I was able to see the Opry back when it was at the Ryman. It was fantastic. After one of the shows, a buddy and I wandered backstage to check it out. That was decades ago, but I’ll never forget it.
I remember sitting there on those hard assed pews fanning for all it was worth - man it was HOT..........but I was sitting in the Mother Church of Country Music and it was worth it.....then years (decades?) later went to the new Opry House and loved it......had a friend with me from NYC who had never really listened to country music and fell in love with it that night.....what I loved so much about last night was when they invited Blake Shelton to join the Opry....I had just been wondering before the start of the show why he wasn’t a member.....last night was great....until they had that a$$hole from the WH welcoming them back - as if he cared since he NEVER, EVER mentioned the floods in Nashville....guess TN is too white for him!
To bring politics into this (of course...this is FR, after all), I think the intersection of DUmmies and KOSkiddies and those who have been to Opry (Ryman or otherwise) forms the empty set.
Don't get me wrong, I love Country music for its intrinsic value. But, on another level, I also like it because liberals tend to hate it and all that it stands for.
On his iPod, I seriously doubt that the current tenant of the White House has much in the way of Bill Monroe, Roy Acuff, Hank Thompson, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins...