Grand Ole Opry - Tuesday Part 2

The new Opryland Hall is certainly bigger. This set of photos is from the exterior and one of the crowd near where I was sitting. The woman having her photo taken with one of our greeters was on a bus of Swedes - I heard them talking as I walked past them. A man in the group was saying, "Je har tenke de......"

I was in the balcony – Row E. The seats are upholstered bench seats – a bit odd. The stage at the hall has a large circle of the old Ryman Auditorium stage front and center so the singers always end up standing there when they sing - and the circle is unbroken. I think you can see the circle in this set of photos below - it is a lighter color than the rest of the floor.

Performers that night included:

• Connie Smith
• Michael Ray
• Riders in the Sky*
• Jason Crabb
• Charles Esten
• Del McCoury Band*
• John Conlee
• Chris Janson**

*My favorites

I sat next to a couple from Knoxville but originally from Iowa. We had a good time; it was good entertainment. Connie Smith, Riders in the Sky, John Conlee, and the Del McCoury Band were old-timers; the rest were new musicians still early in their careers. Although the Riders in the Sky were the only band to do a cross-over rap tune. The Grand Ole Opry is still broadcast live on WSM radio. It occurred to me that the Grand Ole Opry is a venue to showcase new talent. That is one of the reasons I really like Chris Janson; he is a new performer, but really original and authentic. I expect to hear more about him in the future. My seat-mates took a photo of me to prove I was there.