Country music institution The Grand Ole Opry will stage its first international iteration in London this year as part of its centennial celebrations.

Grand Ole Opry: Live In London is set to feature a star-studded lineup that includes Opry members Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker and Marty Stuart as headliners of the debut global broadcast, to be staged at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 September.

“To have the opportunity to bring such a big part of my musical roots to Royal Albert Hall is a full-circle moment for me while I work on a project with so many talented songwriters and producers based in London,” says Rucker. “I can’t think of a better way to honour the Opry’s global impact on country music as we share its magic with a new generation of fans.”

In addition to its headliners, the one-off event will also feature a lineup of UK guest artists and be co-hosted by BBC Radio presenter Vernon Kay and WSM Radio host Kelly Sutton.

The famed home of country music, the Grand Ole Opry is the world’s longest-running radio show. Historically staged at Nashville’s Opry House, its first international showing will bring the sounds of established and contemporary country to the world.

“This milestone year for the Grand Ole Opry has arrived at the perfect time as country music enjoys an unprecedented rise in global popularity, especially here in the United Kingdom,” says Colin Reed, executive chairman of Ryman Hospitality Properties, parent company of the Grand Ole Opry.

“No matter where you live… all roads eventually lead to the Grand Ole Opry”

“Our first-ever broadcast outside of the United States will celebrate the influential music that has shaped this genre and pay tribute to the unique Opry show format that has entertained music lovers for 100 years,” he adds.

The pinnacle for the Opry’s centennial celebrations is produced by Dan Rogers in partnership with SteadiBeat Media’s Steve Buchanan, with special thanks to SJM Concerts and Bob Sheenan. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, and the show will also be broadcast live.

The UK is a prime destination for the Opry’s first international display, as the market — which hosted the Country 2 Country (C2C) festival across London, Glasgow, and Belfast in March — saw an unprecedented 78% rise in streaming last year, according to the Official Charts Company.

Likewise, country music continues to stampede into markets worldwide. A special feature examining the burgeoning genre of country appears in the May edition of IQ Magazine.

“No matter where you live, when you listen to country music, all roads eventually lead to the Grand Ole Opry and its members both past and present,” says Dan Rogers, Grand Ole Opry SVP and executive producer.

“This show, like the others we are fortunate to program during this special year, will be a celebration of all that has come before it, a moment to embrace something that’s never happened before and [a] preview of what lies ahead.”

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Off the back of a standout edition, Stagecoach organisers praised the transformation of the country music genre with IQ.

Goldenvoice EVP Stacy Vee, who helps produce and book Stagecoach, hailed the second-annual sell-out of California’s “country Coachella”. The 85,000-capacity festival returned to Empire Polo Club in Indio, California from 25-27 April, following its sister festival’s two weekends.

For an event that began in 2007, its back-to-back sellouts are a reflection of country music’s meteoric rise over recent years, driven in part by the genre’s widespread rise in streaming. In the US, streaming rose by 7% year-on-year, as opposed to 1% growth industry-wide. Globally, 11 different country albums garnered at least 1bn streams, up drastically from only five in 2022, according to Luminate.

For 2025, the Goldenvoice-promoted festival featured powerhouses Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, and Luke Combs as headliners, with the likes of Brothers Osborne, Sturgill Simpson, Mumford & Sons, Sierra Ferrell, Shaboozey, and dozens more filling out the bill. Unique bill additions included Lana Del Rey, Goo Goo Dolls, Nelly, T-Pain, Creed, and the Backstreet Boys.

“They have brought themselves into country music, and I am giving them a further platform to showcase their alignment. They’re on the border of wanting to be in the space, wanting to be part of the community, and I am just looking to celebrate that,” she says.

As country music ushers in fresh influences from thought-to-be unconventional sources, like megastar Beyoncé and rapper Post Malone, Vee spoke about how the genre is widening its audience pool as a result.

“These new artists are just making the genre so rich, diverse and interesting”

“What’s happening is there are so many artists wanting to be in the space, but what they do is they do their interpretation of country music,” Vee says. “That is expanding and bringing new people into the genre.

“It all comes from a community of songwriting, and of American history. It’s just such a rich culture and something that I’m so proud to be a part of. There’s something really special and substantial about it, and for so many artists, it’s sort of a new frontier.”

She hailed artists entering the space, like chart-topper Shaboozey, for making it their own. His A Bar Song (Tipsy) tied Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road, another new-country hit, with 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 last year.

“These new artists are creating all these new sounds and making the genre so rich, diverse and interesting. Country music is just so much fun right now,” Vee says.

Artist collaboration, both in the country music space and with genres like electronic, hip-hop, and pop, has helped facilitate the unstoppable spread of country. Furthermore, accessibility through streaming has catapulted the genre into markets far beyond its American home.

Last year, Germany recorded an incredible 58% hike in country music streaming. Australia saw a 28% bump, while Canada saw 18% growth, per Luminate. The UK, which hosted the Country 2 Country (C2C) festival across London, Glasgow, and Belfast in March, saw an unprecedented 78% rise last year, according to the Official Charts Company.

Following his “electric” headlining slot, Zach Bryan will voyage across the pond this summer to deliver three Phoenix Park shows in Dublin, which boasts a capacity of up to 135,000 people, and two BST Hyde Park performances in London, before returning to the US for a stadium run.

Embracing and championing the genre’s changing nature has certainly helped Stagecoach prosper, and Vee says she hopes the festival can be a beacon for other events.

