Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay headlined a special night at the Opry House
Amazon Music took over the Tuesday Night Grand Ole Opry for the first-ever Country Heat Takeover last night (Tues, Oct 21st). Country Heat Weekly podcast hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson took the vaunted podium on the Opry stage to ringmaster a stacked line-up. It was a night that could only happen at the Home of Country Music.
Lauren Alaina kicked things off with a three-song set. Taking the stage as the barndoor red curtain rose, Alaina amused herself by noting how much she loved standing there as the crowds were revealed before her. “This is my first time going first,” she said. “I volunteer to do this again.” Her set ended with a singalong to her biggest hit–and first number one record, “Road Less Traveled.” The ‘Oh-Ah-Woah-Oh’ refrain left the jam-packed house in a great mood.
She was followed immediately by Russell Dickerson, whose stage presence and charm are immediate and undeniable. There’s a reason his tour is called Russellmania: His fans stand no chance of avoiding the energy of his high-octane performances. As he walked off stage, there was an Opry debut of sorts: Dickerson’s young son ran into his daddy’s arms. But not before stepping on the circle. A family legacy in the making?
Hosts Sutton and Anderson had fun with their interstitials between band changeovers. At one point, the pair bathed the Opry House entirely in Country Heat’s signature neon Orange. Having interviewed nearly everybody in the business, the artists often stopped by their podium to hug or chat with the dynamic duo.
Next up came two of Amazon’s Breakthrough artists: Noeline Hoffman and Carter Faith. Hoffman, in her rhinestone blazer and knee-high boots, with striking deep amber hair, immediately reminded this reporter of a young Wynonna. Her stage attitude, too–understated sass with a bit of stoicism–echoed the Country Music Hall of Famer. Faith, meanwhile, took the stage as the newest member of the Breakthrough class. Her music (along with a wavy dress and beehive hair) called back to Ms. Tammy Wynette. In fact, that may be on purpose: Faith said that one of her songs was modeled after Wynette herself. Though she later told the audience at an aftershow taping of the Country Heat Weekly podcast that her biggest influence is the Chief, Mr. Eric Church.
After the intermission, Gabby Barrett brought all the feels. Her emotional songs, sung with her bandmember husband by her side, struck a chord. Though one tiny wish from this reporter: As this Opry was being simulcast on Amazon Prime and Amazon Music–in addition to legendary radio station WSM–it was certainly full of fans hoping to hear “I Hope,” including this reporter in the audience. But that’s also the charm of the Opry: it’s a place country stars can come home to and try out new music. And Barrett took full advantage.
Dan + Shay were the penultimate act, playing two of their unavoidable radio hits, “Speechless” and “Tequila.” But it was their acoustic cover of Taylor Swift’s “Back to December” that stole the show. And surprisingly, that number fits singer Shay Mooney’s voice very, very well. They had just dropped a recording of it as a single earlier in the week after a tease of it went viral on social media.
Sometimes, the Opry welcomes someone on the bill that you know most of the crowd is there to see. We saw it in 2023 with Reba’s return to the Circle. But on Country Heat Takeover night, it was Lainey Wilson that nearly everyone wanted to see. Performing a rare five-song set on the Opry, she focused mostly on Whirlwind and the newly released Whirlwind (Deluxe). Smack in the middle of her set, she let loose on a ripping “Hang Tight Honey” before slowing it down with “Peace, Love and Cowboys.” It’s exactly this kind of songwriting that country music has been missing for far, far too long. It sounded as at home on the Opry stage as Lainey herself looked standing in the middle of the Circle.
Wilson closed her set–and therefore the night–with her latest single “Somewhere Over Laredo,” a beautiful love letter to Texas that borrows heavily from the melody of the classic tune “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The response to the song in recent weeks has been overwhelmingly positive, and it is sure to become another signature number for Wilson, in a young career that has already spawned so many.
Opry Country Heat Takeover was a resounding success. The first-ever streaming-branded Opry broadcast highlighted the exciting direction this genre is going and signaled that the Grand Ole Opry is along for the ride. This year marks 100 years for the Opry, and their willingness to follow where country music is headed–rather than dictate it–means they’ll be around for centuries more. This truly was a perfect night at the Opry that captured its spirit, its legacy, and the love these artists have for the Circle.
