DLNews Stagecoach 2023:

Capitol Records Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter/producer Jon Pardi was surprised last night during his performance in Indio, CA, at country music’s premier festival Stagecoach, when his friend and Emmy-winning famed restaurateur, author Guy Fieri directed him and the attention of his thousands of cheering fans to a video where Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson appeared officially inviting the California native to become the newest member of the Opry. Click HERE to watch Alan’s invitation. 

Jon Pardi was invited during his performance at Stagecoach on Friday night to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry -Photo credit: Alexa Campbell.

“That mic stand represents the future of country music and its incredible history,” Dan Rogers, Opry executive producer, told the crowd after he sat the Opry mic stand down in front of a surprised Pardi. “This night will go down in history, too, because Jon is the first artist invited to join the Opry on this stage, and he’s the first native Californian to get that call. What a great night!” 

Jon Pardi was surprised at Stagecoach Friday night when friend Guy Fieri directed him to a video of Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson officially inviting him to become the newest member of the Opry -Photo credit: Jody Domingue.

“I moved to Nashville chasing a dream at 22, and now I'm here. I love you guys, and I love country music. Thank you, everybody. This is an amazing night. I'll never forget it,” said an emotional Pardi from the stage later in the night, noting, “I always wondered how this might happen if it was going to. I never imagined anything this great. That was incredible.”

“There is no better representation of Northern California than you, man,” said Fieri backstage after the moment.

Rogers added backstage, "For nearly a decade now, Jon Pardi has been adding something great to the show every time he plays the Opry. I'll never forget the big sounds he brought to the Opry stage during the pandemic and how he connected with audiences worldwide via our live stream, even when playing to an empty Opry House. I have no doubt there are good times ahead for all of us with Jon as a future Opry member."

Jon Pardi invited during his performance at Stagecoach on Friday night to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry (l to r: Opry's Dan Rogers, Pardi, Guy Fieri)-Photo credit: Jody Domingue.

Coming just a week after receiving his third consecutive ACM Album of the Year nomination (for being both artist and producer for Mr. Saturday Night), the invitation to become an Opry member was made even more special because it happened in his native home state of  California in front of his home state fans. As a result, Pardi will become the first native Californian to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. An official induction date will be announced soon.

Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson officially invited Jon Pardi to become the newest member of the Opry during Pardi's performance at Stagecoach Friday night. 

Since first hitting the country landscape, Jon Pardi has separated himself from the pack, carving his lane by producing, writing, and singing songs he created from the melodies and earning praise. “Jon Pardi cut a path through modern country’s embrace of pop, hip-hop and EDM” (The New York Times) with “an emboldened work… a distilling of his sound into a more potent form that draws both vitality and assurance from his anything-but-sterile relationship to his tradition's modern era” (NPR). With his “state-of-the-art blend of traditional instrumentation and progressive grooves that point to country's future” (Rolling Stone), Pardi is “a leader among a growing number of artists bringing back fiddle, steel and twang” (People). “Even when he’s singing sad songs, he wants people to have a good time” (Associated Press).

Jon Pardi invited during his performance at Stagecoach on Friday night to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry -Photo credit: Alexa Campbell.

Named a “hero in the making” (Variety), Pardi has earned five No. 1s on country radio and is noted for his “long-lasting mark on the genre” (MusicRow) and his impressive ability to carve out his path creating “the kind of country music multiple generations came to know, and love can still work on a mass scale” (Variety). Filled with fiddle, twang, and steel guitar, Pardi continues to “apply new ideas to country’s old sounds” (Los Angeles Times) and “bring authenticity back into Country music” (People).

Jon Pardi surprised at Stagecoach Friday night with friend Guy Fieri video of Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson officially inviting the California native to become the newest member of the Opry-Photo credit: Anna Lemme / Grand Ole Opry.

Among the artists scheduled to appear on the Opry in the coming weeks include Lauren Alaina, Bill Anderson, Deana Carter, Steven Curtis Chapman, The Isaacs, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Lorrie Morgan, The Oak Ridge Boys, Michael Ray, Ricky Skaggs, Jeannie Seely, Josh Turner, Rhonda Vincent, Carrie Underwood, The War and Treaty, and Lainey Wilson, among many others.

Tickets are on sale now for all Opry 2023 at (615) 871-OPRY and opry.com

Source: Dina Rivera