Nashville Performance Roundup: Through May 17

Spring is in full swing and more people are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 — and more venues across the spectrum in and around Nashville are opening up for limited-capacity audiences. Conditions continue to improve around the country, meaning more musicians are touring again, too. While it’s far from time to declare the pandemic over, you’ve got many more options for shows to see and support. 

If you feel comfortable going out, be aware that the situation won’t be quite the same as it was pre-COVID. Even with Metro planning to end many pandemic restrictions on May 14, many venues will have special COVID protocols in place, involving things like mask requirements and/or some form of a pod seating scenario — be sure to check venues’ websites and social media or call them up so you’re on the same page. While being aware that changes in pandemic metrics might lead to changes in bookings, consider making your plans much earlier than you used to. Limited capacity means a sold-out show might be for a crowd of 100 people or less, depending on the venue. Related to that, be ready to tip generously; you’re probably going to be served by staffers who haven’t been able to work a regular gig in more than a year.

And if you don’t feel comfortable going out just yet, there are lots of streaming options, too. Below, find our list of one-time shows happening through Monday, May 17, plus notes on area venues that have published new show information and details on recurring events. We’ll do our best to keep it up-to-date, but keep an eye on artists’ and venues’ social media and websites for updates. It’s a great time to visit anyhow, to show your support by buying merch or music — which you can also do via your favorite local record store. Whatever you do, don’t be a jerk and wear a mask.

Upcoming Single Events:

