Features
Opry Announces ‘Opry Loves The ’90s Experience’
Get ready for Reba, Garth, Vince, Trisha, Martina, Alan, Reba, Patty, Marty, The Judds & More!
When you think of country icons, you think Willie, Dolly, Loretta, Merle, Waylon, Johnny, Patsy and Tammy Wynette. But the Grand Ole Opry, the home of WSM-AM’s long-running weekly broadcast, has been a witness to country music history for almost a century – and with that definitive sense of time and place, they’re launching “Opry Loves The ‘90s,” a multi-phase limited-time experience that kicks off May 16.
That means Reba, Garth, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, Marty Stuart, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joe Diffie, Terri Clark, the Judds and more! As Opry GM Dan Rogers says in a release announcing the activation. “For me, the country music of the ‘90s made me want to move to Nashville and be a part of what happens in this great music community. Country music fans of all ages seem to have their own ‘90s country stories, and just as the Opry did during that decade, we aim to help them celebrate those stories, create new ones and experience some of the songs that made many of us huge fans 30 years ago.”
The “Opry Loves The ‘90s” means special Opy programming, surprise artist collaborations honoring the decade where country came into its own as a cultural force. It also means ‘90s-themes Opry Plaza Parties and an interactive exhibition that features stagewear and items that commemorate major career milestones for Opry members, including Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Terri Clark, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Lorrie Morgan, Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt, and Trisha Yearwood.
Beyond the obvious fashion and musical memorabilia, the exhibit will feature photo ops, a digital gaming console that allows fans and newbies alike to measure their knowledge of country music trivia from the ‘90s, as well as naming the most iconic riffs from some of that era’s biggest and most impactful hits. For a genre that’s been built on fan interaction almost from its inception, this literally allows people to get their hands inside the music.
“For nearly a century, the Opry has been dedicated to honoring country music’s rich history and dynamic presence,” Rogers further explains. “With ‘Opry Loves The ‘90s,’ we’re excited to celebrate a formative decade that made an impact on country music that will be felt forever thanks to the influence of artists known now by just one name: Garth, Trisha, Vince, Reba and Shania, among many more.”
The activation will run throughout 2022 – and populate not just the Opry shows, Plaza Parties and interactive exhibit, but WSM Radio, Opry.com and Circle Television. With upcoming appearances by Lauren Alaina, Kelsea Ballerini, Steve Earle, Oak Ridge Boys, Michael Ray, Connie Smith, Keith Urban, Clay Walker and more, as well as appearances at Bonnaroo over the last several summers, the Grand Ole Opry remains as vital, as groundbreaking and as historic as ever.