Blake Shelton stepped out of the spotlight and into the Circle, and just like that, the Opry turned into a ’90s jukebox with the volume cranked all the way up.
Clint Black hit the first chord. Trace Adkins followed with that unmistakable baritone. And when Shelton came charging in with a Joe Diffie tribute that had the crowd on their feet, it wasn’t nostalgia—it was resurrection.
Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, and Clint Black
Each of these men has a different story with the Opry, but all three share a deep connection to its stage and the music that shaped the ’90s.
Clint Black was the veteran of the trio. He hit in 1989 with “A Better Man,” and the modern country era found its footing just like that. Black made his Opry debut the same year, becoming a member in 1991. He kicked off their medley with “Nothin’ But the Taillights,” it didn’t take long for the crowd to lean in.
Trace Adkins followed with fire, rolling into “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing” like he never left the charts. His baritone hit like a freight train in the Circle, and the crowd roared. Adkins, who joined the Opry in 2003, has been a longtime partner in crime to Shelton—onstage and off—and their chemistry showed.
