Country music’s most venerable institution, the Grand Ole Opry, has opened a second home in the heart of New York City’s Times Square.
Located at 1604 Broadway, the Opry City Stage is a four-level, 28,000 square-foot entertainment complex that offers fans in the Big Apple a chance to watch Opry performances remotely. Occupying the second and third floor is a two-story restaurant, bar and performance stage. The fourth floor is The Studio at Opry City Stage, and retail is available on the ground floor.
Beginning Dec. 1, Grand Ole Opry shows will stream live on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, marking the first time these performances will regularly be enjoyed outside the show in Music City. Programming from Nashville’s Bluebird Café will headline several nights in The Studio at Opry City Stage in 2018.
Stunning art installations and various exhibits are featured throughout the décor. Currently on display, the opening exhibit, Iconic Fashions from the Opry Archives, documents decades of signature fashions including those of Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift. Nashville fashion designer Manuel and other local artisans developed the handmade narrative folk art banners, which feature lyrics and imagery from country music hits such as “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “Friends in Low Places.”
There is also a 17-foot recreation of Jimmie Rodgers’ Blue Yodeler guitar gifted to Ernest Tubb and played on the Opry for years with “THANKS” emblazoned on its back.
Then there is the food.
The menu of elevated Southern fare is curated by a culinary team managed by the renowned Bromberg Brothers, the company led by Bruce and Eric Bromberg of Blue Ribbon Restaurants. Offerings include pimento cheese dip, a biscuit basket, smoked corn chowder, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich on a brioche bun and a dish called “Honky Tonk” — brisket, ribs, cheddar sausage, pulled pork, chicken, skillet corn, macaroni and cheese and hush puppies served with coleslaw, pickles and Texas Toast. Patrons can wash it all down with the restaurant’s Opry-inspired beer, “Hopry,” by Nashville’s Yazoo Brewery.
Luke Bryan will christen the Opry City Stage with a live Good Morning America performance on Dec. 8. LOCASH will headline two shows at the venue on New Year’s Eve. Tickets for the LOCASH performances are on sale through the Opry City Stage’s website.
This Article Was Originally Posted at www.CMT.com
http://www.cmt.com/news/1789112/first-look-inside-new-yorks-opry-city-stage/
