Reba McEntire, Vince Gill to Appear on the Grand Ole Opry
COVID-19 has caused a second wave of closures and cancellations throughout the country music heartland and sunbelt south, but the storied institution of the Grand Ole Opry endures on Saturday night as it has done since the very start of the pandemic, and for over 95 years. Sans a crowd and with only a streamlined crew, the Grand Ole Opry will hold forth Saturday, July 18th from Nashville once again with an extra special lineup that includes country legends and Hall of Famers Vince Gill and Reba McEntire taking the stage.
Both Vince Gill and Reba McEntire released landmark late career comeback records in 2019 that resulted many in favorable reviews. Reba’s Stronger Than The Truth was not just a strong return to her roots, it might have been one of the most country and rootsy records of her career. Meanwhile Vince Gill left not a dry eye in the house with his moving album Okie.
Both Vince Gill and Reba McEntire are also officially Grand Ole Opry members. And though Vince Gill is a regular on the Opry stage and played with his wife Amy Grant and their daughters on one of the earlier COVID-19 special presentations in March, Reba’s presence on the Opry stage has been very rare lately, and will be a special treat.
Also on The Circle Network this weekend will be a special tribute to Charlie Daniels who passed away on July 6th. On Sunday evening (7-19), the network will air a Charlie Daniels marathon that will include The Charlie Daniels Band: Live at Billy Bob’s Texas, Reflections from the Circle: Charlie Daniels, Hee Haw with guest Charlie Daniels, and Circle Sessions: Remembering Charlie Daniels.
Fans can watch Saturday night’s Opry presentation live via the embedded player below, on the new Circle Network via local affiliates of the expanding channel (check availability), on the Circle Network’s Facebook Page, or on The Circle Network’s YouTube page, or listen via WSM. The presentation begins at 7 p.m. Central.
hoptowntiger94
July 18, 2020 @ 11:14 am
I’ll be tuning in for this one! I watched Reba Live! concert from 95 on Facebook streaming last night. I had that on VHS back in the day. And I remember watching it on TV. I was a huge Reba fan from 90-2000.
Hey Arnold
July 18, 2020 @ 12:05 pm
All of Vince Gill’s songs are sad and make grown men want to cry.
I’m curious, did Vince ever release a song/single that was upbeat and fun?
This is a serious question… I literally can’t think of anything upbeat from him..
Harpo
July 18, 2020 @ 12:39 pm
How about ” gimme just one more last chance “?
Marc
July 18, 2020 @ 1:19 pm
Liza Jane, What The Cowgirls Do, Next Big Thing.
Jamie
July 18, 2020 @ 2:52 pm
His 2000 single, “Feels Like Love,” was also very upbeat and happy. Also, check out “Oklahoma Swing,” which was a duet with Reba and one of his early MCA singles.
hoptowntiger94
July 18, 2020 @ 3:35 pm
“Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away” and a great video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlUGTof2TWU
Music videos were so great back then. I was just talking about Reba’s epic music videos from that ear … “Is There Life Out There,” “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” “There Heart Won’t Lie”…
Hey Arnold
July 18, 2020 @ 6:34 pm
Awesome song. I’ve been missing out (I was born in the late 90s but still)
Thanks for sharing!!!
albert
July 18, 2020 @ 4:24 pm
” Next Big Thing” was a GREAT vince track that radio ignored .
killer groove and on-the-money-fun-but-true lyrics .
Hey Arnold
July 18, 2020 @ 6:30 pm
Thanks for all the recommendations!!!
I’ve always appreciated Vince Gill but I wasn’t super knowledgeable about his entire discography in the country genre!! Most of his iconic hits seem to be ballads about sad topics.
But I will definitely check out these upbeat song requests!!!
FM
July 18, 2020 @ 7:31 pm
He sings “Heartache Tonight” with the Eagles! 😉
Jake Cutter
July 18, 2020 @ 2:19 pm
Remember when any post with COVID mentioned generated hundreds of comments, statistics, and lectures? Ahhhhhhh……..the good ole days. Might be a nostalgic country song somewhere in there. Old pickups, pies in the window, and flattening the curve arguments…take me home.
If I’m any sort of representative case study, I can say that any fears or theories of streaming becoming popular enough to replace live shows (in some imagined distant future), can be shit canned. I was into them for a couple weeks, but I haven’t watched one in months.
hoptowntiger94
July 18, 2020 @ 3:44 pm
I’v only watched replays of when Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs were on the Opry. I’ll watch tonight because we are in a drought and my livelihood dried up (no one will be spared this year),
Jake Cutter
July 18, 2020 @ 4:10 pm
I’m in the same boat brother. It’s ok though, we can rest just as assured, with the same 110% confidence, that it is absolutely unquestionably more than completely worth it multiplied by like a billion, that we can with the explanation that Epstein killed himself. No complaints here!
JB-Chicago
July 19, 2020 @ 6:08 am
Well to be honest since full bands have started playing small crowd gigs here I’ve downloaded a bunch of streams that I thought I was going to watch but just don’t feel the need unless it’s special. I will watch this Reba/Vince one.
Terry
July 18, 2020 @ 6:04 pm
What a wonderful night of music! Two Country giants just singjng up a storm! Could surely do without these inane ad breaks-just let them play!! What separates Country from other genres is you easily hear what they are singing and like these shows, you don’t always need much instrumentation -these two have such powerhouse voices!!
