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Grand Ole Opry tours get updated with immersive film

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

A new film — hosted by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood — is screened during tours, explaining the history of the concert hall. People visit the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. >> The backstage of the Grand Ole Opry, a radio staple since 1925, is a place where you might run into your favorite country star, drop a letter in a singer’s mailbox or take a peek inside a dressing room where an impromptu jam session is happening.

Every year, 1 million people come to the Opry in Nashville, Tenn., to see a performance, or event, or take one of the backstage tours that allow fans to see behind the red curtain on the “show that made country music famous.”

And a new feature this year on those tours is an immersive film that explains the history of the unique institution while showing video clips of over 100 different artists on stage. The 14-minute film is hosted by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and is projected onto three screens inside the new Circle Room, which is the first stop for fans on the Opry’s daily tours.

The film is projected onto thousands of reflective threads that make up the screens, and the movement of the threads, as well as the curve of the screen creates a sense of dimension. Brooks and Yearwood seem almost like they are standing on a replica of the circle of wood that artists stand in on the real Opry stage.

The film features archival footage of iconic stars from Roy Acuff, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash and Reba McEntire, and clips of artists like Carrie Underwood and Darius Rucker being surprised with an invitation to become Opry members. The daytime tour also features a guided tour throughout the venue, including Studio A where “Hee Haw” was filmed, the dressing rooms and the stage.

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