Thomas Rhett celebrated the grand opening of Audacy’s new Nashville Sound Space, located on Lower Broadway above the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville, with a special hour-long performance on Thursday evening (Sept. 5).
Special Hour-Long Performance From Thomas Rhett
The exclusive event welcomed an exclusive, invite-only crowd of contest winners and music industry insiders to check out the newly opened studio and enjoy a one-of-a-kind set from the country superstar.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville. I am Katie Neal from Katie & Company, and I think I’ve officially peaked. I don’t think I will ever feel cooler than I do right in this moment. Thank you guys so much for being here,” Katie & Company host, Katie Neal, shared. “Tonight we are celebrating the fact that my studio has now opened upstairs at the penthouse of the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville. It’s officially our Audacy Nashville Sound Space, presented by Infiniti, and we are so so excited. I wasn’t sure that this moment would ever happen, and now that it is, I am a little bit out of my mind.”
Neal then introduced Rhett to the stage for an unforgettable performance. “I want to bring out our musical guest for the evening… When we started talking about who we wanted to play this, I was so excited that this was the person who agreed to come and do this for us. I get asked a lot whose your favorite person to interview, and his name is always the first one that I say because I truly feel like he is the kindest, most down to earth, talented human beings, and you’re going to see that tonight. He just released a record that I’ve listened to at least a thousand times since it dropped a few weeks ago. So please ladies and gentlemen welcome GRAMMY-nominated, Thomas Rhett,” Neal said, welcoming Rhett to the Reverb Stage.
Thomas Rhett delivered an hour-long set that began with “What’s Your Country Song” before he went off the set list and took song requests from the invite-only crowd.
He performed a handful of fan-favorite hits such as “Vacation,” “Life Changes,” “Make Me Wanna,” “Half Of Me (sans Riley Green),” and “Die A Happy Man,” as well as gave fans a taste of his new album, About A Woman, with performances of “Church,” a song inspired by Eric Church, “Beautiful As You,” “Boots,” “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Woman,” “What Could Go Right,” and “After All The Bars Are Closed.” Rhett, who was joined by famed Nashville songwriter Josh Kerr and guitarist Josh Reedy, also played a few cover songs, including Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me At Head’s Carolina,” a song he co-wrote, Matchbox Twenty’s “3AM” and “Push” as well as a brief snippet of a Third Eye Blind hit.
“Thank y’all so daggone much for having me. To the whole Audacy team… congratulations on such a huge night. Thank y’all for picking me to open this place,” Rhett said as he concluded his memorable performance. The concert also featured a specialty cocktail, themed after Rhett, called the “Beautiful As You” Margarita.
Grand Opening Of Audacy’s Nashville Sound Space, New Home Of Katie & Company
Prior to Thomas Rhett’s performance, he joined Katie Neal to cut the ribbon to the new Nashville Sound Space as part of the grand opening celebration. Then, those in attendance were treated to an exclusive first look at the state-of-the-art Nashville Sound Space.
This new studio, which was specifically designed for interviews and private performances, will serve as the new home for Katie & Company, Audacy’s nationally syndicated country show, hosted by the award-winning Katie Neal. The new space, situated inside the Hard Rock Cafe on Nashville’s iconic Broadway strip, marks Audacy’s seventh and newest broadcast studio. The Audacy Nashville Sound Space is the third venue to open under the Company’s strategic partnership with Hard Rock International (HRI).
“A permanent presence in Music City continues to elevate Audacy’s commitment to Country music and live events,” said Jeff Sottolano, Chief Programming Officer, Audacy. “The proximity of a professional studio coupled with an intimate performance venue and the singular talent of Katie Neal as a host and interviewer enables us to produce exclusive experiences for listeners and, simultaneously, a seamless transition for artists to move between the studio and stage. The Audacy Nashville Sound Space will be the heartbeat of our Country music format.”
“Hard Rock’s partnership with Audacy has provided a truly incredible platform for world-class artists to grace Hard Rock stages across the country, and we’re thrilled to be launching the Audacy Nashville Sound Space in Nashville to further our reach,” said Keith Sheldon, President of Entertainment and Brand Management, Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming. “This opportunity also reinforces Hard Rock’s continued commitment to building and strengthening relationships in the Country music community as we expand our entertainment offerings at all of our properties around the globe.”
The studio space is beautifully decorated and has a variety of signed memorabilia from superstars such as Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Kenny Chesney as well as Taxidermy (that artists wives didn’t want in their homes so they donated it to the Nashville Audacy studio) from Luke Bryan, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert and more.
There were several eye-catching spaces for Neal to host her award-winning interviews, including a recording studio setup, a cozy fireplace with couches, among other area for performances and exclusive interviews.
The Audacy Nashville Sound Space grand opening event was presented by Infiniti.