Bravo!!
TwangBob
July 18, 2020 @ 6:26 pm
Now THAT was a grand show! I enjoyed the between song banter by Reba and Vince. Given her Opry performance tonight, I think Reba should cut an album with the acoustic trio. The stripped down sound was fabulous!
Julee McClurkan
July 18, 2020 @ 9:18 pm
We have watched the Opry on CBS on Saturday nights from Circle. We have enjoyed the music. Imagine my surprise when I turned my TV at 12:14 to see this was a rerun from last week with Margo Price. I really don’t appreciate a big announcement last week of who would be on this week and then to find it was a rerun. This is pretty sorry. I would appreciate some honesty.
Trigger
July 18, 2020 @ 9:23 pm
Huh. I wonder if your local affiliate dropped the ball and didn’t play the new episode or something, or perhaps moved times. The new episode seemed to play for most everyone I’ve heard from.
Hey Arnold
July 19, 2020 @ 12:13 am
Wait. CBS is airing the Opry shows now??
I’ve been watching it on YouTube tv since March with Bobby Bones hosting.
My TV provider (Frontier) doesn’t have The Circle Network yet, but they should have it sometime this year.
Trigger
July 19, 2020 @ 7:29 am
No, CBS does not have the Opry, though perhaps in certain markets The Circle Network is on the hyphen channels for a CBS affiliate, the 5-2 or 5-3 channels.
hoptowntiger94
July 19, 2020 @ 3:07 pm
It was supposed to be on our CBS affiliate PGCW (using the link in your article and our zip code), but it wasn’t… Family Feud. So we passed the phone and bottle around. It was like sharing binoculars at game.
Kevin
July 20, 2020 @ 7:38 am
Yep, in the Detroit area it’s a “sub” cbs station. 52-3 or something, with CBS being 52. No CBS branding or affiliation i’m aware of.
JD Nash
July 18, 2020 @ 9:44 pm
The ONLY way I won’t be listening is if the horrid Bobby Bones will be introducing them. He has no business being anywhere near country greats OR country music. Sorry.
Will
July 20, 2020 @ 8:43 pm
If you watch the stream he only does the very first break then some female takes over while he does the TV breaks. Way better.
JD
July 20, 2020 @ 8:56 pm
He should be no where near the Opry, period. He has no knowledge of country music and wines all day that nobody loves him. He’s a fraud and needs to go back to Top 40. He adds nothing to the institution and great tradition that is the Grand Ole Opry. Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl are rolling over in their graves. The experiment failed (from iHeart) and they must admit he’s a dud.
Big Tex
July 19, 2020 @ 8:32 am
I watched the program start to finish. Acoustic sets are, by far, my favorite, and I was mildly pleased with the performance. I am mightily impressed with Vince Gill’s guitar prowess, and enjoy seeing him pick, but I’m not a fan of his singing. I’ve referred to him for years as “Country Music’s Perry Como;” bland as bland can be (except for his picking). As for Reba, although I was never a big fan of hers, any respect or admiration I might have had for her went south faster than a bomb dropped from a B-52 as a result of her performance many years ago on the CMA (or ACM) awards show when she strutted out onto the stage and performed Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” That song had absolutely NO BUSINESS whatsoever being a part of a country music program!
LimaOhio09
July 20, 2020 @ 5:37 am
33 years ago lmao
wayne
July 19, 2020 @ 1:29 pm
Respect for both artists. Never was, nor am, a fan of Reba simply because I cannot get with her voice. However, doesn’t mean respect is not due her for what she has accomplished. She is a tremendous talent, just not one I personally like.
As for “Sweetness”, I have always liked his guitar playing better than his singing. Again, a tremendous talent.
Di Harris
July 19, 2020 @ 2:51 pm
Vince absolutely killed it at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Oct. 2018, as part of The Eagles.
When Vince, Timothy Schmit, Don Henley, Deacon Frey, Joe Walsh, & Steuart Smith, all took the stage with guitars, 6 guys in a row who were astounding, …
Well, as a woman, i can say it was one of the sexiest moments i have ever witnessed.
OMG.
The sheer talent was AMAZING.
Still, the Best. Concert. Ever.
albert
July 20, 2020 @ 8:40 am
this is why I turned down that eagles gig when they asked me , di .
I HATE being viewed as simply a sex symbol …let alone one of SIX sex symbols .
damn …I can play a mandolin !! and a kazoo -….
JB-Chicago
July 30, 2020 @ 12:45 pm
Watched the video they had of this tour last night for the first time. (ESPN had been playing it to fill space) Great show indeed! Vince fits right in. A must see for any fan of either.
Di Harris
July 30, 2020 @ 5:04 pm
So glad you were able to watch the concert JB!
Cool as all heck.
Headed to Nashville tomorrow.
We will see what, if anything, is open.
Robert’s W. World is closed through tomorrow night.
As of right now they do not have a re-open date.
The pool & pool bar are open where we are staying.
The only reason we are still going this weekend, is one of the gang is currently working in Nashville, on a job site.
Taking a couple decks of cards.
If nothing else, we can kick back poolside while enjoying adult beverages, and get a poker game up
Di Harris
July 20, 2020 @ 10:03 am
10 points Albert!
That is funny.
Yes, ONE OF THE SEXIEST THINGS EVER.
INSANE TALENT WAS UP ON THAT STAGE.
They’re bringing Deacon along Beautifully