Still Day 12 - Sunday, September 21
The evening started with a trip to the Bluebird Cafe a few miles west of downtown.
It's a place where there's no noisy bar-style atmosphere so there's more emphasis on the songs themselves.
We knew that it had become hugely popular since featuring regularly in the TV series but we didn't know how early we would need to get there for a first come first served performance on a Sunday evening. We arrived soon after 7.30 but there was already a line of around 50 people plus presumably more already inside. It's a strange place in the middle of a typical suburban shopping area and it's quite small - we didn't get in. But we did get a photo.......
And then we moved on...............
We thought we'd console ourselves with a drink at Patterson House - an upmarket cocktail bar not far from our hotel. It was going to be expensive but we thought we'd treat ourselves.
When we got there they said that the place was full and we'd probably wait around half an hour for a table. It's one thing to wait for dinner, but to wait for a drink ?..........we declined.
So we moved on...............
We went to a big bar/music venue called The Station - a well-known place which was quite crowded when we got there but we were pleased to find a table.We got some drinks and waited for the music which we thought was scheduled to start at 9 - it was by now not long after 8.30.
After a few minutes we realised that it was already going on - Sunday evening was an acoustic jam, and about a dozen people were over in a corner giving it their all playing fiddles, banjos, bass, guitar, harmonicas etc. but the hum of general conversation was so great that we couldn't hear a thing. But at least we'd had a drink.
So we moved on..............
This time we left the car at the hotel and decided to eat at one of the restaurants nearby which we'd noticed on Friday evening - buzzing and with live bands. On Sunday they were empty and quiet.
So we moved on..............
We decided to try the Wild Horse Saloon downtown. We'd looked in during our walk on Friday morning - it's a huge place with bars on three levels and looked like it might be fun on a good night.............
and I'd met some new drinking buddies there
But when we got there they wanted a $6 a head cover charge and we could see that it wasn't very busy inside, so not too appealing.
So we moved on...........
........looking for somewhere to eat.
By now it was around 9.30 and we felt that after 2 hours and 5 places the evening hadn't yet really started. So when we came across the Rock Bottom Restaurant we felt that we had found the the right place to turn our evening around.
It wasn't too busy but we had a good dinner and a bottle of wine revived our spirits before we moved on to the Whisky Bent bar where we'd spent time on our first evening.
A great band was on and there was a large group of young people (who looked like they'd all come independently) there just for the dancing. They were interchanging partners all the time and at one point all the guys danced a sort of "gentleman's excuse-me" with the best dancer of them taking the lady's role. Great fun and probably a sight which, only a few years ago, might have resulted in unpleasantness in a southern bar.
We stayed a long time enjoying the band and the dancing and then sometime after midnight, as the crowd thinned out, we moved a few doors down to the Stage Bar which was still packed and rocking.
Another, even better, band playing all sorts from country to soul to rock. There was a great atmosphere and we stayed till gone 2am - and the place was still crowded as we left.
A memorable evening after a very shaky start.
But a shame about the Bluebird. I'll regret it every time we see in in the next series of "Nashville".
The evening started with a trip to the Bluebird Cafe a few miles west of downtown.
It's a place where there's no noisy bar-style atmosphere so there's more emphasis on the songs themselves.
We knew that it had become hugely popular since featuring regularly in the TV series but we didn't know how early we would need to get there for a first come first served performance on a Sunday evening. We arrived soon after 7.30 but there was already a line of around 50 people plus presumably more already inside. It's a strange place in the middle of a typical suburban shopping area and it's quite small - we didn't get in. But we did get a photo.......
And then we moved on...............
We thought we'd console ourselves with a drink at Patterson House - an upmarket cocktail bar not far from our hotel. It was going to be expensive but we thought we'd treat ourselves.
When we got there they said that the place was full and we'd probably wait around half an hour for a table. It's one thing to wait for dinner, but to wait for a drink ?..........we declined.
So we moved on...............
We went to a big bar/music venue called The Station - a well-known place which was quite crowded when we got there but we were pleased to find a table.We got some drinks and waited for the music which we thought was scheduled to start at 9 - it was by now not long after 8.30.
After a few minutes we realised that it was already going on - Sunday evening was an acoustic jam, and about a dozen people were over in a corner giving it their all playing fiddles, banjos, bass, guitar, harmonicas etc. but the hum of general conversation was so great that we couldn't hear a thing. But at least we'd had a drink.
So we moved on..............
This time we left the car at the hotel and decided to eat at one of the restaurants nearby which we'd noticed on Friday evening - buzzing and with live bands. On Sunday they were empty and quiet.
So we moved on..............
We decided to try the Wild Horse Saloon downtown. We'd looked in during our walk on Friday morning - it's a huge place with bars on three levels and looked like it might be fun on a good night.............
and I'd met some new drinking buddies there
But when we got there they wanted a $6 a head cover charge and we could see that it wasn't very busy inside, so not too appealing.
So we moved on...........
........looking for somewhere to eat.
By now it was around 9.30 and we felt that after 2 hours and 5 places the evening hadn't yet really started. So when we came across the Rock Bottom Restaurant we felt that we had found the the right place to turn our evening around.
It wasn't too busy but we had a good dinner and a bottle of wine revived our spirits before we moved on to the Whisky Bent bar where we'd spent time on our first evening.
A great band was on and there was a large group of young people (who looked like they'd all come independently) there just for the dancing. They were interchanging partners all the time and at one point all the guys danced a sort of "gentleman's excuse-me" with the best dancer of them taking the lady's role. Great fun and probably a sight which, only a few years ago, might have resulted in unpleasantness in a southern bar.
We stayed a long time enjoying the band and the dancing and then sometime after midnight, as the crowd thinned out, we moved a few doors down to the Stage Bar which was still packed and rocking.
Another, even better, band playing all sorts from country to soul to rock. There was a great atmosphere and we stayed till gone 2am - and the place was still crowded as we left.
A memorable evening after a very shaky start.
But a shame about the Bluebird. I'll regret it every time we see in in the next series of "Nashville".
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