I had always wanted to visit Nashville, Tennessee. Being an avid country music lover, Nashville was just one of those places where I wanted to go and feel the history of country music pulsate through the streets.
And boy, did I get an experience I’ll never forget.
My husband and I stumbled across an announcement that country music legend, Alan Jackson, would be having his final concert in Nashville, Tennessee. After a lengthy discussion, a trembling hand impulsively hitting the “Buy Now” button, and a burning credit card, we booked our trip to Nashville.
We lived in North Carolina at the time so we instinctively drove instead of flying. We were lucky to get a hotel because everything in the general vicinity was booked.
Nashville was amazing, and just as I imagined, you can’t help but feel the history flow through the veins of this city.
However, if you’ve always wanted to visit this city like me, I would advise to not do what we did and visit when there is a concert of a country music legend hosting a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Broadway was absolute hell.
Our hotel conveniently had a shuttle that could take us to Broadway. If you’re not familiar with Broadway, Broadway is a street and huge entertainment district with historic honky tonks, live music, rooftop bars, stores etc. It’s like sticking an IV of country music and alcohol in your veins.
My husband and I were so excited. We couldn’t wait to see all the bars by country music stars — maybe grab a bite to eat and drink while listening to aspiring artists sing covers, and play our favorite game which is guessing which tourist bought their boots specifically for the concert or are avid boot wearers like us.
I want you to imagine a sea of people, a weird, foul odor, and brand new cowboy hats as far as the eye could see. Don’t worry about imagining what Broadway sounded like because your ears were blown out as soon as you walked by the first bar that had it’s windows opened, trying to beckon you in by destroying your eardrums first.
I sound old. I know. You could say my husband and I are old souls because we looked at each other in bewilderment and griped like an old married couple.
I definitely should’ve seen this coming. I mean, it’s Alan Jackson for crying out loud. Of course Broadway would be hopping. I just didn’t anticipate this level of insanity.
Trying to walk down the sidewalk without bumping into other people was futile, there was no room to stand at the bars, and I wanted to purchase a brand new pair of boots (I know, ironic, right?) so bad but the stores were packed like sardines. My husband has a Stetson and we thought it would be so cool to get my first Stetson in none other than the city of country music, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.
Saturday morning (the morning of the concert) we were fortunate to venture down to Broadway before noon and we enjoyed ourselves a little. The young crowd drank themselves into a stupor the night before so people didn’t really start flooding the streets until noon. So we were able to buy a couple shirts and we could happily say we “saw” the Country Music Hall of Fame. The line was crazy, so we weren’t able to actually visit the museum.
Then finally came the concert, and that was an interesting experience itself.
Have you ever been drenched for hours on end? I’m not talking about sweat either.
We walked to the stadium from Broadway and when we found our seat, there was a torrential downpour of rain. I honestly didn’t mind because it felt nice in comparison to the blistering humidity. My husband and I definitely snickered at everyone who had these very nice outfits and cowboy hats and watched as they got absolutely soaked. We definitely anticipated rain beforehand so we didn’t really bother dressing up.
Once the country artists in the lineup did their tributes to Alan Jackson, the stadium flooded with red light from the large screens.
SEVERE WEATHER ADVISORY
Oh boy, this just got interesting.
My husband and I were already at the concessions buying food so we were able to find a place to stand that kind of shielded us from the rain. The concert was on a halt until the storm blew by.
Have you ever watched a brand new cowboy hat blow by like a tumbleweed? Yeah, me ether.
We made great conversation with fellow Alan Jackson fans, but…once again…we were soaked.
The concert itself? It was a great time. I had anticipated seeing more of the other artists since they were highlighted so much in the concert announcement, but after they did their tribute you didn’t see them again unfortunately.
Our trip to Nashville was definitely a weekend getaway we won’t forget. I’m not sure if I would visit again, but if I did, it definitely would be during the off season.
But all in all, I’m happy to announce we survived Broadway, and while the experience had a little more moisture than I anticipated, I’m glad we made the leap and made the decision to go.
