Tag Archives: Ryman Auditorium
Brendan Benson and Friends @ Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / December 18, 2013
Nashville’s Brendan Benson is a well-respected and talented singer-songwriter whose skills lay in crafting exquisite pop songs. While there are many treasures to find in his solo catalog, he still remains best known as the other singer in The Raconteurs. The Raconteurs is the band he fronts with Jack White, the musical face of the […]
Iron & Wine @ Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / November 10, 2013
When time allows, I make a concerted effort to prepare for my upcoming concerts. My usual M.O. entails going into completist mode about the artist I will be seeing and filling my travelling iPod with as much of their recorded work as possible. The process normally involves used CD purchases from Amazon which I find […]
John Prine @ Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / October 26, 2013
If there is currently any performing singer-songwriter that deserves to be called an American Treasure, it is John Prine. With a recording career that started back in 1971 when he was called one of the “New Dylans,” Prine has created a legacy of songs that range from the poignantly sensitive “Hello in There” to the […]
The Lumineers: Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / October 14, 2013
I’m tired of the Lumineers and all the hoopla surrounding them. Even the Nashville TV show is hawking them by having its character Avery Barkley whine about wanting the opening slot for an upcoming Lumineers show. While they sing happy, fun songs and don’t play all that bad, there’s really nothing special about them or […]
Blondie: Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / September 30, 2013
Back in my New Jersey college days, I asked a friend what his friend Gary (Lachman) was up to. “He’s playing bass with some chick named Blondie,” he answered. I replied, “I didn’t know Gary played bass.” My friend simply replied, “He doesn’t!” Well, Gary eventually learned how and became Gary Valentine. Despite writing Blondie’s […]
Music City Landmarks #4—Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl Statues
Location: Ryman Auditorium Lobby (116 5th Avenue North) The Ryman is not just one of the world’s most famous music venues. It also is a museum of country music history. The upstairs balcony proudly exhibits a rotating collection of memorabilia from the Ryman’s days as home of the Grand Ole Opry. The hallway entrance to […]
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit @ Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / August 17, 2013
It was the perfect setting to celebrate Jason Isbell’s recent life triumphs: First, a set from his friend and special hand-picked opening act, the charming Caitlin Rose; then, a chance to perform to a sold-out crowd of family, friends, and fans on one of the most famous stages in the world in his adopted home […]
The Monkees @ Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / July 24, 2013
The Ryman crowd for “A Midsummer’s Night with The Monkees” was evenly split between two generations of fans. One was the original baby boomers who tuned into NBC every Monday night in the late 60’s to watch prime time television’s answer to The Beatles. The other was those who later discovered them in the 80’s […]
Seven Nights to Rock: Music City Mike’s Weeklong Adventure
In the late 70’s, a New Jersey music writer with the pen name of “Everynight Charlie” tried to go to a concert every night. I often wonder if this is what my life would be like if I were single. Although live music every night is not my ultimate desire, with my wife out of […]
Hall & Oates @ Ryman Auditorium / Nashville TN / June 2, 2013
It’s hard to believe that it has been 38-years since I first saw Daryl Hall and John Oates perform. Well before their MTV-fueled era of superstardom, they were well known locally thanks to free-form radio. That first time they were merely an opening act for Leo Sayer at New York City’s intimate Bottom Line. I […]
Music City Mike 