We arrived there on the eve of the Country
Music Awards, a huge event for Nashville. That night in the comfort of our
hotel room, we watched on our TV screen as the commanding and glittering
presence of Dolly Parton introduced the awards celebration. It was kind of neat
thinking that here was this Country Music icon only a few miles from where we
were watching. That feeling of excitement didn’t last. On the weekend, we
ventured into downtown Nashville and it was a different experience
entirely.
We caught the hotel shuttle to the Ryman
Theatre, a must stop if you are in the Nashville area. Indeed, Lyle and I both
enjoyed the Ryman entertainment that night – in spite of the hard pew style seating.
The theatre used to be a church but was renovated and converted into a centre
for country music entertainment. The jolt came when we emerged from the theatre
to experience Saturday night on Broadway.
It was after midnight and the main street
was crowded with party-goers. The vast majority were young people – I would
estimate in their twenties or early thirties, and the vast majority of them
were highly inebriated – or at least acting in a manner which strongly
suggested that they were under the influence of something or other. The noise
was raucous. Every second establishment seemed to be a bar or similar drinking
establishment. Most had open doors and windows and the noise – I don’t think I
could call it music – throbbed and echoed onto the sidewalk. I found the
jostling of the crowds and the hubbub of noise disorienting. My cane was almost
ineffectual in the throng of people. I was glad when the shuttle arrived to
take us back to the hotel.
We tried again on Sunday afternoon. This time
we took the hop on/hop off trolley around town. The tour itself was very
interesting and our guide was informative about the various sites and history,
both old and new, of Nashville. However, when the trolley tram again entered
the downtown area, the noise emanating from the honky-tonks was almost deafening.
Both the Ryman Theatre and the trolley ride
around Nashville were highlights of our time in the area, but I did feel
somewhat jaded by the explosion of noise and drinking revellers. Perhaps we were
just in the city on the wrong weekend. There was the climax of the CMA and I
believe that there was also some big sporting event happening. Nashville might be a good place to go if you
are a country music fan, but for us I don’t think that it will merit a repeat
visit. My intention is to write a second part to this post with a more positive
spin on our time in Nashville. Stay tuned for the next installment.
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