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When I was growing up in The Bronx I never knew anyone who listened to Country music. I will admit that I was slow to get on the bandwagon. It took countless hours driving in cars with Don to allow me to develop an appreciation of it. (Don will tell you that he enjoys both types of music: Country AND Western.) Those who know me realize that my musical taste is eclectic to say the least. My digital library runs the gamut from Hip Hop to Gershwin. I prefer old time Country and Bluegrass, the back to the roots stuff, to the modern cross-over tunes of late. Today I gained a new respect and perspective for the entire Country genre. We paid a visit to The Grand Ole Opry.
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As soon as we booked our hotel I decided to see who was playing at the Opry during our stay. It turned out that the Charlie Daniels Band was headlining at the Tuesday night show. I took this as a sign. The only Country music concert I had ever attended showcased Phil Vassar, Lonestar & closed with The Charlie Daniels Band. I was blown away when Charlie Daniels and his amazing musicians finished their set. They totally rocked the house. Damian became a fan via osmosis, absorbing Charlie’s music through listening sessions with Don. We ordered our tickets.
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We decided that we would also utilize our All Access Passes to take advantage of the Opry Backstage Tour. We obtained tickets for a morning tour and figured after it concluded we would head over to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel to check out their lush indoor gardens. Lunch at the Aquarium restaurant would round out the day and then we would head back in the evening for the show.
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The tour was fast paced but included a lot of information. They allow you to take all the pictures you want. It covers the in house studio (part of the ABC show “Nashville” is shot there), the performer’s entry and check in areas (all members have their own personal mailboxes & lockers), dressing rooms, Green Room, backstage areas and the original Opry Stage itself.
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The Opry is the longest running radio show in the world and broadcasts live during each performance. Each performer or group typically does about 3 songs. Here is a copy of tonight’s bill:
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We were told by our tour guide that since it is a live broadcast and ‘family friendly’ there is no alcohol served backstage in the performer areas. (I can’t help but wonder what gets smuggled in those tall boots they all wear.) After completing the backstage tour we were psyched for tonight’s show!
Once again we had a perfect weather day and the temperature reached 81 degrees with a light breeze. A walk across the Opryland Mall’s parking lot brought us to the magnificent Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The hotel contains a river with boats that glide you through the tropical gardens. (I thought the Gaylord at National Harbor was awesome when we stayed there, this one’s even better.) We took a voyage.
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The gardens contain mango, banana, lemon, orange, grapefruit and olive trees. There are fish in the river and a koi pond. It requires a huge staff of botanists to maintain. The atrium is kept at a constant temperature year round. The hotel is massive and you can easily get lost trying to navigate it. After the boat ride we cross back over to the mall to have lunch in the Aquarium. This restaurant was a perfect choice for my marine life loving Damian. The restaurant is built around a massive fish tank which has live sharks, stingrays, moray eels and myriad types of fish swimming around while you dine. He was so excited he could hardly eat. The waitstaff also tell you all about the tanks, fish and answer any questions you have related to them.
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After lunch we were full, hot and tired so it’s off to our hotel to refresh before show time. When we returned to the Opry there were live musical performances on the grounds. We settled down to enjoy them while waiting for the house to open.
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Once inside, we found our way up to the balcony. To keep the authenticity from the original Opry the seats are bench-like pews. It holds about 4000, not counting standing room. Tonight’s show was a sell out. It is definitely a unique experience being an audience member of a live radio show. The announcer does commercials throughout the show. There is a warm up guy who recruits some audience members for a couple of comedy bits. Then the show begins and the acts move quickly. Although I did not recognize many of the names on tonight’s bill I did recognize more than a few of the songs, thanks again to Don’s commandeering the radio on our road trip. A young woman sitting behind us thought we made a sweet tableau with my arm around Damian and his arm around Don. She took this picture of us:
A Night At The Opry
The Gatlin Brothers were doing a romantic ballad with a sweet three part harmony when Damian leaned over to me and said, “They should shine a big heart on them while they’re singing this song.” (The kid is staging the show, I love it!) Of course there were a few surprises,too. One of the Oak Ridge Boys stopped by and sang with the Gatlins (The Oak Ridge Boys are 2015 inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame.) and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith wandered onstage because he had been in town writing songs with one of tonight’s performers. Finally, we see a stout man with a huge white hat and matching boots enter while the announcer is doing a commercial spot. The audience at once recognizes Charlie and starts to hootin’ and hollerin’. The announcer introduces him and they launch into “El Toreador”. Charlie is on the guitar and he is impeccable. When finished he gives us some humorous details about his foray into social media, which sets up for “A Few More Rednecks”. He then introduces one of his band members, who has the distinction of being a member of the Charlie Daniels Band for 40 years (which means Don saw this guy and Charlie back in the 70’s in Florida). We all hope we know what’s coming next, when someone hands Charlie his fiddle from the wings. Charlie says that he has played this next song every single time he has been at the Opry because he believes in giving the people what they want to hear. Damian is thrilled when Charlie launches into “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”. So is the rest of the Opry audience. Charlie goes through 3 bows during this rendition when he adds an extemporaneous section in the middle of Johnny’s retort. When they finish the band gets a standing ovation. They deserved it.
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