“He Stopped Loving Her Today” was George Jones’ signature hit, and after the epic arena concert celebrating him last night, it’s clear country music will never stop loving George Jones. Never ever. A cosmos of stars classic and new, including Brad Paisley, Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and Jelly Roll, covered more than 30 songs Jones is known for, in front of an electric sold-out crowd at Huntsville, Alabama’s Von Braun Center. George’s widow Nancy Jones watched it all from the front row. Understandably, watching her late husband’s material, many of the lyrics about true love’s enduring power, performed again was bittersweet for Nancy, who executive produced the concert.

The concert, titled “Still Playin’ Possum,” was held 10 years after Jones died at age 81. The charismatic crooner’s essentials include songs like “The Race Is On,” “She Thinks I Still Care” and “The Grand Tour.”

“Still Playin’ Possum” nods to one of Jones’ nicknames, Possum, inspired by the singer’s distinctive facial features.

Another of Jones’ nicknames, “No Show Jones,” from a period when personal demons resulted in concert cancellations, was referenced in Nashville radio/TV host Keith Bilbrey’s offstage intro Tuesday night. “He ain’t gonna be here tonight either,” Bilbrey quipped.

“Still Playin’ Possum” was basically three hours of highlights. But Wynonna Judd and Jamey Johnson’s rousing version of ‘Golden Ring,” Jones’ 1976 hit with then-wife Tammy Wynette, was a clear apex. Judd’s powerhouse pipes and Jones’ mountain-man gravitas were great together.

Wearing a black ensemble with fringed sleeves, her strawberry locks sprinkled with glitter, Judd oozed star power from the moment she strode onstage. Before they launched into “Golden Ring,” Judd declared into her mic, “It’s about to get country in here!” After she, Johnson and the concert’s ace backing band brought the song to a spinetingling conclusion, Judd said, “I want to do it again!” After a performance like that — of a song like that, by a singer like that — no one would’ve objected.

The Jones tribute concert ran about as long as a college football game. But it never dragged. Besides all the talent and great songs, the performers switched up pretty much every song. That kept things brisk and moving.

Jamey Johnson got the night rolling with “Who’s Gonna Fill Your Shoes?,” as images of Jones and other departed country greats flashed on the stage’s video screen. As he sang, the longhaired Johnson played a battered old acoustic guitar covered with autographs, from the likes of Jones, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.

The evening’s first set also featured, among others: Janie Fricke, Tracy Byrd, Dillon Carmichael and Michael Ray swaggering through “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair”; Jones’ former fiddler Tim Watson tearing up “One Woman Man”; vocal quartet The Isaacs’ gospel-tinged “Right Left Hand”; post-grunge-singer-gone-country Aaron Lewis doing “Choices”; and Sara Evans, whose luxe-gypsy look evoked ‘70s Stevie Nicks, belting out “She Things I Still Care,” the pronoun swapped with “He.”

Travis Tritt duckwalked across the stage during a spirited “The Race Is On.” Trace Adkins bellowed “Same Ole Me” while looking like Gregg Allman rebooted inside an NFL tight-end’s frame. Recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker filled ballad “When The Grass Grows Over Me” with hard-earned experience.

One of the night’s most emotional moments came during Justin Moore and Joe Nichols’ version of “A Few Old Country Boys.” Country legend Randy Travis, who’s endured health challenges in recent years, was led onto the stage. Travis flashed his star’s smile. Everyone in the arena flashed back to memories of growing up to Travis’ hits like “Forever and Ever, Amen.”

After a “Dukes of Hazzard” episode-length intermission, second set gems included: Tracy Byrd pouring himself into the vocals of “Once You’ve Hard the Best”; Sara Evans and Tracy Lawrence’s take on purist-not-tourist ode “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”: 86-year-old soul singer Sam Moore wowing the arena on “The Blues Man”; and a sequined Janie Fricke summoning ‘90s vibes with “You’ve Still Got A Place in My Heart.”

Lawrence returned to romp through “The Corvette Song.” Gretchen Wilson brought grit to hard-luck ballad “I Always Get Lucky With You.”

