Steve Wariner celebrated his 25th anniversary of being a member of the Grand Ole Opry over the weekend in a big way. After performing songs like a cover of the Beatles’ “All My Lovin'” and his own “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” Wariner was surprised when Garth Brooks walked out on stage to help celebrate the milestone anniversary.
“GB, you made it for me. That’s awesome,” Wariner gushed from stage.
“25 years. Congratulations to the Opry. Congratulations to you,” Brooks said to Wariner.
The two also performed “Burnin’ the Roadhouse Down,” which they recorded together and became the title track of Wariner’s 1998 album. Following the live broadcast, the two Opry members stayed on stage to perform some of Wariner’s hits together, including “What I Didn’t Do,” “The Weekend” and “Longneck Bottle,” before Wariner closed the night with “Sails” from his hit album Drive.
Wariner and Brooks have been friends for decades, with Brooks inducting Wariner into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019. Wariner also spoke out last year after Brooks removed himself from consideration for the Entertainer of the Year category at the CMA Awards.
“If you’ve ever seen Garth Brooks live, you know why he consistently wins Entertainer of the Year. There is no one as big as Garth, but more importantly there is no one as kind,” Wariner said at the time. “I have been fortunate enough to call Garth a close friend for years, and I know who he is off stage as well; one of the kindest people on the entire planet. Garth; you are not just entertainer of the year, you are a legend forever, and you really earned it. This is a shame!”
Brooks appears in the video above beginning at the one-hour, 22-minute mark. The Grand Ole Opry recently announced that the shows would be open to full capacity, beginning this Friday, May 14. Lorrie Morgan, the Oak Ridge Boys, Charles Esten and Aaron Weber will perform Friday night, while Morgan and Weber will return for Saturday night’s show, along with Lady A, Dailey & Vincent and Ryan Hurd, who will be making his Grand Ole Opry debut. Find ticket information and details at Opry.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry / Chris Hollo