Cheyenne Jackson Photo courtesy of Cheyenne Jackson / Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

The show opened with a fun overture comprising TV theme songs that Jackson said spoke to him as a child. A lively version of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" and the Latin-infused "Americano" started the show on a high note. Jackson spoke a lot throughout the show about how he just turned 50 and how he loves it, but much of the show was also focused on how he grew up in a small town in Idaho. He said his parents were hippies and that they would look for signs in nature. He felt different and was a foot taller than the other kids, and when he saw the tour of Les Misérables, he took that as a sign for what his future could be. "Something's Coming" from West Side Story was the perfect song to show the dreams and desires he had and how he knew something was waiting for him just around the corner.

Jackson came out to his parents when he was 19 and moved to the big city of Spokane. He joined a gay youth group, a gay volleyball league, and also appeared in his first community theatre production. His first professional job, in the summer of 1995, was in a production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He also fell in love with a slightly older man who had a girlfriend. After a summer together, the man told Jackson that he was going back to his girlfriend. A beautiful delivery of Chappell Roan's "Good Luck Babe" followed, with the lyric "you'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling" especially meaningful for Jackson's loss through that breakup. He also mentioned that the man didn't marry the girlfriend but ended up marrying a man and that for his Carnegie Hall show he invited him and had him stand up in the audience before the song.

He spoke about the insanity of being one of the performers on the TV show "The Masked Singer" and, even though they were sworn to secrecy about being on the show, the only person he told about it was the late Gavin Creel. He said that Creel, whom he met when he was Creel's understudy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, was almost an extension of himself. A series of recordings he had that Creel made has helped try to make sense of his passing. One of those recordings of Adele's "When We Were Young" played with Creel singing the opening verses of the song before Jackson and the band joined in. It was an inspiring and fitting tribute to Creel and to the friendship that Jackson shared with him.

He mentioned that his 9-year-old twins recently came out to him and his husband as "straight." He then spoke about the crazy things his kids have said, and Harry Connick Jr's "A Wink and a Smile" with the lyric "now my heart is music" was a lovely way to show how his children have impacted his life. A playful rendition of the Mac Davis and Billy Strange penned Elvis Presley hit "A Little Less Conversation" ended the first act on a fun beat.

The second act opened with Jackson saying that he realized by turning 50 he's gotten a case of the "fuck-its." He says he cares less now about what people say about him. He then shared a few of his earlier negative reviews around verses of the Frank Sinatra hit "That's Life." A romantic "Besame Mucho" showed off the dark, clear tones of Jackson's voice. He mentioned how he loves going to yard sales and how one day, when he was seven years old and obsessed with the ladies of jazz, he found a tape that featured many of them. A gorgeous pairing of "I Get Along Without You Very Well" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" was his tribute to those women and his love of jazz. Music director Michael Orland and the four-piece band provided excellent support on this swinging arrangement as well as throughout the concert.

Jackson spoke about how when was a teen, the high school football coach wanted him on the team and he and his father watched a practice. Jackson said he didn't want to play on the team and he hoped his father understood how he felt. His haunting and heartfelt original song, "OK," was a beautiful retelling of that experience when his father accepted him for who he was and how, now that he's also a father, he repeats the same words his father said to him: "It's OK that you are gentle. It's OK that you are kind. And it's OK that you don't want to play like them. Be yourself, and I'll be fine."

He spoke about working with Leslie Jordan on the TV shows "Call Me Kat" and "American Horror Story," and told some fun backstage stories about things Jordan said. He said that with both Jordan and Creel passing, and so many others recently, he wants to keep their legacies going however he can. His delivery of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" was heartfelt and a loving way to honor those who've passed.

Jackson stated that, since the world is on fire, he tried to find a fitting song to sing as an encore. Jason Robert Brown's "Hope" was the perfect choice. Jackson said toward the top of the show that he wasn't feeling that great and that he must have picked something up from his kids so that he may not be able to hit every note. However, his bright baritone voice shined and soared on every song.

Cheyenne Jackson's Midlife Torso Tour was performed at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on February 1, 2026. For information on upcoming concerts at the SCPA, please visit www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org.