Eric Church Moves Alan Jackson To Tears With “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” Cover During ACM Honors

Alan Jackson Recognized With The Poet’s Award During The 2024 ACM Honors

Eric Church took to the stage during this year’s ACM Honors to honor country music legend Alan Jackson. Jackson was given the ACM’s Poet’s Award, which recognizes outstanding songwriting contributions to the country music genre.

As the songwriter and voice behind impactful tracks such as “Remember When,” “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” and “Drive,” Jackson clearly deserves such distinction.

A grateful Jackson accepted the award during the ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium on August 21. He referenced his uplifting song, “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” in his acceptance speech.

“…when I was about five years old I think, my daddy worked for the Pepsi Cola plant in Georgia, and they had a contest going on, and he won this radio and brought it home…that was the first musical thing I remember growing up, and that ended up being the opening line of that song.”

He continued:

“You know, I realized a long time ago that life gives you a lot of ingredients for songwriting. That typically makes the best songs. And I’ve been fortunate to pull a lot of stuff out of my life and turn it into music over the years. That’s been my biggest pride, as an artist, is to write a song and have people enjoy it, and be touched by or moved by it, or help them through a hard time, or enjoy a good time.“

Jackson ended his speech by dedicating his award to his late father, Gene.

Alan Jackson Praises Eric Church’s “Wonderful” Version Of “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow”

Before Jackson spoke, Eric Church appeared onstage to honor him by singing “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow.” He opted to sing a unique rendition of the song, performing it with only his own acoustic guitar to back him up.

Jackson later praised Chruch’s performance, saying:

“Thank you Eric, that was a very cool rendition of ol’ ‘Neon Rainbow.’ Got a little new life to her. That was wonderful, thank you.”

Jackson revealed that he got emotional as he listened to Church sing “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow”:

“I’ve always put songwriting at the top of my list when it comes to making music. And hearing that song tonight, that made me tear up back there…it was such a soulful rendition but it brought back a lot of memories,” he said.

The ACM Honors aired on Merit Street on Tuesday (September 24), and official performance videos were released on YouTube that same night. If you missed the TV broadcast, you can watch Eric Church sing Alan Jackson’s “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” in the clip below.

Once you watch this performance, you’ll understand why Jackson had such kind things to say about Church’s rendition of his beloved song.