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Opry returns to fixed-up digs 6 months after flood

Brad Paisley, Keith Urban among stars who celebrate at reopening

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Mark Humphrey  /  AP
Members of the Grand Ole Opry perform "Will the Circle be Unbroken?" in the Grand Ole Opry House on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010, in Nashville, Tenn. The show is the first to be held in the Opry House since the facility was heavily damaged by floodwaters in May.
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updated 9/28/2010 9:31:40 PM ET 2010-09-29T01:31:40

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Grand Ole Opry has ended its itinerant ways and returned home.

A host of country music's enduring legends joined some of today's biggest names on stage Tuesday night to kick off the "Country Comes Home" celebration. They began with a stirring rendition of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" as the curtain rose at the Opry house for the first time since the May flood damaged the building.

The nation's longest running live radio program never missed a beat, moving around town to venues such as the Ryman Auditorium and War Memorial Auditorium, as workers feverishly repaired the Opry house, the show's home since 1974.

"I think the flood goes completely unnoticed if this building's not underwater," Brad Paisley said in a news conference before the show. "I think everybody in the country goes, 'Yeah, there's another flood,' if this doesn't happen. ... It's completely metaphorical in it's destruction as it is in it's rebirth."

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The Opry's stage sat under nearly four feet of water at the flood's height in early May. A monthslong restoration project cleaned the building and replaced the stage, dressing rooms and audience seating.

The famed circle of wood on stage from the Opry's original home at the Ryman Auditorium was restored and returned last month.

That's where Paisley and Little Jimmy Dickens kicked things off Tuesday night. They were joined on stage by dozens of longtime Opry members, including the ailing Charlie Louvin, who has pancreatic cancer, and Jeannie Seely, who lost her home in the flood.

Whispering Bill Anderson was up next.

"It's only fitting," Anderson told the near-capacity crowd. "Back in May, I sang the last song the night before the floods hit."

Opry stripped to foundation for repairs

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Video: With Brad Paisley's help, iconic Opry reopens

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  2. Transcript of: With Brad Paisley's help, iconic Opry reopens

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    BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: If you still have time to get there, you best hop in the car. It's being billed as quite likely the best party in the nation tonight, and it's in Nashville , where country music royalty will gather for a sold-out show to celebrate the grand reopening of the Grand Ole Opry . The celebration comes five months after that institution and much of that city was submerged in a history-making flood. NBC 's Janet Shamlian is there.

    JANET SHAMLIAN reporting: In the cathedral of country music , on a stage scuffed by the boots of every industry legend, this just might be the biggest night ever. The rehearsals have been going on all day. Brad Paisley , Martina McBride , a veritable who's

    who of country royalty. You might just call it homecoming in Nashville: the reopening of the Grand Ole Opry . In May, torrential rains and deadly flooding ravaged the region, $2 billion in damage. The Opry 's stage and its historic treasures were buried under four feet of water.

    Mr. BRAD PAISLEY: It's heartbreaking to see this.

    SHAMLIAN: In the aftermath, Paisley , a hometown boy and Opry favorite, got a first look at his second home.

    Mr. PAISLEY: This is absolutely hard to see.

    SHAMLIAN: Opry officials vowed to bring it back, a four-month, $20 million, around-the-clock job finished just today.

    Mr. PAISLEY: I can't believe it. I'm just in awe of this. They did it, fast, too. I mean, when was it we talked?

    SHAMLIAN: May 11th, May 12th .

    Mr. PAISLEY: That's crazy. Look at this. I mean, this is the type of thing that should take two years.

    SHAMLIAN: The famed circle of wood, dried out and restored, is back in its rightful place at center stage .

    Mr. PAISLEY: Looks like there's a spotlight shining on this right now.

    SHAMLIAN: The work is far from over here in Nashville , but the Opry 's reopening is a milestone, a symbol Music City has regained its rhythm. Tonight, the building's official rebirth. A celebratory concert before a sold-out hometown crowd.

    Mr. PAISLEY: Now we're back to business here, country musicwise, and people still need some help but this is a big step.

    SHAMLIAN: As the curtain goes up, a fresh start for a treasured tradition as country music finds it way back home. Janet Shamlian , NBC News, Nashville .

    Show transcript

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