The irresistible Jessica Simpson rocked Pittsburgh and Nashville this past weekend, and stopped by the MTV VMAs to bring attention to the release of her new EP Nashville Canyon, Part 2, which bookends Part 1, was released in March.
The star of stage and reality TV performed at the Stage AE in the Steel City on Friday (9/5) as part of the Women Who Rock Benefit Concert, the annual event that raises money for the Magee-Women’s Research Institute & Foundation and UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital, which supports research and patient care in women’s health. Opened in 2010, Stage AE is a 5,500-capacity for the outdoor configuration and about half that for indoor.
Her show, just her fifth appearance in 2025, and at 20 songs, her longest, began with her new single “Fade” followed by “Leave” before moving into “I Wanna Love You Forever,” which she had not performed live since 2004. In fairness, many of the tunes she has played this year hadn't been heard from her in quite a while as she has been on a 15 year hiatus.
She brought back her cover of Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” which she live debuted at the MTV Spring Break 2004. Jessica covered the #1 hit from the Top Gun (1986) soundtrack nine times in '04, and then never again until this year.
Half of the tunes in her set were from the Nashville Canyon EPs, including “Use My Heart Against Me” and “Breadcrumbs.” The middle of the set featured the live debuts of “Your Apology,” “Hopeless Romance,” “Savage,” and “Reckoning.” She also dusted off “Come On Over,” which had not been played since 2009.
The later portion of the show balanced covers, rarities, and fan favorites. To the crowd's joy she brought out “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” made famous by Nancy Sinatra, Jr., which Jessica brought to younger audiences via the Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack.
She played “Irresistible” for the first time since 2004, and recent tracks such as “Sunday Lover” and “Blame Me.”
Because you can't get enough covers, the singer also performed Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” and Robbie Williams’ “Angels,” which she had not sung live since 2009.
For the encore, Simpson returned with three crowd-pleasing selections: “I Think I’m in Love With You,” “With You,” and a cover of The Romantics’ 1980s hit, “What I Like About You.”
"Connecting with the audience on Friday night set my soul on fire! I have hardly slept since," Simpson, who has sold over 30 million records tweeted to her 5.8 million fans two days after the gig.
"There is no better feeling than to be able open my heart completely, bare it entirely and feel a real and honest connection with y’all. Counting down the days until we can do it again."
On Tuesday (9/9), she made her way to Nashville to honor the Grand Ole Opry's 100th anniversary.
The mother of three sang two new songs and ended her short set with "Boots," a tune that takes on a slightly different meaning now that she and her husband, former NFL tight end Eric Johnson, announced their separation after nearly 10 years of marriage.
“My world had been turned upside down," she told the New York Post in March. "I am now a very single lady.”
Unless she adds more dates, there's only two more ways to see and hear Jessica live this year. She's be at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, IL, next week (9/20) and in November she'll be at the Planet Hollywood in Vegas.
Grab your tickets on Jessica's website.