Tanya Tucker, sporting sparkling eyeshadow, came back for a spellbinding “The Grand Tour,” possibly the greatest sad country song ever. Jamey Johnson and Blackberry Smoke frontman Charlie Starr did an outlaw-cool version of “Yesterday’s Wine.” Joe Nichols and T Graham Brown put on a clinic for how to sing country on “If Drinking Don’t Kill Me” and “Tennessee Whiskey” respectively.

Lorrie Morgan, clad in a sharp suit, held the crowd in the palm of her hand twice. First, on a soul-wrecking “A Picture of Me Without You” and later duetting with Jamey Johnson on “Near You.”

Face-tattooed singer Jelly Roll sauntered onstage for the evening’s penultimate performance. Country’s hottest new star displayed why he connects with now- audiences, on “Bartender Blues.” Other featured singers at “Still Playin’ Possum” included John Berry, Anita Cochran, Heath Wright, Ty Herndon, Billy Yates, Sara Helberg, Uncle Kracker and Lisa Matassa.

Watching the Jones tribute concert, several truths about country music were clear. The genre’s great songs are filled with stories and emotions everyday people relate to. The genre’s great singers inhabit songs they sing like they live inside them. The genre’s great performers never forget people paid money to watch them tonight.

Country music requires under-the-hood chemistry. Yes, it’s a songs and singer driven genre. (Compared to say rock, where instrumentalist can often be as big — or nearly as big — stars as frontmen.) But also with country, the supporting cast builds the pedestal for the star to shine from.

At “Still Playin’ Possum” a 10-piece collective humble virtuosos supported the bold-font names all night. It was the best kind of backing band for a concert like this. Their music and vocals were perfect, yet they were invisible onstage. Several stars like Sara Evans, Lorrie Morgan and Jelly Roll made it a point to bring attention to the band, who were all clad in black and were happy let their music do the talking for them.

At the concert, the backing band members were acknowledged but not announced individually, so we’re gonna do that here: background vocalists Cherie Oakley and Monty Allen; pianist Brent Rader; acoustic guitarist Tim Galloway; drummer Josh Hunt; bassist Mark Fain; steel guitarist Eddie Dunlap; electric guitarist James Mitchell; and fiddler Dan Hochhalter. They were the unsung heroes of this show.

TV chef and author Paul Deen hosted the concert, clad in purple, Her sassy folksy personality engaged the crowd at beginning of both sets.

The arena’s audience had some Nashville-imported blonde and bling in the mix. But fans there were mostly salt-of-the-earth types. This was a country concert, not a pop-country concert or country-rock concert. Most fans were clad in things like Bass Pro Shops caps, Atlanta Braves tee shirts and big-box retail blouses. I didn’t see a single AC/DC or Def Leppard shirt. But I saw plenty of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard tees. In the arena’s entry area, a merch table selling George Jones gear was nearly sold-out by concert’s end.

“Still Playin’ Possum” concluded the only way it could, with “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” For the closer, the concert brought in a ringer. Cowboy hatted superstar Brad Paisley strode to the stage, acoustic guitar in hand. If “The Grand Tour” isn’t country’s greatest sad song, then “He Stopped Loving Her Today” is. Spoiler alert: The lyrics describe a haunting love that only death can halt. Paisley sang a celestial take on “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Fittingly, images of flickering stars flashed on the video screen behind the stage.

As Paisley and the band filled the arena with Jones’ spirt and music, Nancy Jones, who was married to the singer for more than 30 years clasped a tissue and smiled through her tears. Seated beside her, the widows of Charlie Daniels and studio musician guitarist supreme Jimmy Capps, Hazel Daniels and Michelle Voan Capps, both visions of country grace, could clearly relate too.

Maybe more than any other genre, country’s the music of families. At “Still Playin’ Possum” it was clear country music itself is a family too. Within a family or otherwise, it means more to say “I love you” with actions than it does to do so with words, and the stars and fans that celebrated Jones by lifting up his music again did just that.