. One Illinois fan who saw her in 1996 and again in 2025 wrote: “She was just as great as she was back then.”
Tour dates for 2025 sold well across multiple markets. Her June 2025 Greatest Hits Tour announcement included stops in Virginia Beach, Calgary, and Boise before wrapping September 5 in Albuquerque.
The woman Billboard once called “The Voice of country music” still gets that label in 2025 fan reviews. Whether she’s fighting nerves on national television or commanding a Vegas stage, audiences respond to the same quality: she shows up as herself, grief and all.
Those December reviews from Las Vegas tell you everything about where Wynonna Judd stands in early 2026. She’s not preserving a legacy or trading on nostalgia. She’s a working artist at the top of her game, selling out rooms and getting the kind of fan reactions most performers dream about. The nervousness she admitted to at the 2023 CMA Awards only made people root for her harder. Turns out authenticity still sells tickets.
