Dierks Bentley, Terri
Clark, Vince Gill and Lorrie Morgan To Perform as Opry Kicks Off 95th
Anniversary Celebration
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (September 24, 2020) The Grand Ole Opry will welcome back
a limited in-venue audience beginning Saturday, October 3, a kick-off of
the Opry’s 95th anniversary celebration. Opry members Dierks
Bentley, Terri Clark, Vince Gill and Lorrie Morgan are
scheduled to perform. Bentley, also celebrating his 15th Opry
anniversary, was inducted into the Opry family on October 1, 2005.
The in-venue audience will be capped at 500 guests for the
October 3rd 95th anniversary celebration. The limited
audience will be made up of fans who had previously held tickets for each night’s
show.
“With gratitude to the artists who have visited the Opry
since March, staff members and partners who have ensured the Opry went on every
Saturday, and a worldwide audience for tuning in over the past six months, we
are so excited as we plan to welcome fans back to the Opry House,” said Dan
Rogers, Opry vice president and executive producer. “So many loyal fans make
plans early to be a part of our birthday weekend every year, and I am
especially excited that many of those devoted familiar faces will be in the
first in-house audience since late last winter. Of course we will only be truly
happy when we can return to capacity audiences and full Opry shows that are
known around the world.”
Click HERE for a sizzle reel of highlights of just some of the Opry
members and special guests who have stepped in to the circle to help the keep
the music playing at the Grand Ole Opry since the in-house audience shows were
paused on March 14.
The Grand Ole Opry will strictly comply with operating plans
developed in collaboration with the Nashville Public Health Department and
Vanderbilt Health that include socially distanced seating, mandatory masks for
all guests and staff, as well as enhanced cleaning practices.
Operating plans include:
- Exclusive
to 500 ticketed guests- Physically
distanced seating, allowing those in the same group to sit together but
distanced from others
- Mandatory
masks for all guests, Opry House operations and production staff
- Designated restrooms, entry
and exit points
- No food or beverage service
- Temperature checks for all staff
- Enhanced cleaning practices
- Physically
As the Opry continues its month-long
95th anniversary celebration with a maximum of 500 fans allowed to
be live in the Opry House, the show will continue its one-hour livestream on
Circle All Access YouTube, Twitter and
Facebook channels as well as Circle
TV , SiriusXM,
and the Opry’s flagship home 650 WSM AM and wsmonline.com, allowing fans from
around the world to enjoy the high-quality performances from home.
Information regarding ticket
availability for October shows will be updated at opry.com. More details on other Opry 95th
Anniversary Celebration shows and digital events happening throughout the month
of October will be announced soon.
Those tuning into the Livestream on Circle All Access
YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels Saturday, October 3 can watch a Circle
Sessions: Lauren Alaina at 7:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM CT immediately prior
to the Opry. Alaina talks to host Nan Kelley about her new EP, Getting Over
Him, her love of the Grand Ole Opry and the connection she has with her Dad
and the Opry. The No. 1 Platinum-selling star also talks about her role as host
of the upcoming Circle TV series Jesus
Calling: Stories of Faith, launching
October 6.
As the
Grand Ole Opry approaches its 95th anniversary in the midst of a
global pandemic, Opry members and special guest artists kept the music playing from
the unbroken circle, and the Opry began reaching some of its largest audiences
to date. The Opry has logged viewers from over 100 countries worldwide since
shows with a live Opry House audience were paused in mid-March. The Opry
livestream has consistently been in the top of the Pollstar Livestream Chart
with an average of over 1 million+ viewers each week, and Circle TV’s
distribution has grown steadily over the course of the past 29 weeks as well.
In
an effort to maintain health and safety amid current COVID-19 concerns, the
Opry, the world’s longest-running radio show, was forced to pause performances
that included a live audience beginning on March 14. The show will have played
on without a live ticketed audience for 29 consecutive Saturday night
broadcasts before finally welcoming them back.The Opry’s paused shows without an audience have
included Opry members Trace Adkins, Bill
Anderson, Kelsea Ballerini, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Terri Clark, Luke Combs,
Dailey & Vincent, the Gatlin Brothers, Vince Gill,
Emmylou Harris, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson, Reba McEntire, Craig Morgan, the
Oak Ridge Boys, Old Crow Medicine Show, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Jeannie
Seely, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis,
Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, Mark Wills, Trisha Yearwood and
Chris Young along with special guests Lady A, Lauren Alaina, Jimmie Allen,
Mandy Barnett, Lee Brice, T. Graham Brown, Luke Bryan, Steven Curtis Chapman,
Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Jason Crabb, Rodney Crowell, Sara Evans, Amy
Grant and daughters Jenny Gill and Corrina Grant Gill, Riley Green, Tracy Lawrence,
Ashley McBryde, Chrissy Metz, Keb’ Mo’, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Margo Price,
Kellie Pickler, Michael Ray, Runaway June, Billy Strings, The Scott Family,
Gwen Stefani, Tenille Townes, Molly Tuttle, Sam Williams, CeCe Winans, Charlie
Worsham, and Brett Young.
This Saturday, September 26,
Opry members Marty Stuart and Connie Smith will step onto
the Grand Ole Opry stage along with Sierra Hull at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT for
the 4,943rd consecutive Saturday night broadcast. Opry shows will be broadcast
live on Circle and Gray TV stations, DISH Studio Channel 102, Sling TV, and
other TV affiliates in addition to a companion live stream on Circle All Access
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The Opry can also be heard on 650 WSM-AM,
wsmonline.com, and SiriusXM.
About the Grand Ole Opry:
Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville,
Tenn. The Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM.
The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP).
For more information, visit opry.com