Wynonna Judd Says Touring Without Naomi is Healing: ‘A Celebration of Life’

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It’s not always easy touring as The Judds without the late Naomi Judd, daughter Wynonna Judd said. But she added there is a comforting element to it as well.

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“These shows are healing me, one show at a time, and all my friends are coming,” Wynonna Judd said on Today, via Entertainment Tonight. “It’s like the greatest party you throw yourself before the end.” 

Wynonna, 58, is fronting The Judds: One Final Tour without her famous mother. Naomi died at the age of 76 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in April. The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame a day later.

Without her mom, Wynonna told Today the tour has her feeling “somewhere between hell and hallelujah.” Following her mother’s death, she said she intended to keep the tour going, as it’s what Naomi would have wanted.

“It’s a crazy time, because it’s not about show business,” Wynonna said. “This is a celebration of life.” 

The tour kicked off last month and has since added 15 new dates. It is taking place in arenas throughout the country, and a mix of both old and new fans have so far been in attendance.

‘A Celebration of Life’

“It’s incredibly overwhelming,” Wynonna told Today. “It’s like a funeral when you have your entire family there, and yet you wouldn’t have it any other way — even though it’s the hardest thing to do sometimes, being present.”

There’s been no shortage of tears, of course. Not just from fans, but Wynonna herself.

“I will cry and then go right into the next song,” she said. 

“It’s fun. I’m real and I’m broken and I’m blessed and I’m sassy and I’m crying and I’m snotting through the songs.” 

The Judds as a duo spurned such hits as Why Not Me, Grandpa, Turn It Loose, River of Time and Love Can Build A Bridge, among a multitude of others.

While touring is clearly offering Wynonna a sense of peace, she admitted that she is often talking to a grief counselor as well.

“I call them and I say, ‘I don’t understand why’ and they’ll say, ‘Ask yourself, ‘What?’ ‘What can you do?'” she said. “They help me shift over to another land. They help me go, ‘I can do something.’ … ‘What can I do this minute to get to the next right thing?'” 

Ticket information for upcoming shows can be found on The Judds’ website.

Watch More: Wynonna Judd Opens Up About Feeling “Helpless” In Wake Of Losing Naomi

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