Here is the line-up for this weekend's Grand Ole Opry shows:
Friday June 19th:
7:00: Mike Snider(host); The Whites; Emily West
7:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jeannie Seely; Tracy Byrd
8:00: Marty Stuart(host); Jan Howard; George Hamilton IV; Connie Smith
8:30: Vince Gill(host); John Conlee; Alison Krauss
Saturday June 20th:
First Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Rhonda Vincent
7:30: Mike Snider(host); Hal Ketchum; Point Of Grace
8:00: John Conlee(host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Jim Ed Brown; Sammy Johns; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Vince Gill(host); Alison Kruass w/ The Whites
Second Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Rhonda Vincent
10:00: Vince Gill(host); Mike Snider; Point Of Grace
10:30: John Conlee(host); Hal Ketchum; Sammy Johns; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jim Ed Brown(host); Alison Krauss w/The Whites
A couple of comments:
>Alison Krauss makes her 1st Opry appearance since 2007, doing all 3 shows. She is also scheduled for an appearance in July. I do notice that she is not with Union Station, but it would appear that the Whites are going to back her up on Saturday's show.
>Rhonda Vincent will be doing both shows on Saturday night. With Alison and Rhonda, you have 2 of the top female bluegrass entertainers on the same show.
>Vince Gill is on all 3 shows for the weekend.
Overall, I would call it a pretty good line-up. In addition, Rhonda Vincent will be hosting the Ernest Tubb Record Shop Midnight Jamboree after the Opry. That should be a great show, as she has hosted the Jamboree several times in the past and has always drawn a very good crowd.
On another note, GAC(Great American Country), has announced that they have pulled the Grand Ole Opry off of their regular schedule for the Summer and that the Opry will be returning with brand new shows in the fall. There have been no new Opry televised shows since the 1st of the year.
Finally, on the Tuesday Night Opry on June 23rd, Montgomery Gentry will be inducted as Opry members. I find it strange that they would do an induction on a Tuesday night show and not the main Saturday night Grand Ole Opry. It makes me wonder how important the Opry management or Montgomery Gentry view the tradition of the Saturday night show. I also checked my records, and the vast majority of Montgomery Gentry's appearances in the past year at the Opry have been on the Tuesday night show, with a Friday night appearance thrown in. I hope someone tells them that the Grand Ole Opry's flagship show is on Saturday night.
I agree about Montgomery Gentry. At the same time, Saturday and then Friday are the big nights for touring artists, so they may already have commitments for that period and this is how their schedule has worked out. If they are showing up on Tuesdays and Fridays, that still would put them ahead of Alison Krauss' record since 2007.
ReplyDeleteAgree on that point.
ReplyDeleteHi fayfare
ReplyDeleteWhere did you see the GAC announcement? Have you heard any confirmation/formal announcement from Opry management about this? It would be interesting to know if an actual long-term agreement is in place or if this is just a "short-run" of shows in the fall. I would think the Opry's PR people would put something out too if they indeed had reached any kind of substantial agreement. . .
I have a source who works at Scripps, who owns and operates GAC. She has kept me informed of the Opry and GAC's relationship and she said that the contract is in place for the Opry and GAC and that the plans were originally to have new shows airing in the summer, but that has been pushed back to fall. She did not know what form the new show would take; if it would be an actual live Saturday night Opry show, or if they would tape a Tuesday night show and use that on the following Saturday. They did that a couple of times this past year, and it worked out pretty good, especially with the format that they use on Tuesday night.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I would rather that they tape and show the Tuesday Night Opry rather than mess with and mess up the Saturday night lineup. Since what they televise isn't a true representation of the Saturday night show, why not just go with the Tuesday night one?
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ReplyDeleteThanks, fayfare. I hope this is the case. I was just curious as to why nothing has come out on the Opry side.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope they continue to do it live on Saturday because that is when I visit the Opry in person, and having the TV segment means stronger shows on that night. I don't care if they have to mess with the tradional format to make room for TV as long as I am seeing big name people there for TV exposure.
Why not just go with the Tuesday night show? Well, fayfare in his initial post above expressed concern about having Montgomery Gentry inducted on a Tuesday. Well, if you tape on Tuesday, I guarantee you that many if not most of the really "special" moments at the Opry. . . inductions, anniversary celebrations, having a Steve Martin etc. would occur only on Tuesday and not on the "flagship" shows on Saturday so that they could be taped and televised. Keep in mind too,when you get a big name on Saturday for TV, most times you have them for the 9:30 show too, when there is one. So 2 shows become stronger. No, taping on Tuesday would not be a good thing at all for the "flagship" night. . .
Believe me, Tuesdays, week in and week out would become the premier Opry show of the week if TV was taped that night, and Saturday would really, really, become an afterthought when scheduling of the big name artists is done. It would erode the importance and tradition of the Saturday show even further than has already been done.
You know, I do see your point. I just think the problem is that they do a "special" Opry show for GAC, and it's false advertising. I wonder how many people watch that hour, see four young rock-style acts, and think that's the rest of the Opry--which, thankfully, it isn't.
ReplyDeleteHi Michael. Of course, people that aren't hard core fans will get that impression anyway about the Opry even if they tape Tuesday and air on Saturday because they will only see that "made for TV" show on Saturday anyway and people will think that is the traditional Opry format/artists.
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