Back in the summer, plans to develop a site on Third Avenue North near First Tennessee Park were made public, revealing a future outpost of the bowling alley/music venue Brooklyn Bowl. Word has come that the Nashville spot will open its doors in March, and a substantial concert calendar has also been announced.
The run of shows begins with a grand opening party called Bowlive on March 14, with Soulive and Meters bassman George Porter Jr. on the bill. There are several local folks on the schedule, including Rayland Baxter (March 21), Brent Cobb and Them (April 2), Liz Cooper and the Stampede (April 11, playing with Futurebirds plus a Grateful Dead tribute set from Bobby’s Shorts), The Infamous Stringdusters (April 18), Larkin Poe (April 25) and Phosphorescent (May 9).
And there are plenty of highlights among the touring acts coming through. See St. Paul and the Broken Bones (who most recently played two sold-out nights at the Ryman; they’ll be back March 27), Antibalas (March 31), Angel Olsen (April 13), The Hold Steady (following their September three-nighter at The Basement East, they’ll be back on a date in June TBA), Car Seat Headrest (June 20) and Chicano Batman (June 21).
Tickets for the shows are mostly in the range of $20-$30, while a couple go as high as $69.50 (for each of three nights by The String Cheese Incident in July). They’ll all go on sale Friday, Dec. 20, at noon — see the full calendar and ticketing details on the venue’s website.
Brooklyn Bowl Nashville will be the third (currently operating) location for the successful New York company, in partnership with ticketing and touring giant Live Nation. Size-wise, its 1,200-person capacity will put it in competition with the slightly larger Marathon Music Works and Cannery Ballroom, which each accommodate 1,500.
"Nashville is a place that evokes the spirit of what was happening in Brooklyn when we opened there almost 11 years ago, and there’s so much great music,” says Brooklyn Bowl co-founder Peter Shapiro in a release. “We’re really excited to bring our own vibe and energy to a place with so much history.”
“Combining what Nashville is famous for with the diverse and eclectic musical genres that we’ve become known for showcasing, we’re looking forward to being a new home for rock ’n’ roll in Music City,” adds co-founder Charley Ryan. “It’s a town with such amazing venues, and we’re excited and honored to be a part of the community.”
Brooklyn Bowl New York’s Colin Keegan will serve as the head talent buyer for the new location.
The original Brooklyn Bowl was launched in 2009, followed by expansions to Las Vegas and London in 2014. (The London venue closed in 2017.) In addition to music, the Nashville location will include a 19-lane bowling alley (naturally) and feature food by the Blue Ribbon restaurant group, which serves the other two Brooklyn Bowls.
