Eddie Vedder, Maren Morris, Many More Salute Leslie Jordan

It took nearly four decades for Leslie Jordan to become an overnight global sensation. The Chattanooga-born actor and singer was well-known for guest appearances on heaps of TV shows from the 1980s through his death in October at age 67. He was instantly memorable even if he was only in an episode or two, and his recurring roles on sitcoms like Will & Grace are legendary among fans. The diminutive raconteur took the giant bag of lemons that the pandemic handed us and made lemonade, becoming a prolific and beloved presence on social media. If future generations need a succinct approximation of everyday life in 2020, they could do a lot worse than his customary greeting, “Well shit, how y’all doin?” In early 2021, Call Me Kat premiered on Fox, marking his first role in a show as a regular cast member. 

Sunday night at the Grand Ole Opry House, a stellar band and a dazzling array of Jordan’s colleagues, co-conspirators and others — all of whom he would probably just call “friends” — gathered to pay tribute at Reportin’ for Duty, an event named for one of Jordan’s other catchphrases, which was being filmed for later broadcast on the Opry-centric Circle TV channel. There were copious interludes featuring Jordan on video, and reflections from friends like Dolly Parton who couldn’t be at the show. The in-person guests included Jordan’s TV co-stars like Mayim Bialik, several of his duet partners on his 2021 gospel album Company’s Comin’, and musicians whose work he championed whether he’d met them in person or not. 

From comedians Margaret Cho and Robyn Schall to journalist Anthony Mason to Company’s Comin’ co-producers Travis Howard and Danny Myrick and beyond, they told story after story of Jordan’s generosity of spirit, usually expressed through his proudly Southern, proudly gay brand of self-deprecating humor. Whether the spotlight was on Jordan or not, he was forever unapologetically and flamboyantly himself, encouraging everyone around him to be the same.

The show ran close to four hours, and while no performance was a true dud, it might not have hurt to rein in the lineup. Still, the massive bill is another reminder of how broad and deep Jordan’s impact was, and proceeds from the event benefit a noble cause: the EB Research Partnership. The nonprofit funds studies to cure epidermolysis bullosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that leaves children’s skin incredibly fragile and unable to heal itself. Among the nonprofit’s co-founders are Jill and Eddie Vedder, the latter of whom you know as Pearl Jam’s frontman. More on him to come.

Proceedings started on a high note with Tanya Tucker singing her indelible debut hit “Delta Dawn,” assisted on the chorus by an eager audience. Accompanied only by a pianist, Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd gave a heartfelt rendition of “What Would This World Do?,” a song the couple wrote for songwriter, producer and mentor busbee shortly before his death from cancer. Morris noted that the song was never a hit, but Jordan loved it just the same. Introducing her breakout single “Sober and Skinny,” Brittney Spencer noted how Jordan not only shined his spotlight on up-and-comers’ music, but did his damnedest to make everyone feel confident in being who they are. Before singing her gentle “Beautiful, You Are,” Ruby Amanfu gave her appreciation as well, thanking Jordan in spirit for “turning our songs into your songs.”

Despite the acceptance of some queer stars and business folk, the country music industry and community still have active hostility toward the LGBTQ community in general and trans people specifically — a prevailing trend in politics, especially at the state level. Many of Sunday’s most poignant moments came from openly gay musicians. Fancy Hagood stunned the room to silence with his take on Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” dedicated to queer kids across the state. Brothers Osborne, whose singer T.J. Osborne came out in 2021, dedicated “Younger Me” to a gay couple in the audience who sent him a message that they were celebrating their 20th anniversary. Osborne noted that just as he didn’t think his career would be possible when he was starting out, he imagined they might not have thought that joyously celebrating their relationship in the open would be possible when they got together. 

It was a night for celebrating the normality of queerness, the weird side of Southerness and the joy of being together, reveling in what makes us unique and telling lots of dirty jokes. It’s possible the production set a record for the number of times “well shit” has been said on the Opry stage. Katie Pruitt (who also sang “This Little Light of Mine” as she did on Company’s Comin’) and Cheyenne Jackson added to the count with an original showtune, telling Jordan’s life story using “well shit” as the refrain.

The parade of kickass performances continued. Jake Wesley Rogers took a triumphant run through “Jacob From the Bible”; Ashley McBryde’s solo acoustic version of “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” was met with cheers at every chorus. Jelly Roll embodied a charismatic preacher with “Son of a Sinner,” while Lainey Wilson and Lukas Nelson channeled Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers with “You Can’t Make Old Friends.” 

As the end drew near, the aforementioned Mr. Vedder took the stage to thunderous applause. With the band at his back and Nelson at his side, he dove into “Maybe It’s Time,” which Jason Isbell wrote for Bradley Cooper to sing as a character loosely modeled on Vedder in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born. 

Vedder wryly acknowledged a couple of goofs in the performance: “I made two mistakes in that fuckin’ song … and now I’m cussing in front of my kids,” he said with a laugh, ultimately chalking it up to the emotional impact of putting together a tribute to someone who meant so much to so many. He then spent a few minutes discussing the EB Research Partnership, how the work of many doctors and research scientists has made a breakthrough tantalizingly close, and how they hope that the framework they’ve developed will speed up the search for cures for other rare illnesses.

Ahead of the grand finale — an all-hands sing-along to “I Shall Be Released” — Tennessee State University’s W. Crimm Singers, aka the Wakanda Chorale, joined Vedder for “The One Who Hideth Me,” which he sang with Jordan on Company’s Comin’. Vedder quipped that it takes 17 singers to take Jordan’s place, an appropriate epitaph for someone who seemed determined to do the most good he could with every second he had on Earth.

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• Brittney McKenna