Grand Ole Opry, 3/9: Top 30 and fabulous...

Before we start the concert recap, a pause for some big news: Bucky's single "A Different World" has officially hit Top 30 status on both the Top 500 and the weighted Mediabase charts! Keep requesting at your local country stations, y'all! It makes a huge difference--especially now that the song is being heard for the very first time on so many new playlists. The new cities need to know we love listening to Bucky on the radio--so if you're finally hearing "A Different World" in your town, call or e-quest and make sure you'll have that pleasure again and again...

There is something truly magical about the Grand Ole Opry. It's true that the Opry's undergone a few changes over the years--some popular, others less so. But at the heart of it all, there's a sweetness borne of tradition, respect and the celebration of a quintessentially American form of music that is ever evolving. Yet with each new twist and turn the genre takes, the Opry has a way of reminding us all that country music is bound by something that words and categories and definitions just can't cover. It's a nameless thread that runs through the music itself.

Friday night, Bucky Covington became a link in that timeless chain.

(Kathy covered the pre-show gatherings so beautifully at Team Covington that I'll bow to genius and skip ahead to the show itself...)

The Opry House is the newer, more modern home of the Grand Ole Opry, but it's surprisingly cozy inside; there's no such thing as a "bad seat" there, really, and as we slipped into our church-style pews and got situated, we were treated to a short film on the history of the Opry, before the great Porter Wagoner took the stage. (Mr. Wagoner was just as dazzling as he's always been in a bright blue rhinestone-bedecked suit.) Connie Smith's lovely voice serenaded us next, followed by a truly funny version of the classic "Cool Water" by Riders in the Sky. (I wish I'd gotten a photo of their incredible stage gear!) Ralph Stanley and his band closed the first half hour in breathtaking fashion. (It's impossible to describe, but it was brilliant--make a point of seeing him if you can.)

A break and a live commercial came and went (it was fun to see the announcers at the microphones, doing their bit for Martha White flour), and then the irrepressible Little Jimmy Dickens took over. It's amazing to think he's been entertaining folks since the 1930's or so! Not only that, he's as warm as ever--it looks like he's still having fun up there, and I can speak for the audience and say we had fun out here, too. (Bucky also had fun--we could see him in the wings, cracking up at Mr. Dickens' corny but oh-so-cute jokes.) He introduced Bucky with sweetness, mentioning that there was a young man next who was a newcomer to the Opry stage: "he's all shook up and nervous..." Mr. Dickens said with a smile, "but you can take all that away with your applause for my friend...Bucky Covington."

Bucky strolled onstage sans guitar, wearing jeans, his black leather jacket, a dark t-shirt and a huge grin, and stood on the famed circle as he began a brief introduction to "A Different World", accompanied by loud cheers. (Yes, I believe there were quite a few Bucky Covington fans in the Opry House...)

Was he a little nervous--or perhaps just overwhelmed--for his first song at the Grand Ole Opry? Maybe so, but it didn't affect his vocals at all--it was a lovely rendition of "A Different World," soulful and heartfelt, and the whole of the audience seemed to love it too. At the end of the tune, Bucky smiled and said that he'd be fine "as soon as he stopped shaking"--and did an endearing shake/dance that made the crowd giggle and clap. (And quite a few freshly-minted Bucky Covington fans were created right about then, no doubt--welcome, everyone!)

Bucky segued into "Hometown" with a kind shout out to Mark Miller and Sawyer Brown, and told a condensed version of the story about the two different "Hometown" songs that were under discussion for the album. It was my first time hearing the song live, and it was the perfect choice for Bucky's first night at the Opry--sweet and graceful and sentimental. By the end of the first verse, he strolled the stage like someone who'd been there many, many times before. "Hometown" was a crowd-pleaser, too, and all too soon the announcer was thanking Bucky as he left the stage with a wave and an appreciative nod. "Bucky Covington, ladies and gentlemen...I'm sure we'll be seeing him again at the Grand Ole Opry". (Actually, we'll be seeing him again at the Opry in no time at all--April 7th, to be exact.) Bucky stopped to greet Little Jimmy Dickens on his way offstage; the diminutive legend and the lanky newcomer shared a beautiful smile.

What's beautiful about the Opry is that you get a real sense of the family vibe that makes country music so much fun, even as so many different styles are represented on stage. We were treated to everything from bluegrass to Cajun to gospel to the classic Nashville sound to neo-Western, from artists as varied as Ricky Skaggs, Jack Greene, Bill Anderson (still the consummate charmer), the Whites, Michael Martin Murphey and Mike Snider (whose dance moves to the Vietti chili jingle really deserve a blog post of their own.) How did Bucky fit into the mix? Quite nicely, I thought, and I don't think I was alone. The very thing that struck so many of us from the start--that authentic, honest, exuberantly real flavor he brings to everything he sings--was in full bloom at the Grand Old Opry. It was an incredible honor to be there for Bucky's first appearance on country's greatest stage--and if you get the chance, be sure to see him there, too. You'll come away feeling like you've seen a bit of history in the making.

There are so many memories, photos, recaps and such coming in from Bucky's many fans who were there that it's hard to know where to begin--I'll post a link to the Fox board thread for now, but I'll be updating this post with photos, links and more as time allows. Be sure to reload for the latest.

I'll also be thanking y'all by email as the night rolls on, but I wanted to say how wonderful it was to meet so many of Bucky's great fans, family and friends at the Opry--what a classic night we shared. If you'd like to thank Hildi right now, there's a sweet thank-you thread in progress at the CMT boards! More soon...