Grand Ole Opry Makes History With Royal Albert Hall Show In London

All Cast Performance of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”. Photo: David Parry/PA Media Assignments

The Grand Ole Opry made history on Friday night (Sept. 26) with “Live in London,” its first-ever live broadcast from outside of the U.S. as part of its Opry 100 celebration.

Ashley McBryde performs during Grand Ole Opry: Live in London, at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: David Parry/PA Media Assignments

The sold-out, one-night-only event at Royal Albert Hall brought together more than 5,000 country music fans for an evening of performances and a celebration of country’s past, present and future. The star-studded lineup included Opry members Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker and Marty Stuart with special UK guest artists Mumford & Sons and Breabach.

Performers stood on a circle of wood sourced from the original stage floor of the Ryman Auditorium. Designed to honor The Circle, which is permanently installed in the Grand Ole Opry House, the replica was transported across the globe for the centennial event.

In keeping with a longstanding Opry tradition, Opry members and special guests teamed to deliver some of the most memorable moments of the night, including performances of “Wagon Wheel” by Rucker and Breabach,“I Hope You’re Happy Now” by Pearce and Combs, “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’ Anymore” by McBryde and Stuart and “Always On My Mind” by Combs and Marcus Mumford. The entire cast closed the special show with a finale performance of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

Those who missed the event can tune in to BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. to hear the host of Radio 2’s Country Show, Bob Harris, bring listeners backstage interviews recorded at the event, followed by a two-hour broadcast of the show itself. BBC Two and BBC iPlayer will air highlights at 8.40pm on Oct. 4.

Carly Pearce performs during Grand Ole Opry: Live in London, at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: David Parry/PA Media Assignments

Darius Rucker performs during Grand Ole Opry: Live in London, at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: David Parry/PA Media Assignments

Luke Combs performs during Grand Ole Opry: Live in London, at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: David Parry/PA Media Assignments

Marty Stuart performs during Grand Ole Opry: Live in London, at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: David Parry/PA Media Assignments