One
of Nashville's best-known attractions is the Grand Ole Opry.
You don't have to be a Country music fan to enjoy the Opry (but it helps!)
Anyone who goes to Nashville ought to try a
Grand Ole Opry performance, just to say they've been there if nothing else.
The new Opryland performing hall is adjacent to the hotel grounds, though
far enough that the hotel will sell you a $3 round trip shuttle bus ride
to get there. It's really only about half a mile from the hotel, and if
the weather's good, you might want to just walk over.
The Grand Ole Opry is the world's oldest continuously running radio
program (since 1927), and it starts at 7:30 PM sharp on Friday and Saturday
nights during the Fall months. Being part of a radio studio audience of
4,400 is an experience it itself, as every 15 minutes the Opry stops while
a silken-voiced on-stage announcer sells everything from fried apple dumplings
to flannel shirts. The full three-and-a-half hour show is broken into 30
minute segments, with a guest master of ceremonies for each segment. 
The Grand Ole Opry is a smorgasbord of more than 30 different acts, so there's something for everybody (and maybe nothing that appeals to absolutely everyone). It's like the old saw about the weather: if you don't like it, wait a few minutes, it will change. But even the frenetic bluegrass and simple three-chord county ballads have a charm when performed live and in-person which is absent from any form of recording. You'll find that these are genuinely talented stage performers, not "made in the studio" stars.
The last quality which distinguishes the Opry from other live performances is its utter lack of pretension. It has a simple sincerity which is endearing even to the casual observer, and it is not just a figure of speech when they talk about "singing from the heart". Even weary jet-lagged city folks can feel it.
In 1997, AMIA will be at Opryland on the weekend that celebrates the Grand Ole Opry's 72nd birthday, and more than a few well-known stars will likely make an appearance. If you're going to be at Opryland on Saturday, October 25 for the day 1 Tutorials, you ought to consider taking in the Opry. Tickets are about $13-18 and can be reserved by calling 615-889-6611. It will be a sell-out for the Saturday night birthday program, so reserve your tickets early.
