Saturday, October 3, will be a night that goes down in history as one of the most memorable Grand Ole Opry shows ever. Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Lorrie Morgan and Terri Clark performed in front of 500 guests, marking the first time a live audience, albeit limited, was allowed into the Opry since mid-March, when the shows began taking place without anyone in the crowd, due to COVID-19. The show kicked off a month-long celebration, honoring the Grand Ole Opry’s 95th anniversary.
Each artist was asked to pick a song originally performed by a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Vince kicked off the night by performing Roy Acuff’s “Night Train to Memphis.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a4mW677czs
“I’ll tell you why I chose a Roy Acuff song, because it’s fun,” Vince shared from stage. “That was fun, and it felt so good. He’s the man who inducted me, when I was made a member at the Grand Ole Opry, almost 30 years ago. That meant the world to me, that I got to be inducted by the great Roy Acuff. And then I remember, the first time I got to play the Opry … I was supposed to play with my daughter, who was in first or second grade. I’d never gotten to play the Grand Ole Opry; this was in the late ’80s.
“I was gonna take her to a talent show at her grade school, Grassland Elementary. We learned ‘You Are My Sunshine.’ I had to make every rehearsal, and all that stuff. The middle of the week, we were all set for the big talent show at school, Saturday night,” he continued, adding that he unexpectedly got a phone call inviting him to perform at the Opry the same night of her talent show. Being the proud father that he was, he declined the invitation, but fortunately, they found another week for him to perform.
“Thankfully, they were kind enough to invite me back,” Vince said.
The night was also a milestone for Dierks, who celebrates his 15th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member this week as well.
“500 is the new 50,000!” Dierks said from stage.
“It’s a magical feeling up here tonight,” Lorrie gushed after singing “Something in Red.” “I’m so elated to be here. We do appreciate you being here more than you will ever know.”
“I didn’t know if I would walk out and see people in the audience and burst into tears or not,” Terri said, after singing “Better Things to Do.” “But I am so joyful to be a part of this tonight. I played the Opry in April without an audience and it was haunting. I am truly so moved to be a part of another historical moment on the Opry’s 95th birthday.”
All four Opry members ended the show with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” while images of other members of the Grand Ole Opry flashed on the screen behind them.
This week’s October 10 show, called Opry Firsts, will feature Jeannie Seely, Carly Pearce and Josh Turner.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Grand Ole Opry LLC. Chris Hollo, photographer