The Grand Ole Opry

I can't claim to have been too excited about attending the Grand Ole Opry, perhaps simply because "Opry" implied it would be sort of anti-culture in its approach.

For whatever reason, I imagined more a caricature of country music filled with over-the-top characters like Minnie Pearl wearing silly hats.

I was picturing the old TV show Hee Haw, which might have been great but never seemed worth watching when I was young and hip.

In any case, I did help Julie pick out tickets, selecting a group at the end of two rows on a wing near the stage rather than some further back in the middle at the same price.  They turned out to be very good seats.

The modern auditorium has fantastic acoustics.  Our seats gave us an excellent view of the stage, although admittedly before the curtains were drawn, I feared we might have to look up at the huge LED screen to our left if the musicians were positioned too deep on the stage.

Because I had no impelling interest in learning about the Opry concert until we were there, I was surprised to find that the show is actually four half hour live radio segments, with an announcer off to the side in the manner of Gary Owens on the classic TV show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, which was a favorite of mine in the late '60s.

The host for each segment performed a couple of songs and then introduced guests, including Eric Pasley, Lonestar, the Grascals, Shelly Fairchild and the star featured at the time we bought our tickets, Mark Chesnutt.

It turned out to be a fast paced show that held even granddaughter Emma's attention throughout.

And, despite my reluctance based on concerns about it being too corny, I enjoyed the good clean humor best of all.



To start the evening, Jay and Sasha had left the house early by Uber, so they could have dinner in Opry Mills, a short walk from the auditorium.  They opted for Mission BBQ, which fortunately was good and had gluten-free selections, because Sasha hadn't had an afternoon meal like the rest of us.

Believe it or not, fried baloney sandwich with PBR isn't a gluten free meal, and besides which Sasha had left downtown early to teach Emma to play jacks back at the house.  While jacks had been Sasha's favorite game as a child, Emma preferred to play cards instead, which they did.

I had made the 5-minute trip to McDonald's two streets over from our house to get 10-piece chicken nuggets for Emma and Julie to split, grabbing a McDouble for myself, but again McDonald's is not well-known as gluten-free heaven.

So, while Sasha had KIND Bars and other gluten-free snacks from our first day shopping trip, she was definitely ready for dinner that evening while the rest of us were basically fed, simplifying the plans for getting two carloads to the Opry in heavy Friday rush hour traffic.

Their Uber driver breezed through a country route (still a modern freeway), and Jay informed us of their route, which made our drive over a piece of cake.

After the show, Jay, Amy and Sasha volunteered to wait for me to return to pick them up, with the presence in Opry Mills of Dave and Buster's, a nightclub designed for people whose birthday parties had been hosted by Chuck E. Cheese, making that decision easier.

They managed to win a little arts packet for Emma -- and some candy for themselves --- with their pooled tokens.

As with the prior night, the consensus was to return home for cards and conversation rather than a night out in Music City, which again was not a difficult decision having spent so much time enjoying country music all day long.

While there's lots of free music in Nashville, definitely take your family to the Grand Ole Opry!

I just wish my mom and dad were alive to have gone with us.  They would have loved it.