I have enjoyed visiting Nashville's Broad Street strip of bars and restaurants off and on for the last five years. It's been a solid two years since I've been there this time, until yesterday's trip. Broad Street was a little odd this time, in that it was actually kind of beat and the customers that were present in the live music venues did not seem to have much of the usual hoop and holler in them, often just sitting there with blank stares when the bands would finish their songs. I was actually embarrassed a few times, when I was the first person to start clapping at the end of a few performances.
Surprisingly, the highlight was a side trip to the Tennessee Museum (see photos), filled with antiques and curios from the early days of Nashville and other parts of Tennessee. A great price (free) and excellent security/tour guides throughout. We only managed to tour the bottom floor and that filled up about two hours before lunch time, so we can look forward to visiting two more floors of historical stuff next time...
Getting back to back to Broad Street after lunch and an excellent burger at Pub 5, the few bands we saw were uncharacteristically rude, pushing for tips like we were going to neglect to tip them, or weren't tipping often enough. One place (The Stage) I just stuck my head in the doorway a moment to say hello to a guitarist I know from two years ago and the other bass player directed the crowd and his full attention to my presence and admonished me to "come in and spend some money". Drinks were no bargain either, at $11.75 + $2.00 tip for a wine and a beer, it was $13.75 just to drop in for two drinks, so it's just another tourist trap I guess.
I'm sure the locals could lead me to a better part of town for fun, because this is obviously moneyed Baby Boomer and retiree heaven. The homeless outside too, were kind of nasty, telling me I "need to get bigger". Looks like my shirt was too tight that day. I guess being a fat slob is accepted as normal and I'm obviously just a throwback to another era. If I can piss off the young guys at age 53 by looking too good, that's fine with me. Not the laid back Nashville music scene I've gotten used to. Not the same old Music City, unfortunately. I headed on outta' town just in time to thread the lucky and very wealthy-looking crowd heading into the CMA's (see video).
Some photos:
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| Entrance |
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| Civil War Scene |
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| Commerce Street, Nashville |
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| Brent Cunningham - Street Player |
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| Kurt, himself, outside the Tennessee Museum |
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| Entrance sign at the Pub 5 restaurant |
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| I want this truck.... |
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| Whiskey Bent Saloon |
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| Sarah Montgomery |
