A Concert at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville

Few arenas in the United States sit in the middle of the action the way Bridgestone Arena does. It stands at the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, at the top of Lower Broadway, the strip of honky-tonk bars where live country bands play from the morning onwards with no cover charge at the door. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is right behind the arena, and the Ryman Auditorium, the old "Mother Church of Country Music", is a block away. Walk out after a show and the music is still pouring from every open door.

Journey bring their Final Frontier farewell tour here on Wednesday 21 October 2026. A midweek show is good news: Lower Broadway on Friday and Saturday nights is packed with stag and hen parties and the party wagons that roll down the street, and on a Wednesday it is busy but manageable. Our Journey tour cities guide has every other stop on the tour.

Making a trip of it

Nashville rewards an extra day. Give the morning to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is far better than its name suggests even if you are not a country fan, and book a Ryman tour or a show there if one fits. The Johnny Cash Museum is a short walk along Third Avenue. In the afternoon, cross the Cumberland River on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge for the skyline view back over downtown, then eat in East Nashville or the Gulch.

Food here means hot chicken, fried chicken dusted with cayenne paste and served on white bread with pickles, in heat levels that run from mild to painful. Start lower than you think. Meat-and-three restaurants, where you pick one meat and three sides, are the other local habit and the best value lunch in the city.

Is the arena area right for you?

If you like noise, crowds and live music in every bar, staying near Broadway is part of the fun. If you want quiet, stay a little further out and walk or ride in for the show; downtown Nashville is compact and the arena is easy to reach from most central hotels.

Nashville's music beyond Broadway

Lower Broadway is the loudest part of the music scene, not the whole of it. The Station Inn in the Gulch is a small, plain room devoted to bluegrass, and the Bluebird Cafe, out in the suburbs, is where songwriters play their own songs in the round; seats there are released online and go quickly. Printers Alley, a narrow lane downtown, has older bars and blues. If you have a free evening on either side of the show, one of these gives you a very different Nashville from the honky-tonks.

Tickets

Buy from the arena's official ticket seller or the link on the band's official site. Resale sites mark up seats heavily for farewell tours, and fake tickets do circulate on social media. Most tickets are mobile only, so load them on your phone before you leave the hotel.

Getting there

Nashville International Airport is a short drive east of downtown, and a WeGo public bus also runs between the airport and the city centre. There is no rail link from the airport. Most of the central hotels are a walk from the arena, and that is how we would plan it: rideshare queues after a sold-out show stretch along Broadway, and surge pricing kicks in fast.

Where to stay

• Downtown and SoBro: walk to the arena, the Hall of Fame and the Ryman. Loud on weekends.
• The Gulch: newer hotels, restaurants and the famous wings mural, a short walk south-west.
• East Nashville: calmer, with independent restaurants; walk over the pedestrian bridge to the show.

Accessible seating and VIP packages

Accessible seats are sold through the official ticket seller, and the arena's guest services can answer questions about entrances and lifts. Farewell tours usually offer VIP packages with early entry or merchandise; buy those only through the band's official site, as unofficial "meet and greet" offers are a common scam.

• Check the bag policy on the arena's own website before you go. Big bags are usually not allowed, and there is no guarantee of anywhere to leave one.
• Eat before the crowds. Restaurants near Broadway fill up on show nights, so book a table or eat early.
• Walk up Broadway after the encore rather than waiting for a car. The honky-tonks keep going, and by the time you leave the queues have gone.
• Tip the bands. Most honky-tonk musicians play for tips; a tip jar or a request card goes round.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Cowboy boots look the part, but new ones on a long night of walking are a mistake.
• October weather is usually mild, but evenings cool down, so bring a light layer.
• Use the pedestrian bridge from East Nashville for a car-free walk to the show, with the best skyline view in the city on the way.
• Visit the Hall of Fame in the morning; on show days the area around the arena is busy from the afternoon.