Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry is one of my favorite places in Nashville. After checking in at the security desk, guests are free to wander the maze of hallways that connect the historic dressing rooms. Onstage, guests crowd into seats between the musicians and the red country-barn backdrop, watching the bustle of the show as the curtain rises and falls between segments. Announcers read famous slogans in advertising copy; legendary singers in sequins and rhinestones chat with up-and-coming performers in the wings; the Carol Lee Singers and house band keep the music humming along. Headliners take the stage and crack jokes with the audience, who, in turn, applaud their approval at the beginning of favorite songs. Square dancers kick up their heels while fans gather at the footlights to snap scrapbook pictures. The live broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry on WSM, on the air continuously since 1925, represent a collision of country's past and present in a beloved, nostalgic, and slightly chaotic performance tradition.