The Opry

 Over the years, I've had the chance to visit some of the great, historic opera houses of the world: the Vienna Staatsoper, the Semperoper in Dresden, the Bastille Opera in Paris – not to mention our own Met and City Operas. And, while it might be a stretch to include Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in the same breath as those institutions, one could argue that the Opry has contributed more to the overall fabric of music than all those other houses combined. This, after all, was the stage where Roy Acuff first put singing ahead of playing, where Bill Monroe introduced the world to bluegrass, where Elvis shocked the audience with his rockabilly, and where countless country music stars have made their name ever since. For a country singer, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry is the equivalent of making it to Broadway – or, if you prefer, joining the roster of the Met.

The Opry was founded on November 25, 1925 as a weekly radio broadcast on WSM (which still hosts the broadcasts), and has been performed in Nashville every Saturday since, making it the oldest continuous radio broadcast in the world. In 1943, the Opry moved to the Ryman Auditorium downtown, and soon could be heard – and seen – nationwide via network broadcast. In 1974, the Opry moved to its permanent home: an amphitheater nine miles north of Nashville, whose stage includes a 6-foot circle of dark oak taken from the Ryman so that today's stars can perform on the same spot as Hank Williams, Ernest Tubbs, and Johnny Cash.

 
But, for three months each winter, the Opry returns to its historic home at the Ryman, which is where I caught the 4,382nd consecutive performance of "The Show That Made Country Music Famous," a week ago Saturday. The two-hour program was broken into four 1/2 hour segments, with WSM's Mike Terry doing live reads in between acts for sponsors like Bass Pro Shops and Dollar General (who gave $10 gift cards out to an entire row in the balcony.)

Each segment was hosted by a different longstanding Opry member, and featured three acts performing an abbreviated set of two numbers each. (Remember, folks, this is radio.) The performers ranged from legendary old-timers such as Jack Greene and George Hamilton IV, to young up-and-comers like the beautiful and talented Rebecca Lynn Howard. In the spirit of Minnie Pearl, there was also comedy on hand, courtesy of singer-comedians Riders In The Sky and Mike Snider, both of whom goofed on the unflappable Mike Terry as he tried to deliver his commercials. And, if all that wasn't enough, the Opry Square Dancers made two separate appearances, to the delight of the packed house.

 
The best moments of the night, though, were delivered by the three bluegrass bands on the bill, all among the best in the business. Jesse McReynolds, who joined the Opry in 1962 and was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 1993, jammed with his band The Virginia Boys. Bobby Osborne, a 1994 Hall of Fame inductee, blew the roof off when he performed his hit "Rocky Top" – Tennessee's state song – which Osborne told us he performed for the first time on this very stage 42 years ago to the day. And, 2008 Entertainers of the Year Dailey and Vincent ably represented the next generation with a virtuosic set that ended with an a cappella quartet that sent shrieks around the auditorium.

The show closed with headliners Restless Heart: a country band who enjoyed crossover success in the 80's with hits like "I'll Still Be Loving You" and "Why Does It Have to Be Wrong or Right?" Their plugged-in set was a bit of a letdown after all the great acoustic sets (the Opry only recently allowed bands to play plugged-in), but still didn't manage to tarnish the overall experience, which left me clicking my boots all the way down Broadway.  
(For more pics of the performers, visit the photo album on the new Feast of Music Facebook page, here.)