In a change from our usual reporting from the venues of London, it is finally time to spread our wings and report from one of Nashville’s legendary venues The Grand Ole Opry. It is a well-appointed, semi circular auditorium with a high ceiling. There are no pillars to obscure sight lines and there is very comfortable cushioned bench seating. There were screens big and small capturing the action. not just for those in attendance, each show is played out across tv and radio stations, so they are very slick affairs with a variety of artists doing three or four numbers, in 2 hour long sets with a short intermission. Everything is supremely efficiently marshalled by our host Mike Terry who will be MC and interviewer as well as being the voice of the Opry’s many sponsors, his announcements would distract from the stage being set up for the next act.
The stage is wide – there is space for the extensive Grand Ole Opry band who have to digest huge amounts of new music each week – they run through what they are going to play once with the artist and then it gets played that same night. Centre stage is the legendary circle, removed from the Opry’s previous location – the Ryman Auditiorium
First act of the night were Riders In The Sky, a well seasoned four piece with 42 albums to their name but as the evening would show repeatedly, with age comes experience and these guys were recent Grammy award winners and have an act that is well honed, with a level of schtick that has been tried out on audiences over the years. Having said that their references were spot on and although they were self deprecating about their ages, their harmonies sounded as good as ever, while Too Slim on double bass was able to spin that instrument with a twinkle in his eye as well as possessing the ability of being able to play a tune on his cheeks!
They would open with “Texas Plains” written in 1932 and first recorded by the Riders in 1987, a mix of accordion, double bass, fiddle and guitar, this was old time classic country yet sounded vibrant and lively. Following it up with “Wah Hoo”, with it’s prominent accordion, fiddle and yodelling!, this sound could have been playing out of radios for the last seventy years yet seeing it in the flesh in 2024, it was still highly entertaining. If you’ve seen Toy Story 2, then it was Riders In The Sky who performed “Woody’s Round Up” – this was the inspiration for a three song melody, “When You Wish Upon a Star” would be the fiddle opening before moving on to the aforementioned “Round Up”, “Jessie The Yodelling Cowgirl” and of course the films classic song “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from their Grammy winning album. The set would close with “Happy Trails To You” which would once more display their harmonies and humour.
If there has been one song reverberating around the offices of #TEAMw21 this last week it is Sean McConnell’s “Skin”, It is a little masterpiece, restrained but stunningly effective. Sean would be one of the artists who would make full use of the Opry players to great effect with a team of four backing singers giving the appropriate gospel feel along with classic organ and pedal steel playing.
Looking slightly different since when we last saw him in London, his moustache seemed a little fuller and tonight he was eschewing his spectacles. Sean is a firm #TEAMw21 favourite and as he stood in the circle and opened with the harmonica intro to “Shaky Bridges” we were to witness a simply masterful display. Initially just Sean and his acoustic guitar, the chorus would see the arrival of four backing singers and suddenly the Grand Old Opry was a most spiritual place. The Opry players would add their weight in a most moving version, the classic organ and pedal steel sound lifting the whole performance to ever greater heights. With a limited time slot your choices have to be well made and so for his second number Sean would chose “Mercy” the song he wrote with, and that was a hit for Brett Young, which received a positive response just for i’s announcement. Played with just Sean and an additional piano player, this was another stellar performance delivered with real passion. Sean’s new album is called “Skin” and we’ll need to wait until February to hear it in it’s entirety, so far the songs from it have been absorbing yet quite minimalist in terms of instrumentation however his final choice “Shine A Light On Me” really benefitted from the big band sound and those backing singers. It was spiritually uplifting and stunningly delivered, we can’t wait to welcome this little gem into our lives, even on first hearing this was an absolute classic in the making, gradually building all the time until it became truly joyful and celebratory.
Another of the more senior performers on the night was Connie Smith with three slices of classic country. As she walked on to the stage she picked up her microphone and headed for the magic circle where she would remain fairly static for the whole of her set. Her lack of motion did not stop her from singing her songs with as much gusto as any performer half her age and although it is not gallant to mention a lady’s age – Connie is 83 and still sounding strong and powerful in her singing.
Flanked by her two regular guitarists, she opened with a song from her 2021 album “The Cry Of The Heart” called “Here Comes My Baby Back Again” co written with Marty Stuart which had a certain Orbison like swagger to it, the chorus would have additional backing vocals on a definitely punchy opener. Such is her career that she could step back 54 years for “You And Your Sweet Love”, a classic Bill Anderson song from her catalogue. As classic a bit of country as the previous song had been contemporary, each was delivered with her aplomb. Her set would close with another originally from 1970, Connie’s favourite gospel song, an old Louvin Brothers number “Way Up On The Mountain”. Celebratory and joyful Connie would keep the uplifting spiritual feeling that Sean had started well ad truly going.
Bringing us right up to date was Larry Fleet, destined to be a huge star, and a surefire hit with UK crowds whenever he eventually lands in the UK. This was perhaps a more restrained performance than he might usually give, certainly his double bass player was apparently much more sedate than normal. In the same way that Sean McConnell had excelled in using the full Grand Old Opry band , Larry was able to deliver an equally compelling set by using just himself and two trusted lieutenants. He looked an absolute bear of a man complete with a most fulsome beard , the sort of guy that the expression larger than life was made for. His three songs showed that a great atmosphere can be generated with the most minimal of backing.
So with just two acoustic guitars and a rich warm sounding stand up bass, he opened up with his song that became his first number one for Morgan Wallen and Eric Church, “Man Made A Bar”. With a voice that demanded your attention, the house roared as the final notes faded in a quite compelling performance. His second song would be “Hard Work And Holy Water” which is the name of his forthcoming tour but until tonight there was no song of the same name. With some intricate guitar work and impressive vocals, this debut was well received, closing with an “Amen”. If his set had not already been sublime, the introduction of the mandolin for “Where I Find God”, the final number was surely the icing on the cake. Larry would call it the song that got his whole career going and the powerful performance would draw enthusiastic whoops from the audience throughout. On completion the Grand Old Opry all but exploded into applause and appreciation of an artist delivering a masterclass of simplicity that was impossible to take your eyes away from. It would bring the first half of this evening’s entertainment to a close.