It's the third time the two have taken on the assignment.

"The CMAs are different from any other awards night," said Paisley in a statement. "You're looking at a roomful of people who love each other. And any new viewer will be pleasantly surprised at what they relate to on the Awards and what they like that they had no idea they would like. For that reason alone, this is the most important night of the year for Country Music."

From the Tennessean

There were days following the May flood when Little Jimmy Dickens ached at the thought of the future of the Grand Ole Opry House. Once, he arrived at the Opry House with locker key in hand, only to be told the building was uninhabitable.

“I hung my head and cried and went back to the house,” said Dickens, a Country Music Hall of Famer who at 89 is the Opry’s oldest living member.

No one was crying Wednesday morning, when Dickens, fellow Opry member Brad Paisley, Mayor Karl Dean and numerous Opry officials celebrated a flood — pardon — of good news:

*The famed six-foot circle moved from the Ryman Auditorium to the Opry House in 1974 is back in place at the center of the Opry House’s stage.

*The Opry House will reopen ahead of schedule for a Tuesday, Sept. 28, show featuring Dickens, Paisley, Mel Tillis, Trace Adkins, Josh Turner, Charlie Daniels, Jason Aldean, Diamond Rio, the Del McCoury Band, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton and others.

*The Opry will celebrate a “Spirit of Nashville” day on Oct. 2 by opening up the Opry House for free tours of the renovated main room and backstage area and by presenting music on the Opry Plaza.

“Everyone will be awed and pleased with the result,” said Grand Ole Opry Group President Steve Buchanan, who said the renovations to all areas of the buildings will allow the Opry to properly celebrate its 85th birthday.

The Opry has not missed a show since the flood, but the long-running radio show has been doing the concert equivalent of couch-surfing, moving from venue to venue while the Opry House is renovated.

Much of Wednesday morning’s talk centered around the circle, which looked no worse for wear though it had been covered by 46 inches of water. Dickens made his Opry debut standing on that wood more than 60 years ago, when it was part of the Ryman stage.

“There’s something about having a piece of the floor that Hank Williams stood on,” Paisley said. “Keeping physically and metaphorically this bond with the past is something that separates the Opry from almost all other musical institutions.”

Paisley Plays His First Stadium Show
51,000 Bostonians Rally For The Event!

Brad Paisley and Boston...a combination that has always brought out the best in both. And last Saturday night it all happened again.

In his first stadium show as a headliner, Brad played to over 51,000 Bostonians at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. The 7th Annual New England Country Festival included performances by Easton Corbin, Sara Evans, Darius Rucker and Jason Aldean.

Brad tells us, “Early on, my career dream was to get to what I call the level of a tour musician – to have a tour bus, the band and I all pile on and go play a show, get back on the bus and go to another city and play.

"And to think – now here we are playing Gillette Stadium – the same group of guys that use to pile on that one tour bus. It’s beyond my dreams.”

This past Saturday evening Brad Paisley performed in Fairlea, WV as part of the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic.  The rains came but didn’t quench the crowd’s enthusiasm or Paisley’s.

Paisley’s H2O World Tour continues this week with three dates in Texas – Hidalgo, Houston and Dallas.

Photo Credit:  Ben Enos

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 19, 2010)  Brad Paisley took his H2O World Tour to Chicago this past Friday and played to a sold-out crowd of over 25,000, making it the second consecutive year that he has sold out First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre.  The following evening the tour went down the road to Moline and performed before another capacity crowd.

Saturday evening Paisley made a surprise appearance during Josh Thompson’s set on the Water World stage and played Merle Haggard’s “Ramblin’ Fever” with him.  More than 5,000 fans were already in the Water World Plaza and enjoyed the unexpected treat.

The H2O World Tour continues later this week with shows in Toronto (Thursday), Cleveland (Friday), Saratoga Springs (Saturday) and Harrington, DE on Sunday.

Photo Credit:  Ben Enos