Mom, The Grand Ole Opry, The Bluebird Café & Norah Jones
Hanging center stage at The Grand Ole Opry with mom.
Mom came down for a visit this past weekend and we hammed it up a bit with some touristy stuff including a stop at The Grand Ole Opry for a tour and hang (pictured above), which was a ton of fun. We got to cruise backstage and walk through the history, trials and tribulations of this iconic venue. It’s a pretty neat story and a wonderful example of the music community coming together for an amazing recovery from the severe flood and water damage from just a few years ago.
Shot from just about where I was sitting of my co-conspirators in the round this past Saturday at The Bluebird Cafe here in Nashville, TN.
Later in the afternoon this past Saturday, I played a fun set in the round at The Bluebird Cafe with friends Morgan Bracy, Bob Rea, and Merry Ellen Kirk (pictured above). We had a terrific time and I have to confess: while I thought I’d been playing in the round all this time, THIS was the real deal… sitting in a circle in the middle of a room with folks strewn all around at eye level. Admittedly, it took a little getting used to, to be honest. But, once we all get settled in and got the sound dialed, it was an absolute blast. We had a great time playing off of each other and meeting a terrific, sold-out audience after the show. Big thanks to Morgan for setting it all up and to the folks at The Bluebird Cafe for making it all run so smoothly.
Norah Jones performing her encore set in the traditional, bluegrass style. Cool.
On Sunday night, mom and I wrapped up her visit with a walk over to The Ryman Auditorium to catch Norah Jones and her band. I hadn’t ever been to The Ryman and mom hadn’t either, so it was a pretty cool experience and just about the perfect venue for an artist like Norah Jones. She played a great set and ended with an acoustic performance around one condenser mic – old school! We had a blast, then cruised the strip down on Broadway in downtown Nashville afterwards with a stop at Robert’s Western World for a some country swing before turning in to get some sleep before an early flight the next morning for mom to get back home.
It was a terrific weekend of music, sites, and family time. Big thanks to mom, our wonderful tour guide and hospitality at The Grand Ole Opry, the folks at The Bluebird Cafe, my friend Morgan Bracy and just about everyone in town for making it a terrific weekend. I’m ready to do it all again!