This was mostly a laid back day. I did laundry in the morning, and then we went out to brunch at Cracker Barrel, where we met up with Natasha, another friend of Ashley's. I then dropped Terry and Ashley off at a beauty salon where they got facials, and went and did a little grocery shopping. After I picked them up, we went to Target, to pick up a couple of beach towels, for a planned visit to Percy Priest Lake, a large man-made lake near Ashley's house. (As it happened, we never got around to going to the lake, so we had to return the towels.)
Somewhere in the day, but I don't remember when, Terry went back to the salon to get her hair done. We had dinner that evening at a little hole in the wall Venezuelan restaurant, where the waitress spoke no English - fortunately, Terry and Ashley both speak Spanish. And then I dropped them off at the house, and went off to the Ryman Auditorium (w):
This is what used to be the main entrance, but now the entrance is around on the other side. We'll get there in a moment, but first, take a closer look at that sign on the upper part of the building, between the doors:
Before the Ryman was the Ryman, it was the Union Gospel Tabernacle, built in 1891. In 1904 it was renamed for Thomas Ryman, who built it (well, caused it to be built). Although it remained a church for many years, it started hosting concerts and other events as a way to bring in extra funds. In 1943, the Opry, which had been broadcasting from various locations since 1925, moved into the Ryman, and stayed there until 1974, when it moved the Opry house. As I mentioned before, it was dormant for many years, but it was renovated and started being used for concerts in 1994, and the Opry started doing shows there in 1998.
If you need more proof that the building used to be a church, check out these stained glass windows on the side:
And here's the current entrance:
And here's what it looks like on the inside. Yes, I was in the cheap seats again. Notice the stained glass windows, now seen from inside:
In the hallways around the auditorium, there are lots of posters advertising concerts by various artists who've played there, all autographed by the artists. There's also this painting, showing what the Ryman might have looked like when it was new:
Again, the show consisted of a variety of acts, each of whom played just three songs - except for the last act, who played six songs. That last act was supposed to be Crystal Gayle, and I was looking forward to seeing her - several people told me to let them know if her hair was still floor length - but alas, it turned out that she couldn't make it at the last minute, and was replaced by Connie Smith.
The show was hosted by Larry Gatlin, and was a little looser and less formal than the previous night's show. The pictures I took this night weren't any better than the ones I took at the Opry House, but they weren't any worse, so:
Mo Pitney
Mandy Barnett
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
Don Schlitz
Connie Smith again
After the show, I walked up and down Broadway for a while. I mentioned before that it's like Beale Street, and at night, it's even more so. Every club was packed, and the music came spilling out of every open window.