'Can't believe I actually get to be on this stage': Pilot Mountain group journeys to Grand Ole Opry

PILOT MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WGHP) –The Grand Ole Opry is one of the most world-renowned music venues. Artists from Dolly Parton to Randy Travis to North Carolina’s Luke Combs and Scotty McCreery have performed on that stage. Andrew Millsaps has that same dream. 

In mid-April, Millsaps and Neon Union member Leo Brooks performed for a hometown crowd during the Pilot Mountain Outdoor and Adventure Expo. 

Hundreds of friends, family members and supporters showed up to support the duo trying to make it in Nashville. 

But the road to the Opry has not been an easy one. Millsaps got his first guitar from his grandfather and later learned how to play on his dad’s electric guitar. His playing became something he was known for around town. 

“Just being the guy at the bonfire or the hangout just going to pull it out and play a little bit. Then in college, I realized I could quit bussing tables if I played on a Saturday night and made some cash,” Millsaps said. “It just kept going and going after that, and I finally realized … I’m writing good songs, and I love doing it. Let me move out to Nashville and try and go for it.”

Neon Union did not form until Millsaps and Brooks were introduced by another artist in Nashville.

Once the duo got into the recording booth, the rest was history. After several recordings and gigs, Neon Union was noticed by Jay Demarcus of Rascal Flats. This led to a residency at Old Red on Broadway and then to the dream Millsaps had had since a young age: The Grand Ole Opry. 

“It was after our fourth show at Ole Red when they came in there and said, ‘Hey, guess what? You are invited to pay at the Grand Ole Opry,'” Millsaps said. 

Both Millsaps and Brooks say the experience of stepping onto such a historical stage is unlike anything else. 

“I can’t believe I actually get to be on this stage, be on this circle and have that moment,” Brooks said. “Everybody talks about how you’ll feel this energy of just hundreds of years of country music running through you, and I would say it’s one hundred percent true,” Millsaps said. 

Neon Union has performed at the Opry seven times and counting.

The group is performing in Raleigh on Sunday evening at the Lincoln Theater. 

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