“We don’t ever want to change anything overnight, because then you lose people”

“We’re playing our part by trying new things, and maybe pushing the genre forward by demonstrating that things can work by amplifying diverse voices and being really creative,” she says.

“I think sometimes the country fan can be underestimated in their appetite for new things and new sounds. We love our fans, and I think that they’re ready to have fun and try new things.”

Despite promoting playfulness and merriment — “we’re not too cool for school,” Vee laughs — she affirms that the festival and its brand are built on intentionality.

“I’m super hands-on when it comes to the presentation of everything: the creative, the aesthetic, the artwork, the sponsors, the partners,” she continues. “Every inch of that festival is intentional, a careful decision that we pour over 365 days a year. But we don’t take ourselves too seriously,  we love to be playful.”

Part of that intentionality is maintaining a single-weekend festival instead of strapping in for a second, with Vee affirming it is “really great being the size that it is”.

New ventures are on the horizon for the AEG subsidiary, as Vee gears up to launch the Morgan Wallen-curated Sand In My Boots festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, from 16-18 May. Wallen, Post Malone, Brooks & Dunn, and Hardy will headline, with Diplo, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Three 6 Mafia, and 3 Doors Down also on the bill.

Still, blending the historic roots of country music with its modern evolution is integral to the event’s future success. A poignant example of this was the surprise appearance by country legend Garth Brooks during megastar Luke Combs’ set — a standout moment for Vee.

“Things can change so quickly,” she says. “It’s an organic, slow evolution. We don’t ever want to change anything overnight, because then you lose people. We don’t ever want to make our long-time tried and true country fans feel that Stagecoach isn’t for them anymore. It is, and that’s the basis of who we are. We have found it to be the most successful to just approach every year as it comes and make careful, intentional decisions to keep Stagecoach the A-Class festival.”

A special feature examining the burgeoning genre of contemporary country music appears in the new May edition of IQ Magazine.

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Artists have mobilised to produce benefit concerts in support of Hurricane Helene victims across the Southeastern United States.

Country and folk stars Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor, and Billy Strings announced a benefit concert for North Carolina yesterday (7 October), set for 26 October at Charlotte’s 75,000-capacity Bank of America Stadium. Combs, Church, and Taylor are all natives, with Strings touring the state extensively.

Hurricane Helene ripped through parts of Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee in the final days of September, rapidly intensifying to become the deadliest hurricane since 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Over 230 people have died across six states, with 117 of those being from North Carolina, per CNN.

Proceeds from tickets and sponsorships will be split evenly Combs’ choice of recipients, which includes two food banks, and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation, poised to support established aid organizations across the state and greater region.

Church spoke online about his motivation: “This is my home. It’s in every fibre of who I am. Our family members, friends, neighbours and communities are in dire need. I’m honored to share the stage with an incredible lineup in order to help meet those needs.”

The country star also released the song Darkest Hour on Friday (4 October) in response to the devastation, and will donate all publishing royalties.

Tickets will go on sale this Thursday, 10 October. An auction and raffle are also expected to take place, with details to be announced.

“If there’s anything I can do to give back in any way I can I’m always willing to do that”

American country artist Sturgill Simpson will also play in support of victims, with his 21 October show at Cary, N.C.’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre (7,000) to benefit the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.

Simpson was originally due to play Asheville’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena (7,200) as part of his 2024 fall tour but cancelled the show following extreme flooding across the city. He will now perform two nights in Cary, with tickets for the benefit show going on sale starting Thursday.

Asheville’s arena has also suspended live performances this month, cancelling stops from Ray Lamontagne & Gregory Alan Isakov, Knocked Loose, Goose, and others. It, among other venues like South Carolina’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena (15,000), has been utilised as shelter and gathering spaces for the communities affected.

Other artists are also pitching in. Tennessee native Dolly Parton announced a $1 million (£762k) donation for recovery efforts, which could reportedly take years.

“God has been good to me and so has the public, and I feel that if there’s anything I can do to give back in any way I can I’m always willing to do that. I want to feel like I’m doing my part,” Parton said in a press conference on Saturday (5 October).

Over the weekend, American hardcore band Converge released a live album in support of the victims, with all proceeds to be donated to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief.

Hurricane Helene also forced the cancellation of a series of events across the region, including the final days of both the debut edition of Alabama’s South Star Festival and Kentucky’s Louder Than Life. Impending storm Hurricane Milton, which has rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm, is set to descend on Flordia in the coming days.

“Weather is getting more and more severe and you never know what is going to happen”

Severe weather has become an increasingly common issue in the live music ecosystem, with insurance premiums spiking as a result. Panellists at Croatia’s SHIP Conference spoke about the knock-on effects during a discussion about the financial impacts of weather last month.

“Weather is getting more and more severe and you never know what is going to happen. We just need to make sure we prepare ourselves the best we can in advance and assess it year by year,” said Barbora Bodnárová, booking manager at Pohoda Festival (SK). This year’s edition of the Slovakian festival was curtailed after a storm-induced tent collapse injured 29 attendees.

Parts of Europe are still reeling from the impacts of Storm Boris, which unleashed severe flooding across parts of Romania, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary last month. Multiple gigs across the affected countries were cancelled as a result of the storm surge.

Last week, leading Austrain promoter Barracuda Music GmbH announced a benefit concert in support of the flooding victims, to take place at Wiener Neustadt’s Arena Nova (5,000). The event, scheduled for 26 October, will feature Austrian artists Seiler & Speer, Wanda, Christina Stürmer, and more.

All proceeds from the concert will be donated to Austria Helps Austria, with donations to be distributed among a handful of local aid organisations.

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