Talk about a night to remember. Vince Gill took the Grand Ole Opry stage on Saturday, August 1, to perform alongside both Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris. The show marked the Opry’s 4935th consecutive show, as the iconic venue continues without an audience, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Emmylou began the hour-long performance with “If I Could Only Win Your Love.” The song, which was the first song Emmylou ever performed at the Grand Ole Opry, was her debut single, released in 1975. “If I Could Only Win Your Love” is from her freshman Pieces of the Sky album.
“The first time I was on the stage, in 1975, my first album had come out and the single, which was the first song that we did for you people, ‘If I Could Only Win Your Love,’ and I sang it with Charlie Louvin,” Emmylou recalled. “That was a real thrill for me, to be welcomed into the country music community, and here we are. It’s so great to be here with my friends. Rodney and I first met in 1974; that’s how far back we go. Almost from the beginning, we said, ‘We got to do an album together one of these days. About 43, 44 years later, we did an album called Old Yellow Moon.”
Vince, who performed at the Opry last month with Reba McEntire, is thrilled to perform on the historic stage, even without an audience.
“We’ve been doing this for a few months now, a bunch of different shows. It’s been a blast,” Vince shared. “Nobody’s here but a lot of people are watching, a lot of people listening, so it’s kind of like the Opry always has been.”
“It’s fantastic that the Opry didn’t skip a beat,” Emmylou added. “They kept on with tradition, and it somehow gives you hope for everything else.”
Vince kicked off his performance with “Oklahoma Borderline,”which Vince wrote with Rodney Crowell and Guy Clark, and “Till I Gain Control Again,” written by Rodney, which he described as “the song that bonded a friendship that has lasted almost 44 years,” and “Song for the Life,” also written by Rodney. “Song for Life” has been recorded by several artists, including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Johnny Cash, Kathy Mattea, Alison Krauss and John Denver. Vince performed the song in honor of Rodney Crowell’s upcoming 70th birthday on August 7.
Rodney performed “Still Learning How to Fly” and “Bluebird Wine,” which Emmylou included on Pieces of the Sky. Together, Rodney and Emmylou performed “You Can’t Say We Didn’t Try,” from the pair’s 2015 duets album, The Traveling Kind.
The Opry plans on continuing shows without an audience through next Saturday, August 15. This Saturday, August 8, will see Old Crow Medicine Show, Dom Flemons, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle on the Opry stage, while Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker will perform together on August 15. Updates, including viewing and listening options, can be found at Opry.com.