Old Crow Medicine Show played a concert in Cleveland, Ohio at the State Theater on Friday, August 16, 2013. Yours truly was in attendance in the front row dead center. The boy put on a rip-roaring bluegrass, country, and folk spectacle that was well worth the price of admission. Near the end of the show, however, we learned that this night would be a very special one for the Old Crow boys and everyone in the audience.
As the guys were heading into the home stretch of their show with the last few songs, Marty Stuart popped up on stage unexpectedly to ask a little question. He proceeded to invite Old Crow Medicine Show to be the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry. The boys of course accepted and then performed a rousing rendition of "We Don't Grow Tobacco" with Marty. It was a completely unexpected and magical event for all. The crowd gave Old Crow a standing ovation that lasted through the rest of the show and the encore. Ketch Secor looked like he had just won the lottery. It was a really cool thing to see the dreams of these guys come true right there on stage. If you can be in Nashville on September 17, I highly recommend seeing these guys get inducted. It will be a pretty cool night.
Old Crow Medicine Show is one of my favorite bands on the scene right now. They consistently put out old time bluegrass and folk mixed with a lot of soul and energy. Of course, many know them solely for their smash hit "Wagon Wheel", which was huge for them and then grew even bigger when it was covered and released by Darius Rucker. But OCMS is much more than that. They have an entire catalog full of great songs that deserve everyone's attention. They can seamlessly go from a boot stomping barn burner to a soulful ballad and back again. They are multi-talented, as all the band members take turns singing and pretty much every member can play just about every instrument. They are a prime example of a band simply doing it right. Kudos to the Grand Ole Opry for recognizing these guys and their dedication to preserving real country music. I cannot think of more deserving members of country music's highest honor. Congratulations Old Crow Medicine Show on your Grand Ole Opry membership! Thank you for keeping it country!!!
Marty Stuart with the boys
video of Marty Stuart inviting Old Crow Medicine Show to become Opry members
Old Crow Medicine Show, Grand Ole Opry members
No comments:
Post a Comment