NASHVILLE, Tenn. -The Opry at the Ryman was one to remember in downtown Nashville Friday night. Two big events marked milestones at the mother church of country music.
Friday night was the last night for the historic stage at the Ryman Auditorium. The wood stage that has hosted a multitude of talent over the last 50 years was scheduled to be demolished and replaced.
Country superstar Keith Urban and the legendary Oak Ridge Boys will have the honor to be the last performers on the stage, taking part in the final winter date for the Opry at the Ryman.
Richard Sterban of the Oak Ridge Boys said that it was a big honor.
"Wow, we are actually going to be playing for the final performance ever on the old stage. What a tremendous significance that is," Sterban said.
"I can speak for all the Oak Ridge Boys- we almost get chill bumps when we walk on that stage when you think of all the great names that have gone on before us," Sterban went on to say.
It's also significant for Keith Urban, who is making his return from vocal surgery.
The 60-year-old stage is being replaced with Brazilian Teak wood because it apparently can't handle the increased weight of stage equipment.
Dierks Bentley played the last standalone concert Thursday. He tweeted a picture of the floor saying "… never really took a close look at the floor. Pretty beat up. Would look great on our bus!"
The Ryman plans to keep a small section of the original wood as a reminder of all those who performed here in the last six decades.
Ryman officials said they will preserve the wood from the entire stage and find some way of using it.
The current stage is just the second in the 120-year history of the "Mother Church" after the original was installed in 1901 for a performance of the Metropolitan Opera. It was laid down in 1951 and has lasted far longer than expected. The stage was refinished during a renovation in 1993-94 and even then officials knew it would be the last resurfacing. Today it's heavily scuffed and scarred, its age easily visible from the Ryman's balcony.
The Ryman is still the building most associated with The Grand Ole Opry, though it moved to the Opry House in 1974, and has hosted a number of significant moments in American culture.
Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash stood together on those boards and changed music. Cultures clashed there too when the boo birds took on country rockers The Byrds. Today the Ryman is a much sought-after destination point for musicians of all genres and many shows take on a unique aura.
Dylan recently returned, more than 40 years after "Nashville Skyline." Taylor Swift sang there recently with her good friends, The Civil Wars. Even the heaviest of rockers get a little nostalgic, like Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, who said it was an honor to get drunk while performing in the building last year.
That a busy venue needs a new stage is not necessarily news. The stage at the Opry's permanent home, for instance, has been changed multiple times over the years with little comment. But when the Ryman stage is replaced, officials in some sense are altering an icon that is closely watched by sometimes vocal guardians of its cultural significance.
Officials are prepared for questions. They point out the building has gone through many upgrades over the years and that each step was vital to preserving the building. Most recently the roof was replaced in 2009.
"We're not in the business of getting rid of old things just to get rid of them," Ryman general manager Sally Williams said.
They will retain an 18-inch lip of the blonde oak at the front of the stage, similar to the way the Ryman stage was commemorated in a circle of wood at the new Opry House. The rest of the stage will be stored and replaced with a medium brown Brazilian teak that will be far more durable and camera friendly.
Beneath the stage, the original hickory support beams will be kept and reinforced with concrete foundations, crossbeams and joist work that will help triple the stage's load capacity.
Work will begin Saturday and continue seven days a week until February 20, when rising country stars The Band Perry will make its Ryman debut with a sold-out show. Tours will continue throughout the work, allowing members of the public to watch.
Williams said she's gotten no negative feedback as word has spread because everyone understands the importance of the project.
"I think it will be interesting because I think it's obvious we're doing something ensuring that people will be coming here and having those Ryman moments in 120 years," she said.
(The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.)
