We just returned home from spending a weekend in Nashville, our third trip, but our first concert.
I am not a big city guy, but I like to go and see the things the city offers and then head back to my cozy home in the Cumberlands of East Tennessee.
Nashville is one of the fastest growing cities in America with 2.15 million people living in the metro area, making it the twenty-first largest in the nation, the fourth largest city in the south, and Tennessee’s biggest city.
It feels like a big city because it draws 16.8 million visitors a year who spend almost 11 billion dollars. There is so much to do in Nashville, one could easily stay an entire week in an attempt to sample all the city has to offer.
Nashville has more than its share of monikers, Athens of the South, Music City, and Nash Vegas. I understand each of them, especially the last one.
The street scene on Broadway in Nashville is like none other with wall-to-wall honkey-tonks for blocks and rocking country music leaking out of each one of them. Some have different bands in different rooms. The sidewalks are packed with visitors looking for a good time.
Nashville is indeed music city, but it is also a bustling party town with its pedal bars and bachelorette parties. It’s a different world, like something out of a movie. I am not a party guy, but I have fun looking at all of the honkey-tonk names colorfully displayed in neon and listening to all of the live music.
The Ryman Auditorium has a special place in the hearts of all music lovers. Known as “The “Mother Church of Country Music.” This 2,362-seat venue was originally built as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1890 and was home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 when a new home was built for the Opry. It is on the National Register of Historical Places and has hosted rock artists for decades earning its place as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Landmark.
For several years I have wanted to attend a concert there.
My opportunity presented itself in the form of The Mavericks, a group that defies categorizing. My best take is country, rock, and Latin music that makes you dance. We have seen them once before in Milwaukee. We love them, though my wife needs ear protection.
We had our tickets for several months, then, sadly the founder and front man, Raul Malo developed a rare and fatal form of cancer. Raul was truly a maverick in creating a style of music that confounded the Nashville musical establishment.
He put together a touring entourage that included electric guitars, bass, drums, keyboard, accordion, and a brass section. They enjoyed considerable success in the studio and on the road over thirty-five years, developing a committed grassroots following.
The man has the purest, silkiest voice I have ever heard. It makes you listen with joy. So, I got to see one of my favorite bands at one of the most storied venues in the country. We spent most of the three hours on our feet. Raul was unable to perform, but the band called on a number of their musical friends to cover Raul’s vocals. The night was full of energy and emotion.
Nashville was very much another world than my daily experience, but one I truly enjoyed. If you love live music, Nashville is the place to be.
Raul passed away two days after we attended the concert. His voice, his smile, his passion reached the back row and touched the hearts of many, including me.
