It usually takes 20 years in the music industry and a few hit records under your belt before you receive a round of applause at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Cafe. So you can imagine my surprise when, shortly after a brief pre-show conversation with singer-songwriter Georgia Middleman on our first evening in town, we were called out as “her new friends from London” and given a raucous ovation by the audience gathered in the round.
But I shouldn’t have been surprised; this is Nashville, after all. And on this, my third visit, I finally figured out what’s so special about this city – and why I can’t (and won’t) stop visiting.
For now, here are my neon-lit, toe-tapping recollections from a four-night bonanza over an unforgettable New Year’s in Nashville, Tennessee.
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December 29: Broadway and beyond
Broadway is bustling at any time of year, but during the New Year’s Eve buildup, there’s a heightened sense of excitement in the air. The frantic rockabilly sounds of Chris Casello’s wild guitar spill out from Robert’s Western World, and Blue Mountain Drive’s fiddle player tears the roof off Honky Tonk Central as we wander further down. The usual crowds on Broadway are bolstered by visiting college football fans preparing for the Music City Bowl showdown at Nissan Stadium. Jubilant groups in the street ask if I’m an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, and bros at the bar want to know if I love Mizzou (the Missouri Tigers). The answer to both is yes.
After tacos and live jazzy blues from the casually brilliant band Loose Lips at the Assembly Food Hall, we found ourselves at a packed Bluegrass Jam at The Station Inn, south of Broadway. I’m told these sessions finish at 10pm or 2am, depending on “how things are going”. When a dungaree-clad six-year-old took to the stage with his violin, I steeled myself for a junior school rendition of She’ll Be Coming ’Round the Mountain.
Instead, I witnessed a virtuosic bluegrass performance as the boy led the band, playing, singing, and calling out keys to musicians 10 times his age. Truly amazing. As one local put it: “There’s more musical talent pouring your drinks here than in any other city in the
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