Live Nation's The Truth venue opens in Nashville

The Truth Nashville venue opened with a sold-out Miranda Lambert show on October 1. The opening was preceded by a soft opening where students from the W.O. Smith Music School were the first musicians to play the new stage. Live Nation announced the Miranda Lambert show on September 28.

Venue design and capacity

The Truth is a new 4,400-capacity live music venue in Nashville's Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. It is located on Chestnut Street as part of AJ Capital Partners' Wedgewood Village mixed-use development. Designed from the ground up by Blueprint Studio, Live Nation's in-house design and development group, the venue is built across three tiers. Live Nation states no fan will be more than 150 feet from the stage.

Programming and upcoming shows

The venue's first season includes three more sold-out shows featuring Malcolm Todd, Role Model, and Freya Skye. Its calendar through the end of the year features a major lineup of artists.

Design details and fan experience

The venue's name is derived from songwriter Harlan Howard's quote: 'three chords and the truth'. Its Lyric Lobby features a custom chandelier that projects the lyrics of the performing artist. The Set List Studio uses a 1950s letterpress to print each night's setlist for fans. The two-story Vinyl Room is a listening lounge modeled on 1970s Japanese listening rooms. It features artifacts selected in collaboration with United Record Pressing. The Vinyl Room offers an Asian-inspired menu with dishes including steak frites made with locally sourced grass-fed beef from Bear Creek Farm, sushi 'tots', and taiyaki. The menu includes a handheld sandwich inspired by the 'meat and three' barbecue tradition and features local ingredients like seasonal Tennessee peaches and handmade jam. Harlan's, the venue's mezzanine whiskey bar, stocks bottles from 34 Tennessee whiskey makers.

Community and industry partnerships

Live Nation has made multi-year commitments to the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and the W.O. Smith Music School. The W.O. Smith Music School, which has provided music instruction, instruments, and performance opportunities to children from low-income families since 1984, was involved in the soft opening. Dr. Valerie Cordero is its Executive Director. The venue partners with Humphreys Street, a social enterprise in Wedgewood-Houston, to provide custom coffee and soaps for artists and crews backstage. Live Nation also commissioned five local printmakers to create original artwork for backstage artist areas. Sally Williams, President of Nashville Music & Business Strategy at Live Nation, joined the company in 2019 after nearly 20 years at Ryman Hospitality Properties and Opry Entertainment Group, where her prior roles included General Manager of Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry.

Sally Williams said: "Our aspiration for The Truth is simple: to create a venue worthy of the city that inspired it." Dr. Valerie Cordero added: "The Truth is a prestigious addition to Music City, and we are grateful for Live Nation's commitment to music education." The venue will continue its rollout with additional Tennessee whiskey bottles added to Harlan's bar, aiming for one of the largest such collections at a music venue.