Leslie Jordan honored by Eddie Vedder and more at Nashville tribute concert

More than a dozen country music stars took the stage at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House Sunday night to honor the late Leslie Jordan — but it was a comedian from New York City who summed up the spirit of the evening clearer than anyone else.

Robyn Schall was telling the audience — a sold-out crowd at the 4,000-seat venue — about making Instagram videos with the comedic actor in recent years.

"So we'd make a video, and then he would call me and say, 'Hey, Robyn, we're gonna post this. What's the best time to do it, so you shine the best?' I think it's so fitting (that) a tribute night to Leslie Jordan is just all of his friends, shining so bright."

Jordan, known for his TV roles on “Will & Grace,” “American Horror Story” and “Call Me Kat,” died in October at age 67. The Chattanooga native reached new heights of fame in 2020 through his social media videos in the early days of the pandemic, earning an audience of millions — or in his words, his "fellow hunker-downers."

Soon, he rode that wave of attention west to Music City. In 2021, he released his debut album "Company's Comin'," a collection of hymns largely recorded on Nashville's Music Row. He made his Grand Ole Opry debut that same year.

Sunday night's all-star tribute (dubbed "Reportin’ For Duty: A Tribute To Leslie Jordan"), featured several of Jordan's longtime friends from his TV career and philanthropy.

But it was truly striking to see just how many new musical friends he'd made in Nashville in the last two years of his life. They were friendships that cut across generations, race and sexuality — and ran deep, even if they'd only spent a day with the man.

The top-billed musician, however, had little to do with Nashville or country music: it was Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, making a historic debut on the Opry stage.

He told the audience of connecting with Jordan through their work with the EB Research Partnership. All proceeds from Sunday's show went towards the organization, which works to find a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa, a family of genetic disorders that affect the skin.

The vast music lineup included Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Tanya Tucker, Brittney Spencer, Lukas Nelson, Jake Wesley Rogers, Ashley McBryde, Fancy Hagood, Jelly Roll, Danny Myrick, Travis Howard, Hardy, Lainey Wilson, Ruby Amanfu, Charlie Worsham, Ernest and Katie Pruitt.

There were also friends and co-stars Jim Parsons, Anthony Mason, Mayim Bialik, Cheyenne Jackson, Max Greenfield, Margaret Cho, Robyn Schall and Leanne Morgan.

Below, a few of our favorite tributes to Jordan from "Reportin' for Duty."

∙ Eddie Vedder: Yes, even a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer feels the pressure when paying tribute to a figure like Jordan on the Opry stage.

"We've been thinking about this this show in this venue and this person every day, for so many days leading up to this," Vedder said, after performing the Jason Isbell-penned "Maybe It's Time" alongside Lukas Nelson.

"It's a good thing to be emotional and be in the moment. But it also means that you might (mess) up a chord or two."

He recalled hearing the news of Jordan's death last year, and the pain of having to break it to his daughters. But after spending two days in Nashville with many of Jordan's other musical friends — "It's the best we've felt in a long, long time."

"I was a little surprised to find out he was from Chattanooga," he quipped. "Because when I saw him, I thought 'Oh, he hails from the Diminutive Republic.'"

Not even Eddie Vedder is immune to telling a dad joke. The difference is he can rebound by playing Pearl Jam's "Just Breathe," followed by "The One Who Hideth Me," his collaboration with Jordan on "Company's Comin'." The rest of the night's cast joined him on stage for a closing cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released."

∙ Dolly Parton: The country legend sent a video tribute to Jordan for Sunday's show, underscoring their shared East Tennessee roots.

"You left a lot of people here with a lot of precious, precious memories," she said. "Everybody loves you, but I doubt that many of them loved you more than I did."

∙ Max Greenfield: "Leslie was not a good singer."

Nothing got a bigger, more honest laugh in the Opry House than this exquisitely blunt line from Greenfield — the "New Girl" star who worked with Jordan on the "Will and Grace" revival. We laughed partly because it was the elephant in the room — but it was also because we knew Jordan's ability didn't affect our joy in seeing him sing.

"He certainly didn't have the discipline to be a musician," he continued. "So it had to be that this was God's work. And so was Leslie."

∙ Charlie Worsham: 25 years after making his Opry debut, Worsham still expresses awe to be standing in the famous circle of its stage. But on Sunday, rather than citing the country legends who've stood there, he talked about Jordan occupying that mythic spot.

"He only performed at the Opry a couple of times. But in that short time, he did what country music does at its best, which is to expand this circle to include everyone."

∙ Mayim Bialik: The "Call Me Kat" star took the stage with the chair Jordan sat in on set at the Fox sitcom — the same one they placed front and center when the show said goodbye to their former castmate on screen.

"Our cast, Leslie's work family, got to see him basking in the three things he wanted most," she said. "To be sober, to be famous and to be in love."

Sunday's concert was filmed for a future airing on Opry Entertainment Group's Circle Network.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Leslie Jordan honored by Eddie Vedder and more at Nashville concert