Alan Jackson Jolts Vancouver Fans

Vancouver, BC.  May 10, 2008

By: tbphotos, from the scene

The King of Country, Alan Jackson, packed a full house at the Pacific Coliseum as anxious fans waited in long lines for the doors to open to see their favorite country singer in person and do some serious toe-tapping, clapping, and swaying.  As a projected digital clock displayed a two-minute countdown on the back wall of the stage, the cheering and applauding from the excited fans became louder and louder.  

Alan Jackson did not disappoint as he walked out onto the stage, and in his usual 'laid-back' style, sang 'Livin' On Love'.  By the end of Alan's second song of the evening, a few dozen 'eager-beavered' spectators attempted to stampede from their seats to the area directly in front of the stage, but were stopped from doing so by the heavy armament of security personnel that were already there at stage front.  At least one boisterous spectator was removed from the building after getting out of hand and vomiting on the shirt of another nearby Jackson fan.  All the while, Alan just kept on performing and waving to the spectators at the side of the stage, singing his multi-million sellers to the audience.

An accomplished songwriter, Jackson wrote much of his debut album "Here In The Real World" (1990) which remained on the U.S. country charts for more than a year.  Throughout the course of his career, Jackson has been honored with over 45 awards from organizations like the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association (CMA).  He released his Greatest Hits album in 1995 and won eight major awards, including CMA Entertainer of the Year.  Later albums included High Mileage and Under The Influence.

In 1998, Alan and his wife, Denise separated, but they reconciled later that year and renewed their wedding vows on the 19th anniversary of their marriage.  The couple has three daughters, Mattie, Alexandra, and Dani.  Alan Jackson admits that he still likes the simple life, and in his spare time loves to teach his girls how to fish and go boating.