On Black Friday (Nov. 24), Garth Brooks will give fans an early look at his Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk in downtown Nashville, opening the bar with his own “dive bar” concert taking place at the new venue.
The Amazon Music Live special concert will be livestreamed for everyone to watch, beginning at 7 p.m. ET and available via Amazon Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch — even for those without an Amazon Prime subscription or an Amazon account. Additionally, the Black Friday NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets will transition directly into the concert following the game. Over on Twitch, a pre-show will begin at 6 p.m. ET, hosted by Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton, who spearhead Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast.
The Country Music Hall of Famer’s Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, located at 411 Broadway in Nashville, is the latest country artist-owned bar to dot downtown Nashville, joining venues from Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson and Miranda Lambert, among others.
During a press conference held at his new Friends in Low Places Bar in Nashville, Brooks noted that his Black Friday concert will welcome a special guest: Ronnie Dunn, who will join Brooks to perform their current radio duet “Rodeo Man” together live for the first time. The duet is included on Brooks’ new album Time Traveler and debuted in the top 30 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart.
In a nod to the venue’s namesake song, “Friends in Low Places,” two towering palm trees overlooking the venue’s massive, retractable stage are named for the songwriters behind Brooks’ signature hit: Earl Bud Lee and Dwayne Blackwell. “Friends in Low Places,” included on Brooks’ 1990 album No Fences, spent four weeks atop Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. The song was also named single of the year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
Brooks explained his reasoning behind opting to name the bar after his signature song rather than simply license his name. “Hopefully as an artist is you realize that the song outlives the artist,” Brooks said. “So that’s why it’s not ‘The Garth Bar.’ It’s Friends in Low Places. … You can like Garth Brooks, you can not like Garth Brooks. Either way, chances are you’ve probably sang ‘Friends in Low Places’ at a wedding or something with everybody else.”
He also noted that, similar to his previous Dive Bar concerts in other cities, this will be a truncated performance, expected to wrap in under an hour.
Brooks also noted that the bar won’t fully open until March 2024, though the two bottom floors will be open during the soft opening on Friday and on weekends leading up to the March 2024 full opening.
However, don’t expect to see Brooks doing pop-up shows at the bar; he told reporters during the press conference that he wants to keep the focus on the bar being a place for the next generation of artists to hone their skills. He also noted to Billboard that he doesn’t plan to be involved in selecting the artists and/or bands who perform at the bar.
“My thing is, let’s get as many people in here. The more people get to play, the more chances new people get,” he told Billboard, noting that the stage is also retractable. “There’s a green room to show a little bit of what the future is for them, and of course, everything’s about the crew.”
The Oklahoma native also noted the venue’s location is full-circle for him. The building used to be known as Paradise Park Trailer Park bar, and the rooftop is where Brooks celebrated in 2019 after winning his seventh CMA entertainer of the year accolade.
Brooks said that his motivation to launch the Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk ultimately stems from a desire to give back to Nashville’s community.
“We are part of the ‘Neon neighborhood’ down here, inviting everyone to Lower Broad. I want this to be a good thing for Lower Broadway.”
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