Randy Travis & James Dupré Display The Boundless Bonds Of Music During Ryman Show

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Randy Travis and his wife Mary at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Wade Evans/Absolutely Ridiculous

A palpable sense of comfort and community poured from the pews of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last night (June 5) as music lovers came together for a special evening celebrating country icon Randy Travis and his “More Life Tour.” The show featured vocalist James Dupré, who took the stage to perform Randy’s hits alongside the star’s original touring band and a few surprise guests.

Openers Sara Hells and William Beckmann kicked things off with their smooth vocals while demonstrating their impressive guitar skills.

A hush came over the crowd as career-spanning video clips of Randy flashed across a screen onstage and the walls facing either side of the balcony. As the sentimental montage came to a close, the beat of “Diggin’ Up Bones” rang through the room. The man of the hour and his wife, Mary Travis, were met with cheers and an abundance of applause as they graced the stage, waving and smiling at everyone in attendance. The couple settled into brown armchairs on the left side of the platform as Dupré stepped out to sing the famous tune.

Dupré thanked everybody for being there before moving into “Honky Tonk Moon.” A pattern of light resembling fireworks covered center stage as he drew the crowd closer with his clear devotion to the Country Music Hall of Famer. The first of many “We love you Randy!” expressions was shouted as a video showing the husband and wife introducing Dupré at the Grand Ole Opry began to play. Mary then formally introduced the former contestant on NBC’s The Voice to the Ryman, and detailed how Dupré played Randy’s son in the film The Price, which follows a country music legend who attempts to make amends with a son he never knew who is an aspiring musician–providing deeper insight into their beautiful friendship.

After sharing how much the artist and his family mean to her and Randy, she welcomed Dupré and his precious four-year-old daughter, Rellie, to the stage where they both belted “Deeper Than the Holler” with so much heart and soul. The little songstress vocalized her gratitude before declaring her love for Randy and running over to hug both he and Mary.

Following Dupré’s rendition of “1982,” an over two-decades-old recording showing Randy introducing each of his band members was shared on screen. A spotlight accompanied the clip and shined on each musician as Randy stated their name and his history with them in the nostalgic video. Mary took the mic to detail the band’s dedication to the hitmaker and his dedication to them as well as acknowledge the absent members and introduce those filling in.

James Dupré performing at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Wade Evans/Absolutely Ridiculous

“They’ve been down many roads, driven so many miles and have so many memories. They’ve been together through thick and thin. Anytime we called on the guys after Randy’s stroke, they were right there for him,” she noted. “There’s nothing that makes Randy happier than coming in and seeing these guys standing here supporting him.

“I think [he] has the most incredible band that was ever put together. These guys are like brothers to Randy. They’ve been his road family, and we love them like family,” Mary concluded.

Dupré then treated everyone to “This Is Me,” “Look Heart, No Hands” and “Whisper My Name,” as clips from Randy’s music videos and past performances were projected above for each track. The legend grinned from ear to ear and bopped along to every single song, periodically pointing and waving to fans. Dupré checked in with everyone and received a gracious roar in response before silence ensued after a video exhibiting Randy’s infectious personality as well as the strength he’s shown following his stroke in 2013 began to play.

That strength was further emphasized as Dupré followed the clip with “More Life.” The pastel colors that plastered the space for “Before You Kill Us All” darkened to red and green during “Too Gone, Too Long,” and a sea of blue splashed above for “He Walked On Water.” A special moment depicting the renowned artist singing “Amazing Grace” during his Country Music Hall of Fame induction had tears welling in almost every set of eyes before “It’s Just a Matter of Time” and “If I Didn’t Have You.” The next series of scenes centered around the songsmith’s love of horses and his experience as an actor—showcasing the vastness of his talent.

The auditorium was soon surprised with an appearance from Jamey Johnson, who reciprocated the love expressed by the couple and the crowd as he made his way on stage. Guitar in hand, he gave an entrancing performance of “Promises” and thanked Randy for “such a gift,” in reference to the song, before adding another tune to his short but sweet set. Johnson gave both Randy and Mary a strong hug and threw his pick into the seats below as he exited.

Dupré returned and got toes tapping with “Is It Still Over?,” leading into an old clip of Randy telling audience members a joke during a previous performance. Mary then recalled her husband’s many Ryman appearances, and shared that the first show ever held at the historic venue took place on his birthday (May 4).

“Randy once told me, ‘Music is like a blank pallet. You throw all you have at it to make it a song and hope it touches someone’s heart,'” she continued. “His songs always touched my heart, and I think it touched a lot of yours who are out here, because he knew how to pick, sing and deliver a song and left a little piece of his heart in every one he sang.”

Mary advised fans to “tack down” any possessions that were not already secured as she introduced the next surprise, former American Idol contestant Jacob Tolliver. Tolliver humorously spoke to the crowd and complimented the vocal skills of both Dupré and Randy as he sat down at a keyboard placed center stage. He reminisced on discovering Randy’s music at just three years old, and expressed his gratitude to the couple for having him—as this marked his first time taking the Ryman stage. Tolliver’s fingers seemed to hit each key at the speed of light as he put his electric touch on “Honky Town Side Of Town.” He warmly embraced the pair before walking off stage.

Dupré brought out his guitar for “On the Other Hand” and “Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart.” Footage of artists describing the impact the multi-Platinum creator has had on them as well as scenes of he and Dolly Parton’s banter widened the already large smiles in the audience. Those smiles were soon cemented to fans’ faces as the sweet milestone moment of Randy surprising Carrie Underwood with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry followed.

Mary pointed how those clips show Randy’s sense of humor and shared, “The things that have gotten us through what we’ve gone through are faith, family, friends, fans and having a lot of fun.” She proceeded by saying, “We all have our set of challenges. It’s not that you have them, but it’s how you get through them,” before revealing another memorable analogy her husband once made and thanking fans.

“Randy told me one time, ‘I just sing the words. The band makes the music, and the fans are melody to that music.’ So I want to thank y’all for being the melody.”

Mary continued by welcoming the final surprise of the night, Emily Ann Roberts, another former contestant on The Voice.

Prior to her performance, Roberts commented, “I’m just a little girl from east Tennessee and Mary and Randy could’ve gotten Carrie Underwood or hoopdy-doo up here, but you’re stuck with little ole me.” After the laughs faded, she continued, “It shows their character and how big their hearts are that they would lend out a hand and give an opportunity like this to somebody like me. I love y’all so much, and I’m so honored to be here.”

The southern belle stunned as she sang “I Told You So,” which Randy wrote at the age of 19, and gave both of them a deep hug as she stepped off stage. Dupré kept the crowd swaying with “Better Class of Losers.” The segment of CBS News’ Sunday Morning documenting the development of Randy’s new artificial intelligence (AI)-generated single, “Where That Came From,” then rolled across the screen. Both he and Dupré’s vocals were layered to create the tune, which was produced by Randy and longtime producer Kyle Lehning.

Dupré performed “Where That Came From,” pausing to allow the audience to take in the rebirth of the Grammy winner’s soothing sound for a portion of the track. “When Randy started in the ’80s, he was one of the first to do music videos and now here we are, 40 years later, and he’s using AI,” stated Mary. She then thanked her husband for sharing his “God-given” voice with the world, and addressed the fans once again while shouting out their friends and family who were present.

“After all we’ve been through, y’all are still here for [Randy], and I want y’all to know what much that means to me. Seeing how he has come through everything with a smile on his face and his warrior heart, he’s taught me so much,” Mary emotionally expressed. “Thank y’all for sharing this night with us.”

Liza Anderson
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