‘Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow’: Alan Jackson’s CMA 2017 Performance

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017 due to his strong resume in the industry, Alan Jackson has more than 30 number one hits to his name and his staying power includes the sale of 60 million albums. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that he was asked to perform at the 51st CMA Awards show, held November 8, 2017, in Nashville, Tennessee.

With more CMA nominations than even Texas’ own George Strait, Jackson has represented country music values both on and off-stage, in many ways. Over the years, he has stood up for what he believed in. At a past Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards show, he refused to perform to a track, and he was known for stopping an award show performance in order to pay tribute to George Jones (who had been slighted at the time). On November 16, his official Facebook page shared the link to the video showcasing his live performance at the CMA’s, and his Vevo YouTube channel features the actual music video for “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” from all those years ago, available on a link provided here for viewing. But if you prefer it (and we’d bet you do), his performance of the song at the 2017 CMA Awards show can be seen here.

Chasin That Neon Rainbow (Live from the CMA Awards) (Live) by Alan Jackson on VEVO.

The song “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” was released 27 years ago on his “Here in the Real World” album. Written by Jackson with co-writer Jim McBride, the song rose to number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and mirrors his process of trying to make it in the industry. “Jim McBride and I were writing together for the first time. We were talking about my life in Georgia and the experience of playing the honky tonk circuit. I remembered a radio that my daddy won when I was a young child and how my mama used to sing to my sisters and me. I also remembered how my mama hated for me to play in the bars. All those things set the story in motion, and within a few sessions, my life chasing that neon rainbow was set to music,” Jackson was quoted as saying.