The country-pop piano player said goodbye to an illustrious career with a guest-heavy Nashville show
Ronnie Milsap played what is being billed as his final Nashville concert on Tuesday night at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena. But before he took the stage, a parade of artists from all genres paid him tribute: Keith Urban, Ricky Skaggs, Elizabeth Cook, Los Lonely Boys, and, at the top of the show, Kelly Clarkson.
The pop superstar kicked off the night with a powerhouse rendition of “It Was Almost Like a Song,” the Hal David and Archie Jordan-written title track to his 1977 album. Backed by the house band Sixwire, Clarkson slowly built the song to a dazzling big-note finish. It wasn’t the first time that Clarkson has performed songs from Milsap’s career either. As part of her regular Kellyoke segment on her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, the vocalist sang “Smoky Mountain Rain,” “Lost in the Fifties Tonight,” and “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World” — three of Milsap’s finest.
Urban was a surprise addition to the lineup and appeared to sing “Out Where the Bright Lights Are Glowing,” from Milsap’s tribute album to smooth country vocalist Jim Reeves. Prior to his performance, Urban recalled singing Milsap hits during his cover band days and then delivered a solo rendition of the song, backing himself up on guitar before Sixwire joined in.
In 2014, Urban talked to Rolling Stone about the influence of more pop-influenced country music on his own sound. “I grew up playing contemporary country music, not traditional: Ronnie Milsap, Alabama’s songs, Glen Campbell,” he said. “And then the West Coast rock thing was a big influence: Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt.”
Milsap’s final Nashville show marks the end of a career that was unafraid to lean hard into pop music. In fact, some of Milsap’s biggest hits crossed over to the adult contemporary chart. “I didn’t just come into town and start having hit records. You’ve got to study the songs and see if it’s a song that you really want to do,” Milsap told Rolling Stone. “And I guess some of them crossed over. Sometimes that just happens.”