Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart to Appear on Grand Ole Opry

The world has been shuttered and turned upside down by the Coronavirus. But the Opry will continue on tonight (3-21), refusing to break its storied tradition with its 4,916th consecutive Saturday night broadcast. There will be no backup band and no audience obviously, and only a skeleton support crew will be on site for the second week in a row. But the Opry will bring out the stars to stand in the hallowed circle at center stage for acoustic sets to be broadcast on WSM in Nashville, around the world via the internet, and for the first time in the modern era, via live television broadcast.

Set the perform Saturday night is Opry member and champion Brad Paisley. A long-time understudy of Opry legend “Little” Jimmy Dickens, Paisley has been one of the best mainstream champions of the institution over his career. Joining him will be Marty Stuart, who is another Opry mainstay, and our generation’s greatest encyclopedia and preservationist of country music history. Also performing will be Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill who is a regular performer and presenter at the Opry.

Last week’s Saturday night Opry presentation was the first ever to be broadcast via video online, and drew nearly half a million listeners and viewers. The Opry will be video streamed once again Saturday via the Opry’s Facebook page, on YouTube, and for the first time on the new Circle Network to all local affiliates of the expanding channel (check availability). The show will start at 7 p.m. Central.

The Grand Ole Opry has postponed all Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday night performances at least until April 4th, though with the current prospectus on the COVID-19 shutdown, it could be for longer. However, the Opry has vowed to keep the Saturday night tradition going. Saturday is the original night the Opry broadcast emanated from WSM in Nashville, and was simulcast all across the country across scores of radio affiliates.

© 2023 Saving Country Music