“If you come to Nashville and you don’t see any live music, you’ve done something wrong.”—William the Uber driver, Nashville
Day 22, 50 miles, Carthage, TN to Nashville
It completely snuck up on me. How much I’ve missed live music.
When I found myself at Rudy’s Jazz Room, here on Day 22 of my 70-day xUS bike trip, sitting at the bar a few feet from the quartet performing jazz standards, I felt emotional with the thrill of it. Live music again (albeit behind a plexiglass screen, but that didn’t matter).
What is it about live music? The real-time interaction between performers and audience. The thrill of the unknown because no one is sure what might happen. The immediacy of musical invention when a soloist improvises a melody. The enlivening pulse of the beat and the collaboration of artists taking place right in front of you. There’s no other art like live music.
Coach, Rudy’s proprietor, really took care of me, ushering me to the best seat in the house, setting me up with a Manhattan, got some gumbo. I couldn’t have been happier.
I can’t say enough about Rudy’s, a highly recommended stop in Nashville. Some folks don’t realize that, in addition to the massive Country and honky tonk scene, Nashville also has a thriving jazz scene. This band was stellar.
Tennessee’s friendly people scene has also continued. At the Rudy’s bar I met Addie and Hannah, who just graduated from University of Idaho. Ok, they’re not from Tennessee, but they were here on a graduation celebration vacation; we related over my daughter, Livvy’s, graduation from Smith in January.
The jazz was awesome, but I was in Nashville, and I had to catch some country. So I walked from Rudy’s one mile over to Broadway, the tourist catchall in Music City, with blocks upon blocks lined with live music venues.
I haven’t seen a city street like this since New Orleans, with so much live music, bars lined up side by side all down the street with sounds of rock, country, honky tonk and even some bluegrass pumping out the open windows. I was exhilarated with the musical energy electrifying the city, providing a rhythmic backdrop to the circulation of the crowds, the lights moving and pulsing. Nashville has a personality more distinct than most cities I’ve visited.
Also, the best way to enter Nashville is by bike. The city is outfitted with miles of pristine bike paths, and after five hours of biking along Route 70W with the traffic (good shoulder), I was fed onto the Music City bike path. Perfect surface, no bumps from ice swells like you get on northern bike paths. And gorgeous scenery alongside the river.
My visit to, and night out in, Nashville was one of the standout highlights of this trip. A beautiful bike path entering the city. Interesting, friendly people.
Live music.