• Tuesday, May 4, 7 p.m.: Jackie Venson and Kyshona perform at The Basement East. Not streaming.
• Wednesdsay-Thursday, May 5-6, 7 p.m.: Adam Melchior and Flipturn perform at 6th and Peabody. Not streaming.
• Wednesday, May 5, 6 p.m., and Thursday, May 6, 8:30 p.m.: Keb' Mo' performs at City Winery NYC, streaming via CWTV.
• Wednesday, May 5, 7 p.m.: The Love-In performs via Instagram in an event called Out of Body Garden Party, featuring poetry by Caroline Randall Williams.
• Wednesday, May 5, 7 p.m.: Dom Flemons performs at City Winery in the Lounge. Not streaming.
• Thursday, May 6, 8 p.m.: John Mailander's Forecast performs an album-release celebration set for their album Look Closer, streaming from The 5 Spot via StageIt.
• Thursday, May 6, 8 p.m.: Josh Morningstar and Kristina Murray perform at 3rd and Lindsley. Not streaming.
• Friday-Thursday, May 7-13: Terror Pigeon's Neil Fridd and friends host the audiovisual installation Mystery Yard in East Nashville. See the Withfriends event profile for details and ticketing.
• Friday, May 7, 6 p.m.: Viktor Krauss performs at Rudy's Jazz Room. Not streaming.
• Friday, May 7, 7 p.m.: Bren Joy performs an album release show for Twenties Deluxe, streaming from Brooklyn Bowl Nashville via YouTube.
• Friday, May 7, 8 p.m.: Struggle Jennings and Brianna Harness perform at Marathon Music Works. Not streaming.
• Friday, May 7, 8 p.m.: Michael McDonald performs via Mandolin in a Mother's Day-themed streaming performance titled Home Alone 3: Yo Mama Be There.
• Friday, May 7, 9 p.m.: Matt Endahl Trio performs at Rudy's Jazz Room. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 8, time TBA: Luh Stain performs an album release show for Key to the City at Jazzy Bistro, 1520 Hampton Street. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 8, time TBA: Whoa Dakota, Derek Luttrell and Roanoke perform at The East Room. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 8, 3:30 p.m.: Amanda Broadway Band, Hollie Hammel and The Broomestix perform at The Basement. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 8, 6 p.m.: Jaimee Paul and Leif Shires perform at Rudy's Jazz Room. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 8, 6:30 & 9:30 p.m.: Jade Bird and Erin Rae perform at The Basement East. Both shows sold out.
• Saturday, May 8, 9 p.m.: Rory and Nalani Jazz Trio performs at Rudy's Jazz Room. Not streaming.
• Sunday, May 9, 8 p.m.: Tommy Emmanuel, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley perform at 3rd and Lindsley as part of Lightning 100's Nashville Sunday Night. In-person tickets are sold out.
• Wednesday, May 12, 8 p.m.: Riley Downing and Jaime Wyatt perform at The Basement East. Not streaming.
• Thursday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.: Brian Brown and Sarina Joi perform on the rooftop at Acme Feed & Seed. Not streaming. Tickets have sold out.
• Thursday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.: Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers performs the first of two Thursday night streaming shows followed by Q&A sessions. Streaming via Mandolin.
• Thursday, May 13, 8 p.m.: Nehoda performs at The 5 Spot, streaming via StageIt.
• Thursday, May 13, 8 p.m.: Hadley Kennary performs at The Basement East. Not streaming.
• Friday, May 14, 5 p.m.: Bendigo Fletcher, Aaron Ratiere, Them Vibes, Dale Hollow, John R. Miller and Volk perform outside at The Basement for the inaugural Get Happier Fridays. There's no cover for the planned weekly showcase. Not streaming.
• Friday-Saturday, May 14-15, 7:30 p.m.: Nashville Ballet performs at Ascend Amphitheater. Not streaming.
• Friday, May 14, 7 & 10 p.m.: Sadler Vaden and band perform at The Basement East. The early show has sold out, but tickets to the late show remain. Not streaming.
• Friday, May 14, 7 p.m.: The Steel Woods celebrate the release of their album All of Your Stones at The Nashville Palace. Not streaming.
• Friday, May 14, 8 p.m.: Creamer performs at The 5 Spot, streaming via StageIt.
• Saturday, May 15, 2:30 & 6 p.m.: Ron Gallo performs early and late afternoon shows at The Basement. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 15, 6 & 9 p.m.: Wynonna Judd performs at City Winery. Tickets to both the early show and late show have sold out, but the early show streams via CWTV.
• Saturday, May 15, 6 p.m.: Alayna Renae performs at Rudy's Jazz Room. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 15, 7 p.m.: Lady Couch's Allen Thompson and Keshia Bailey lead a slew of guests in a round called Lady Couch Loves Tunes at The Basement East. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 15, 7 p.m.: MOCAN After Dark feat. Bella Moon, Khrys Hatch, Crystal Autumn and more, in-person at 1004 Gallatin Ave. See Eventbrite for ticketing. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 15, 7:30 p.m.: Neal Francis and Sophia Boro perform at 6th and Peabody. Not streaming.
• Saturday, May 15, 8 p.m.: Heru Heru, The Elderz, Versistyle 223 and Battz perform for the latest Heal Hop Show at The East Room. Not streaming.
• Sunday, May 16, noon & 7 p.m.: Bobby Rush performs afternoon and evening shows at City Winery.
• Sunday, May 16, 4:30 p.m.: Keeps, Brother Moses and Blood Root perform at The Basement. Not streaming.
• Sunday, May 16, 7:30 p.m.: Sierra Ferrell concludes her Pick Your Poison series with a jazz-centric performance at The Basement. Streaming via Mandolin.
• Sunday, May 16, 8 p.m.: Trigger Hippy performs at 3rd and Lindsley as part of Lightning 100's Nashville Sunday Night. 
• Monday, May 17, 6 p.m.: Jonathan Taplin, whose storied music-biz career included serving as Bob Dylan's tour manager in the 1960s, speaks with T Bone Burnett and Callie Khouri in a virtual event tied to his new book The Magic Years. Watch via Parnassus Books.

Venue Notes:

• 3rd and Lindsley is open for very limited audiences and streams some concerts (some free, some pay-per-view) via nugs.net. Watch the venue's website for updates and safety information. 
• The 5 Spot isn't open to the public yet, but hosts multiple streams per week via StageIt.
• Acme Feed and Seed is open for very limited audiences. See the venue's calendar for updates and safety information.
• Ascend Amphitheater has summer shows on the calendar, beginning with a Nashville Ballet event on May 14-15.
• The Basement and The Basement East are open for very limited audiences. Shows at the original Basement on Eighth Avenue South are being held in the parking lot outside. See the venues' joint calendar for updates.
• The Bluebird Cafe hasn't reopened to the public yet, but has an ongoing series of streaming Alive at the Bluebird benefits for Alive Hospice. Watch the venue's website for updates.
• Brooklyn Bowl Nashville has yet to host a concert for the public, but shows are on the books beginning in August. See the website for safety information.
• The Cannery complex, home to Cannery Ballroom, Mercy Lounge and The High Watt, isn't open to the public yet, but shows begin to appear on the calendar in the summer. See the website for details.
• Pelham, Tenn.'s The Caverns, home to PBS' Bluegrass Underground, has a slew of outdoor pod-style shows and shows in the underground venue booked for the spring and all the way into 2022. Of note: Margo Price plays outside May 28, 2021, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor is set for an underground performance on April 30, 2022.
• City Winery is open for very limited audiences. Not all shows are streamed, but you can also see several streams each week — see the website for details.
• Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge is open for very limited audiences and often streams two or three shows per week from its Facebook page. See the website for safety information.
• The East Room is open for limited audiences. See the website for safety and booking information.
• Exit/In has announced a run of outdoor shows called Out/Back set for June. Indoor shows, with capacity limited to 200 patrons, are also coming in June.
• Lower Broadway stalwart Layla's has reopened for limited audiences. See the venue's Facebook page for updates.
• Marathon Music Works is open for very limited audiences. See the venue's website for details and safety information.
• The Nashville Jazz Workshop isn't open to the public yet, but routinely offers streams of concerts from their archive and new performances. See the NJW Facebook page for scheduling information.
• Robert's Western World has reopened for limited audiences. See the venue's Facebook page for updates.
• Rudy's Jazz Room is open for very limited audiences. See the venue's website for updates and safety information.
• The Ryman is open for very limited audiences, and some shows are available to stream. See the website for safety information.
• The Schermerhorn isn't open on a regular basis yet, but the Nashville Symphony hosts occasional streams. See the Symphony's website, Facebook and Twitter profiles for updates.
• Springwater isn't open to the public yet, but has announced a grand reopening celebration for the weekend of June 4-6.
• Legendary bluegrass venue the Station Inn is open for limited audiences and broadcasts live performances multiple times a week via its Station Inn TV platform. See the venue's website for scheduling and safety information.

Ongoing Events:

• From April 30-June 18, alt-classical ensemble chatterbird's Virtual Chamber Music Series presents compositions focused on the healing power of music, paired with fundraising opportunities for nonprofits. A new installment streams each Friday at noon via Facebook.
• A heap of Nashville talent is set to play a series of free shows in Huntsville, Ala., each weekend in May. The Uncertain Times Vax-Scene concert series takes place at Yellowhammer Brewery. Styrofoam Winos play May 1, Nick Woods plays May 8, Rainsticks and Teddy and the Rough Riders play May 15, Riley Downing plays May 22, and William Tyler Band and Lawndry play May 29. 
• MOCAN hosts the MOCAN After Dark concert series at 1004 Gallatin Ave. Bella Moon, Khrys Hatch and more play May 15, and Netherina Noble, RealTipsy and others play May 29. See Eventbrite for ticketing.
• Composer and guzheng master Wu Fei adds new performances to her Facebook page on Mondays and Fridays. They serve as sneak peeks of her newsletter-based subscription series Wu Fei's Music Daily, which we crowned Best Music Newsletter in Best of Nashville 2020.
• Check out the website of contemporary classical ensemble Intersection for periodic new installments of Listen, their 25-part series highlighting female composers.
• Song Suffragettes, a songwriter showcase that gives a platform to rising women who make country music, hosts a digital edition live from The Listening Room Cafe via YouTube at 6 p.m. on Mondays.
• A virtual edition of Honky-Tonk Tuesdays at American Legion Post 82 streams weekly via Facebook.
• The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum offers an array of online content, including Live at the Hall sessions that stream most Tuesdays at 7 p.m. via YouTube with a follow-up conversation at 8 p.m. on Instagram. See the CMHOF calendar for the schedule of upcoming events.
• New episodes of Thelma and the Sleaze's Live From My Home series appear most Wednesdays on YouTube.
• Innovative DJ Pimpdaddysupreme hosts conversations with mashup legends in his Monsters of Mash series, streaming at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays via Twitch.
• Emma Swift and Robyn Hitchcock perform their Live From Sweet Home Quarantine sessions via StageIt at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and 2 p.m. Fridays (for the U.K. audience).
• Roots Radio WMOT-FM 89.5's Finally Friday From Home streams and airs at noon on Fridays. See the station's website for more information about lineup and scheduling.
• Renowned jazz pianist Beegie Adair and her trio perform during Happy Hour With Beegie a few Fridays per month. Keep an eye on Adair's YouTube page for updates.
• Songwriting legend Marshall Chapman performs at 3 p.m. most Saturdays from the temporarily shuttered Springwater. In lieu of tips, she's asking viewers to donate to the GoFundMe campaign created for the venue's staff. Watch Facebook for details.
• Todd Snider's The Get Together streams most Sundays at 11 a.m. via The Purple Building's website.
• Superlative songsmith Mary Gauthier hosts a series of conversations with fellow songwriters called Sundays With Mary, streaming via YouTube and Facebook at 2 p.m. most Sundays.