We have visited just about every attraction there is in Nashville. One we have never seen is the Nashville Parthenon. It is a replica of the one in Ancient Greece. It was originally built for Tennessee's 1897 exposition, and was suppose to last only 6 months. The people of Nashville loved it so much they rebuilt it out of concrete (originally it was made of plaster). It currently serves as an art museum.
Inside is a 42 foot statue of Athena, which as commissioned in 1982. It was finished in 1990 and stayed a white statue until 2002 when it was gilded in gold.
Directly across from Athena are a set of bronze doors. These doors weigh 7.5 tons each and are 1 foot thick. They are suppose to be very easy to move as they are perfectly balanced.
After visiting the Parthenon we drove over to downtown Nashville. We decided to walk around, get a bite to eat and then head over to the Ryman for the show. We found a parking spot right behind the Ryman. We walked up and down Broadway checking out the bars, restaurants and gift stores while trying to decide where to eat. A lot of the bars and restaurants still allow smoking so we picked Jack's BBQ as it is smoke free. We ate here a number of years ago and remembered it being good. Since we had a big lunch (I made taco's) we thought a smaller meal would be best. I had a BBQ beef brisket sandwich and Bill had some Carolina pulled pork.
After dinner we headed back to the Ryman to pick up our tickets and get ready for the show.
One of the first things we saw was Montgomery Gentry's bus parked outside. You could check it out on the outside but weren't allowed near the door. It is a beautiful Prevost but didn't have any slides. People were having their pictures taken by the rear of the bus.
We didn't have long to wait before they opened the doors. I think the crowd was pretty light tonight. I remember it being much more crowded the last time we were here. Out front there were a couple of ladies who worked for the Opry. One was dressed like Minnie Pearl and she kept repeating her famous "Howwww Deeeee"! After about 20 times this got to be a bit annoying.
It wasn't long before we found our seats and got ready for an evening of good old country music. Dad would have been happy here tonight. Many of the acts I remember hearing when I was growing up. The shows at the Opry are different than just a concert as it is a live radio show. This means everything starts on time and you get commercials between acts. Each act does 3 to 4 numbers. Tonight's opening act was Jim Ed Brown, a member of the Opry and has been singing professionally since about 1954. He still has a very smooth voice. He sang Southern Loving', Pop A Top and The Old Lamplighter.
Next on the bill was a new group called the Carolina Chocolate Drops. They perform acoustic string band/bluegrass music. They were really good and everyone was tapping their feet or clapping their hands along with the music. They played upbeat songs like Jackson, Old Cat Died and Starry Crown.
Next on stage was the Alligator Man - Jimmy C Newman. He plays mostly, what he calls Cajun Country. A combination of the two. His foot-stomping music was great. I am not sure I got the names of the songs right, in fact I know some of them are wrong but I think they were Louisiana Cajun band, Cajun Stripper, A Fallen Star, and Jambalaya.
Chris Young was the next performer. In 2006 he won Nashville Star and is currently signed with RCA. He has a really good voice and is good looking too. His first song was Getting' You Home (or the black dress song). Second he did a really good rendition of Swingin' and finished up with his newest release, Voices.
After Chris performed there was a 15 minute intermission during which we used to stand up for awhile. The pews in the Opry are wood and get hard after sitting for a bit. We also talked with some fellow RV'ers behind us.
After the break "Whispering" Bill Anderson came on. I remember many hours of listening to him when we were growing up. His voice is still as smooth as ever. He opened with But You Know I love you. Just as good as his original recording. His second song was one I had never heard that he recorded with Roy Acuff called I Wonder If God Likes Country Music. Next he performed Too Country, which was great. He finished with a sing-along to I Saw The Light. Dad would have enjoyed his performance.
Little Big Town was next on the playbill. One of my favorite songs of theirs is Down In the Boondocks but they didn't perform that. They did do Why Oh Why, Little White Church and Lean Into It. They mentioned that this was the first time they had performed Little White Church while in a Church (The Ryman was originally a church and is called the Mother Church of Country Music). It was difficult to get all four members in one picture. This one does but it is a little small. I also have some with two members in each.
Little Jimmy Dickens was once again present at the Opry. I think he has been on-stage every time we have been here. He is a fan favorite. Did you know he became a member of the Opry without ever having a hit song or a recording contract? His famous songs occurred after he became a member. This fall he will turn 90 years old. His voice isn't quite what it used to be but he can still tell a good joke. He was introduced to the song Sleeping At the Foot Of The Bed. He also sang Life Turned Her That Way and finished with a song I had never heard called You've Been Quite a Doll, Raggedy Ann. That one brought tears to the eyes of the audience. I am not sure how much longer he will be performing at the Opry but I am sure it will be as long as he can stand and strum a guitar.
The headliners, and therefore the last act was Montgomery Gentry. They are celebrating 10 years in the business this year and were made members of the Opry in 2009. In fact, they were the last people to become members. They play rowdy country rock. I expected them to perform more than 3 songs but timing at the Opry is important, remember this is a live radio show, so they only did 3. Those were One In Every Crowd, While You're Still young, and Back When I Knew It All. Eddie Montgomery is the front guy and he was goofing off for the cameras. Bill thought his antics were distracting. I thought they were good. I like upbeat country.
After the show we headed back to the campground and made it before they locked the gate on us. It took awhile to settle back down before going to bed. We had a good time and I hope you enjoy the pictures.
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