Opry music on a Saturday night...

When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar
You're listenin' to the sound of the American heart
And opry music on a Saturday night
Brings a smile to your face and a tear to your eye
-- from "Heartland," by George Strait

As I type this, GAC is re-running the tape of last night's Opry Live broadcast. That seems like an appropriate soundtrack to tell you about my evening at the Grand Ole Opry.

In December when I was hanging out with Jason Michael Carroll, he asked me if I was going to see him at the Opry before Christmas. I couldn't make it that night, but when he told me he'd be at the Opry in February, I promised him that I'd go. After I went to the Opry last month when Dierks was here, I knew that I had to go see Jason.

Jason Michael Carroll is an amazing artist and a great guy. It'd have been easy to fulfill this promise just because I support his music. However, it was even easier when I saw the line-up for the evening.

Joe Nichols.
Ashley Monroe.
Ricky Skaggs.
Connie Smith (who is somehow related to me).
The Del McCoury Band.
and George Jones.

George Jones. I know some people call George Strait "King George," but let's face it: George Jones is country music royalty.

And it was at the Ryman for the last night until next fall. Until you've seen the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium, I don't honestly believe that you "get it." The Mother Church of Country Music is a small, intimate venue. You actually sit in church pews. Aside from the state-of-the-art A/V equipment, very little seems to have changed from Captain Tom's day.

There's not a bad seat in the house. I bought our tickets for this practically sold-out show on Friday afternoon,and our seats were great. They were right across the aisle from our seats in January. I don't know that I'll ever be that close to George Jones again.

Even if "Alyssa Lies" isn't being performed, I always tear up at the Opry. When I was growing up, my Grandpa Snowball loved country music. He wasn't a wealthy man, but I remember that he had cable before everyone had cable, and his TV was always tuned to TNN. And some of my earliest memories were on Saturday nights when the little transistor radio in his kitchen was tuned to The Opry. You had two choices: 1) Be quiet and listen or 2) sit on the porch until it was over. Although it's nearly impossible for me to be quiet, I didn't want to sit on a porch for three hours.

All the heroes of country music and Martha White biscuit mix commercials still get to me. Last month it was Ralph Stanley and Charlie Pride. Last night it was George Jones, Connie Smith and some of my favorite new artists.

I can't possibly give you every little detail of the show. They pack a lot into the two-and-a-half hours at the Opry. So, here's a "highlight reel."

• Ashley Monroe is one of my favorite new artists, and I loved hearing her sing last night, especially "I Don't Want To." That song is fantastic, and her voice is like an angel's. Not that I'm comparing her to Allison Krauss, but that wouldn't be a bad thing, either.
• Jason made me proud to be his fan last night. We were celebrating the fact that his debut album is white-hot, and I love seeing how people react to "Alyssa Lies." I just wish that Timmy would've dressed up. It's the Opry, for goodness sakes!
• Ricky Skaggs is amazing. I never knew you could do those things with a mandolin. Bluegrass music is unbelievably cool. If you haven't gotten into it, do that.
• It was great to finally see Connie Smith live. I got excited when she asked if there were any Ohioans in the audience. I doubt she's made it back to Ohio in years, but nice that she remembers us. It also made me remember my Great-Grammie, who is the person who was related to her. I miss my Great-Grammie a lot, and now that I've moved away I wonder if I'll ever get back to Dungannon again.
• Joe Nichols is adorable, and I think that Jim Ed Brown was a total class act to give his young friend more stage time so he could sing "Brokenheartsville."
• Jason Byrd is going to be great. I'd been hearing buzz about this young man who's opening for The Possum, and it's all true. He made a fan in me.
• George Jones. Even if he hadn't sang songs from my current favorite CD Kickin' Out the Footlights Again, I would've still loved it. But Jones sang Haggard, and I was in heaven.
  

If you've never managed to get to the Grand Ole Opry, you need to put it on your agenda at some point. It's absolutely the best way to spend a Saturday night, especially when the show's downtown and you can duck out the back door of your favorite honkytonk and run over to the show.

Just like Hank Williams and Patsy Cline did all those years ago...