If Your Friend Thinks Grills and Fitted Hats are Formal Wear...

...You Probably Shouldn't Take Him to the Grand Ole Opry

Seriously though, it was actually fine - except for his singing "the Opry's so gay" over the mushy-gushy lovey-dovey slow last song.
It was a genre stretch for both of us. Though I'll admit I listen to some country, I by no means can be called a country fan.

- It drives me nuts when the classic rock station seems to play more Skynyrd than anything else, and all the commercials are for nascar, trailers and rodeos. My one blue-grass album is a cover of Metallica songs, and my gospel songs are either sung by little kids or more in the way of artists like Kirk Franklin. -

We both heard some things we liked and some things for which we didn't care. I was surprised by how much I liked what I did like, and by the amount of stuff he seemed to enjoy. The Grand Ole Opry's still a radio show, still done like the old radio shows. Being an avid fan of the old Burns & Allen shows, I really enjoyed seeing a live show done. The announcers were so classic, and the commercials for the sponsors worked right into the show! - just like the old days.

By the end of the show, my friend was drawing some rather insightful comparisons between the country genres and hip-hop, including commenting on all the bling on Little Jimmy Dickens' suit. I hope he flushes those ideas out more and writes about them on his blog.

The Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman - a truly Nashville experience. And, one of the few times I've felt like 'yeah, I'm in Nashville," and wasn't pissed off about it. It was a good show.

Here's my two favorite acts from the show, ya'll check em out now, ya hear! ;)

James Otto and Terri Clark

(Original Post)

Relaxed

Ludacris