Last night, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium was busting at the seams to watch the very last Grand Ole Opry show of the season, and the very last performance on the floor that supported the steps of legends. Last night’s crowd may have also been a little bigger than usual because Keith Urban performed for the first time in public since his vocal chord surgery in November.

The only shows Keith had to cancel due to the surgery were two Grand Ole Opry performances. Well, he more than made up for it last night. Monkeyville members were obvious and everywhere to see and hear Keith for the first time in what seemed like ages. They were not disappointed. Keith was the last performer to take the stage last night, and was given a longer than the usual two-song set.

First Keith performed a beautiful rendition of “Long Hot Summer” with a string quartet. Wow, this totally changes the feeling of the song…makes it very whistful and almost sad. He also performed “You Gonna Fly” with a full band, “Making Memories of Us” totally acoustic, even unplugging and letting the crowd sing a full chorus, and “Somebody Like You.” I must say, Keith sounded better than ever with a new smoothness to his voice, and he looked thrilled to be performing again.

It was a great night, one many will never forget. I won’t lie…many of Keith’s fans thought “tonight is the night” while sitting in their pews. There was something in the air, and the stars seemed to be aligned. We were certain we were there to witness Keith Urban be asked to join The Grand Ole Opry. We all left a tad disappointed wondering “Why?”, but we’re certain his time will come. In the meantime, we got to see first hand that nothing can keep that man down.

Also performing the Opry last night were Jim Ed Brown, Eden’s Edge who gave a goosebump-inducing acoustic performance, The Oak Ridge Boys who got a standing ovation for an acapella version of “Amazing Grace” and a foot-stomping “Elvira,” and the legendary Charley Pride who performed “Kissed an Angel Good Morning.”

So many legendary folks have paced those old floor boards since 1951…The next great artists will get to make their mark on the new floor.

You can see more pictures on our Flickr here.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com