The Grand Ole Opry stage has seen its share of legends, but on this night, it felt a little emptier. Dolly Parton wasn’t in the crowd — and everyone knew why. After the heartbreaking loss of her husband, 50 Grand Ole Opry members came together at the monumental “Opry 100” event, closing the night with a message that echoed far beyond the stage: “It’s not the same without you… you gotta know, we will always love you.” It was more than a tribute; it was a love letter to a woman who’s given her heart to country music — and a reminder that she’s never standing alone.

Opry 100 Celebrated The 100th Anniversary Of The Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry turns 100 this year, so it’s only fitting that they get a monumental birthday party in the form of a three-hour live TV special, Opry 100! Hosted by Blake Shelton, some of the biggest names in country music history were in attendance and performed.

Reba McEntire opened the show with a tribute to Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, followed by “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” with Trisha Yearwood. Carrie Underwood performed a medley of Randy Travis songs, ending with “Forever and Ever, Amen.” She walked down the stage steps to let Travis sing the final “Amen” of the song, which had the whole theater in tears!

Lainey Wilson played Hank Williams’ guitar while she and Marty Stuart performed one of his songs, and Kelsea Ballerini sang “I Was Country (When Country Wasn’t Cool)” in front of Barbara Mandrell!

Alan Jackson got everyone on their feet with “Chattahoochee,” and Post Malone and Travis Tritt kept the party going with a rockin’ cover of “T-R-O-U-B-L-E.” Those were just a few of the legendary collaborations and performances that took place at Opry 100.

opry 100 lineup — Lineup for Opry 100 Live Celebration (Grand Ole Opry / Facebook)

Legendary Artists Came Together To Close Out The Show

During the red carpet, WSM host Kelly Sutton teased the closing performance and the fact that there are over 50 living Grand Ole Opry members in attendance. She said that it was a performance that we wouldn’t want to miss.

And she was right!

See the full list of performers for the closing number below.

Randy Travis
Blake Shelton
Reba McEntire
Jamey Johnson
Carly Pearce
Ronnie Milsap
Blake Shelton
Trace Adkins
Clint Black
Trisha Yearwood
Ricky Skaggs
Vince Gill
The Isaacs
Ashley McBryde
Travis Tritt
Carrie Underwood
Randy Travis
Lady A
Alison Krauss
Mandy Barnett
Steven Curtis Chapman
Connie Smith
Rhonda Vincent
Dailey & Vincent
The Oak Ridge Boys
Dierks Bentley
T Graham Brown
Terri Clark
Sharon White / The Whites
Gary Mule Deer
Mark Wills
Crystal Gayle
Dustin Lynch
Del McCoury
Bill Anderson
Larry Gatlin
Henry Cho
Eddie Montgomery

Reba McEntire, Lady A, and Carrie Underwood stood center stage, in front of risers filled with Opry members, signaling that they would be singing lead on the song. McEntire started the performance by telling Dolly Parton, who recently lost her husband, that they are all so sorry for her loss, are praying for her, and will always love her.

Hilary Scott of Lady A kicked off Parton’s iconic song “I Will Always Love You.” Reba and Carrie also sang solos with the Opry member choir singing harmonies in the chorus. What a powerful performance!

After they performed “I Will Always Love You,” they dove into “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” once the live TV feed cut out. But don’t fret, we have it in the Instagram post below!