Kris Kristofferson quietly played his final live show in 2020, and the setlist was packed with his most important songs from across his legendary career.

When Did Kris Kristofferson Play His Last Live Show?

Kristofferson did not announce that his show on Jan. 30, 2020, would be the last live performance of his career, and it’s possible he might not have known himself. The show took place at the Stardust Theater onboard the Norwegian Pearl during the fifth annual Outlaw Country Cruise just months before COVID hit in March of 2020, and Kristofferson may have been planning more live gigs before the pandemic brought live shows to an end for an extended period.

Whether planned as his farewell or not, the show was very special, with Merle Haggard‘s legendary band, the Strangers, backing Kristofferson on stage for a set that included several Haggard covers in addition to Kristofferson’s own hits.

According to Rolling Stone, a number of artists Kristofferson has influenced, including Lucinda Williams, Shooter Jennings, Jim Lauderdale, Steve Earle and more, also paid tribute to Kristofferson with a special performance during the cruise. The all-star lineup took the stage to close his show with a group rendition of “Why Me” that Kristofferson led.

Is Kris Kristofferson in the Country Music Hall of Fame?

Kristofferson’s last performance marked the culmination of an extraordinary career. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

In 2016, he became a member of the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, and in 2019, the Country Music Association honored him with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

When Did Kris Kristofferson Announce His Retirement?

Kristofferson surprised fans and the industry when he revealed that he had retired in 2020 in a press release in January of 2021.

Read through below to see the setlist from Kris Kristofferson’s last show, according to Setlist.fm.

Kris Kristofferson Final Concert Setlist, Jan. 30, 2020, at Stardust Theater On Norwegian Pearl, Miami, Fla.:

“Shipwrecked in the Eighties”
“That’s the Way Love Goes”
“Darby’s Castle”
“Me and Bobby McGee”
“How Far to Jordan”
“Help Me Make It Through the Night”
“Okie From Muskogee”
“Place to Fall Apart”
“Feeling Mortal”
“From Here to Forever”
“Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)”
“Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)”
“Sing Me Back Home”
“The Pilgrim, Chapter 33”
“I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink”
“Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”
“For the Good Times”
“Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends”