Fitz and the Tantrums, Fletcher, Saucy Santana and More Shine at Nashville Pride

Pride celebrations are a protest against politically and socially sanctioned policies aimed at making queer people ashamed, if not downright terrified, to simply exist. Whether or not Tennessee’s new anti-LGBTQ laws actually take effect — the constitutionality of the so-called drag ban is under review, and though the law banning gender-affirming care for youth has led to extensive disruption already, an array of legal challenges are planned — the state legislature did a lot to legitimize hate in 2023. It was especially powerful for this year’s Nashville Pride Festival to bring thousands of LGBTQ revelers and allies to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, braving the heat Saturday and Sunday with the Capitol building looming behind the main stage.

Saturday evening’s Drag Extravaganza was a magical Disney production directed by Britney Banks, 100 percent G-rated and featuring some youth actors in small roles. It was a sharp counterpoint to the idea that the drag arts can only ever be about sex and don’t belong anywhere that kids could accidentally encounter them — misinformation that’s been weaponized to whip up support for anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ laws. The program was a blink-and-you-miss-’em torrent of beloved songs from Cinderella, Frozen and beyond, lip-synced in fabulous routines by an enormous host of drag queens and kings. Chazzy Fay Van de Banks deserves a special shout-out, not only for the fantastic acrobatics he performed as Aladdin but also for developing the choreography for the whole show. Perhaps the most poignant moment: Zxa’s performance of “God Bless the Outcasts” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The lyric “I thought we were all the children of God” hits close to home.

A bit later came phenomenal rapper Saucy Santana, who dominated the stage with swaggy grace through fan faves like “1-800-Bad-Bxtch” and “Material Girl.” DJ and hype man Trey Trax served as an excellent foil, and each member of the dance crew shined during the songs as well as their individual spotlight moments. The vibe was similar to Lizzo’s appearance at Nashville Pride in 2017, a couple years before she became a household name — don’t be surprised if Santana is headlining Bridgestone before too long. 

Pop songsmith and co-headliner Fletcher wrapped the day with her band leaning into the rock elements of her songs, which intensely explore love, lust and longing in queer relationships. Between tunes like “Girls Girls Girls,” “If You’re Gonna Lie,” “Becky’s So Hot” and a cover of Britney Spears’ “If U Seek Amy,” Fletcher recalled the sense of healing and power that came with her first Nashville Pride performance in 2018. She spoke about how playing Pride events has been critical to accepting herself as a queer person, emphasizing that “​​there’s something so powerful about community, and people uplifting you and loving on you.”

Sunday afternoon, the broiling heat encouraged everyone to take refuge beneath the trees — well, almost everyone. “If I can live with this tan line, you can come on out of the shade,” singer-songwriter Cassadee Pope quipped genially, gesturing to her fishnet top. Though Pope has been in the country world for the past decade, she announced in a December interview with People that she’s leaning back into her pop-punk roots moving forward. Judging from the response to her forthcoming single “Almost There,” the crowd at Pride is all-in. Also very well-received was a guest appearance from songsmith Autumn Nicholas, who duetted with Pope on a full-band version of Nicholas’ own fan-favorite “Not Gonna Do This Anymore.”

A breeze began to stir around 6 p.m., giving the crowd a second wind for the final act: soul-rocking festival staples Fitz and the Tantrums. Their songs are catchy, kinetic and groovy, the kind that almost demand dancing and singing along, from their ubiquitous 2010 hit “MoneyGrabber” to “OCD,” a song from 2019’s All the Feels that combines anxiety about new relationships with nostalgia for songs on old CDs. 

But some key moments came between the tunes. Singer Noelle Scaggs took a minute to discuss moving from Los Angeles to Nashville, and how she was grateful to see people supporting each other in ways she never thought she’d see here. Meanwhile, singer and band namesake Michael Fitzpatrick spoke emotionally about the discomfort of living with his birth being tied to the conversion therapy forced on his father as a young man — and how at age 83, his father still struggles to be comfortable with being gay. “That is the environment we create with shame,” Fitzpatrick said. Then, as the band began “I Just Wanna Shine,” he pointed to the Capitol behind him: “It don’t matter what the fuck they say, they ain’t stopping us now!”