Keith Urban got the surprise of his life last night onstage in Nashville during his "All For the Hall" benefit from Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Diamond Rio and the Oak Ridge Boys.  When Keith opened a large black duffel  bag revealing the Opry’s signature microphone stand, Vince said, “We would like to invite Keith Urban to be the next member of the Grand Ole Opry!”  Keith covered his face in surprise as he began, “I don’t know what to say – but first, YES! Thank you very much to everybody at the Grand Ole Opry who made this possible.  I’m shocked. How beautiful for this to happen tonight of all nights.” 

Vince Gill invites Keith Urban to become the next member of the Grand Ole Opry during his "All For The Hall" benefit concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on April 10, 2012. Photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry,. Photo credit Chris Hollo.

The award winning singer who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, will be the first artist from outside North America to become an Opry member.   He'll be formally inducted Saturday, April 21st.    “I will always remember the first time I played the Opry,”  Keith continued, “seeing this stand and standing in the circle was an extraordinarily surreal moment. So this right here is just a whole other stratosphere! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”    “We are extremely excited that another of today’s most popular country music superstars will be joining our Opry family,” said Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher as reported in the Washington Post. “Keith has become a master at forging a unique musical path and building an incredibly successful career. He generates amazing enthusiasm from fans every time he plays the Opry, and he continuously demonstrates the deep regard he has both for the Opry and the entire country music community.”   Long overdue if you ask us!   Read all about it here.    Keith had some surprises himself, including bringing Merle Haggard and Don Williams up to perform.