On Tuesday, June 19th, the man with an extraordinary, ordinary life took to a stage for the first time since 2015 that was not at his home in Tennessee. And what a stage to make that return as a packed yet intimate crowd welcomed Rory Feek at Opry City Stage. Feek has played the Grand Ole Opry many times before with his beloved wife Joey, and it was fitting that his return would be again on Opry ground, but this time in New York City.
Accompanied by his talented daughter Heidi and National Gutiar champion (and Heidi’s boyfriend / aka firekid) Dillon Hodges, Feek told stories about his life growing up, the moment he met Joey and the moment when they could finally be together (they both were dating other people when they met), their beautiful daughter Indiana and their farmhouse.
Feek kicked off the evening with Easton Corbin’s hit “I’m A Little More Country Than That,” that he co-wrote with Wynn Varble and Don Poythress. Quite fitting as Feek sat there in his trademark overalls in the middle of Time Square, something that he made note of. As he performed each song Feek told a story, just like the amazing storyteller he is. He talked about his dear friend Tim Johnson (“To Do What I Do”, “What You Gonna Do With That Broken Heart”) and how Zac Brown and he got to writing “Good Truck.” He told how “My Ol’ Man,” written with Luke Bryan, was not about his father but that he believed it was in actuality about Luke’s. Laughs filled The Studio as Feek talked about how “It’s Hard to Be Cool (In a Minivan)” (The Oak Ridge Boys). Feek also put daughter Heidi on the spot asking her to sing Joey’s famous “Cheater, Cheater.” (Heidi then got her revenge when she asked her dad to sing on “Boomerang” written by herself and Hodges).
The love Feek had for his Joey, and she for her Rory, is well known throughout the country world (and beyond) thanks to their music, appearances on TV, and in Feek’s blog and book “This Life I Live.” But after telling the backstory of how he and Joey wrote “Nothing to Remember” together, Feek asked the audience to re-listen to the lyrics as the song has taken a different turn; the past meaning of heartbreak after meeting someone you couldn’t have has become that of heartbreak for someone you have lost. Feek fought through the emotion of the song, specifically during the first verse (What if you hadn’t said hello / Or smiled at me that way? / Maybe I wouldn’t be hurting so / The way I am today) and the audience gave him a loving hug at the end with their loud applause.
In addition to being in the Big Apple for this performance, Feek was also on a book tour for his newest edition Once Upon A Farm: Lessons on Growing Love, Life, and Hope on a New Frontier, released June 19. Fans were available to purchase copies of the book at the concert and have them signed by Feek.
For more information on Rory Feek, visit his website: www.roryfeek.com