MK invited us to Nashville for Thanksgiving week. We’re huge fans of the Nashville TV show, so we made sure to arrive the weekend before so we could catch the Nashville Reunion Tour at the Ryman Auditorium. They’ve done this tour before, but this year there were only two dates: Atlanta and Nashville. Given the incredible choice of the historic Ryman venue, we couldn’t resist!

Note: the header Image is a shot from behind the control booth before the concert.

Ford Lounge

We splurged and upgraded our tickets to add the Ford VIP Lounge and we think it was well worth it. This comes with a dedicated and fast security line, a private lounge with included beverages and snacks, private bathrooms, in/out access, and a place to sit and visit before the show. The Lounge has memorabilia inside that we enjoyed having the chance to see. And before the show, we were able to use VIP level access on the balcony level to see more memorabilia.

The Ryman Auditorium has a long history and is an icon in Nashville. The first concert there was in 1892 and many famous acts have performed on its stage over the years.

A few previous Ryman performers

We had good seats close to the front (except for a column that partially blocked our view) and really enjoyed the proximity to the stage. While there isn’t a bad seat in the house, the seats themselves are the original wood pews. Next time we’d bring stadium cushions to make them more comfortable.

The Crowd

We all enjoyed watching the Nashville TV show. For those of you that aren’t big fans, here’s the characters played by this show’s performers:

• Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne
• Clare Bowen as Scarlett O’Connor
• Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott
• Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley
• Colin Linden was a musician / songwriter for the show and appears in many scenes. While Charles Esten sang his songs on the show, Colin played the guitar parts for the them.
• And … the bartender in the Ford Lounge was an extra on the show!

Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, Colin Linden

Charles Esten, Colin Linden

Sam Palladio, Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Colin Linden, & Jonathan Jackson

Another benefit of the VIP Ford Lounge is that we each received a limited-edition Hatch Show Print poster commemorating the Nashville Reunion Tour…. and they were autographed by all four performers! Hatch Show Print is another Nashville icon: “a working letterpress print shop since 1879, [Hatch Show Print] uses its vast collection of vintage type and hand-carved imagery to create timeless designs that express and commemorate America’s evolving cultural identity.”

North side view

The Ryman windows themselves are iconic. But despite rumors that they were a gift from country legend Johnny Cash to his wife and artist June Carter, they were actually added as a stylistic choice to the arches windows on the north side of the building in 1966. It’s hard to imagine the Ryman without them today! https://www.ryman.com/story/6-myths-and-misconceptions-about-the-ryman-debunked

The music / experience at the Ryman was amazing! We’re very grateful we went and we’d recommend a similar concert if you have the chance.

Photography: The Ryman Auditorium FAQ says “Professional cameras with detachable or telephoto lenses are prohibited.” so I relied on my iPhone 16 Pro Max for photos. With our close seats and its 5x telephoto lens, I think it worked very well.

We did many other things while we were at MK’s: Some movies / TV shows, eating too much very good food, shopping, touring the Vanderbilt campus, and lots of family time. Even some chores too! MK is a wonderful host! What a great trip!

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog! Stay positive, be kind, and take care of yourselves and each other. Visit with family. And if you have a chance, go listen to some live music – and make some photos!

©2024, Ed Rosack and MK Rosack. All rights reserved