Music Venues
U.S. agents search Nashville blast site, seeking clues behind Christmas explosion
Police and federal agents were scouring the charred site of a Christmas Day explosion in Nashville on Saturday, trying to determine how and why a motor home blew up and injured three people in the heart of America’s country music capital. The fiery blast, heard from miles away, destroyed several vehicles, damaged more than 40 businesses and left a trail of glass shards around the area. The motor home, parked on a downtown street of Tennessee’s largest city, exploded at dawn on Friday moments after police responding to reports of gunfire noticed the recreational vehicle and heard an automated message emanating from it warning of a bomb. The means of detonation and whether anyone was inside the RV when it blew up were not immediately known, but investigators were examining what they believed...
National Independent Venue Association Begs Government to Save Concert Industry from “Mass Collapse”
Today, Donald Trump halted all negotiations with Congress regarding further COVID-19 relief until after the election. The abrupt political move, which come across like the actions of a manic drugged up on steroids, will undoubtedly impose even more financial hardship on a country that’s already months-deep into an economic crisis. The National Independent Venue Association, having already suffered major losses the last few months — including the shuttering of Washington, DC’s iconic U Street Music Hall just yesterday — has now responded to Trump’s decision. “We have been sounding the alarm since April that if our members don’t get emergency assistance, they will go under forever — and it’s happening,” said Audrey Fix Schaefer, director of communications for NIVA. “This is real. We nee...
Nashville’s Famed Ryman Auditorium to Reopen for Limited Capacity Concerts Beginning This Week
In lieu of traditional shows, Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium has been regularly livestreaming a concert series called Live at the Ryman. Today, the venue announced that it will reopen its doors for the first time since March to allow a limited audience to physically attend these events. The exciting news comes as Music City continues to ease its coronavirus restrictions. Per Mayor John Cooper’s four-phase reopening plan, event spaces can now operate at a third of their capacity or 125 people maximum, as long as social distancing and mask-wearing are enforced. For the Ryman, that means it will be able to host 125 ticketed guests at each of its Live at the Ryman indoor showing, with concertgoers seated safely apart from another. Other health guidelines, including masks for attendee...
