What I learned from my day in Nashville

The Magic on the way:

So, I went to Florida a few weeks ago to see Old Dominion play a couple nights. That was a blast!  Seeing friends in Tampa and Orlando and even had a “beach day” (there are lessons from that too).  But what I want to talk about here is my trip home. 

Because I have the very best friend, I got to fly using a buddy pass.  Well the caveat with that is that I am left vulnerable to full fights and sometimes being stuck at an airport waiting to get home.  The first flight I was assigned to was going through St Louis.  Well, when I checked into that flight it was full because another flight had been cancelled.

Okay, on to the next flight.  This one went through Nashville.  😊  Uh oh, did you really want to put me through Nashville?  You see, I had been wanting to visit Nashville again for quite some time, I was supposed to have a layover in Nashville in Aug on my way to Boston in Aug, but that flight ended up being changed too.  (All for the better, because in Aug I was in a hurry to get to Boston.)  Anyways, I digress.  So, the flight to Nashville, open seats and was boarding, so on I went.  Well, arriving in Nashville, I looked at the rest of my flight track and it was sending me to Milwaukee, WI, then to Las Vegas.  OMG, really, in the dead of Winter, you want to send me further north, to then go south west.  Again, sometimes the deal with flying standby.  Well, luckily I had learned enough about standby that I checked flights out of Nashville and it looked like they had 3 flights leaving later that day that were going directly to Las Vegas.  Hmmm….a few more hours in Nashville AND a direct flight home?  After a little mapping and research on Uber I went and talked to the gate agent and had her check the direct flights.  Looked like they all had over 65 open seats.  That made it a VERY good chance that I would be able to get a seat on one of them.  So, I picked the 2nd one, leaving me one more option, should something happen and I was pushed from that flight.  OMG, that meant about 8 more hours in Nashville, with Lower Broadway about 15 minutes away!  Lets goo!!!  Now, don’t get me wrong, there was a part of me that was like “stay on your flight, don’t go, don’t spend any MORE money. But that quickly subsided.

Just a few of the places I explored while in Nashville.

So, that is just the magic part of the day I got to spend in Nashville.  Not even the lesson. 

Learning on Lower Broadway:

So down to Lower Broad I go.  My first stop…Chiefs!  I love Eric Church and was happy to start here.  I arrived moments before they opened, so I was able to get in and eat with no wait.  Music had just started to be played.  All throughout the day I went up Broadway stopping in some of my favorite artists’ bars along the way, from Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson.  Checking out all their rooftop bars, because you are basically nothing without a rooftop bar, and at least 3 floors of different bars/restaurant.  (that’s a LOT of steps, so I made sure to walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.  And I’m glad I did.  Some places had up and coming musicians playing on each floor.  It was great to listen to them, they all were offering to play requests, as all they had to do was look up the lyrics on their phones and play.  Simply amazing. 

Here is where the lesson starts.  It was a Sunday, they had a football game over the bridge starting at noon, so the bars were not that full.  But every place I went to, there would be people at the bars, some eating in the restaurants.  When these musicians would finish a song, there was almost nothing.  No clapping, no cheering…nothing.  And yet, they played on.  (Imagine the relief they got when I showed up and not only clapped when they were done with a song, but often was found dancing on the dance floor. While I must have looked crazy to the onlookers, I didn’t care) These artists are so talented!  And brave!  To get up there and play, even though no one was really paying attention.  And that made me really think…how long ago was Dierks Bentley, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan doing this exact thing?  Playing for a crowd that had other things to do.  And look at them now.  The bravery and really the belief in themselves, their determination to “make it” in country music.  Their “why” was definitely stronger than their “why not”.  It was so fucking inspiring.  And I hope I always remember them each time I post a podcast, blog or video that seemingly no one sees.  That’s okay, because there will be someone like me that will walk in eventually and show love and support for their talent they are sharing. 

So my lesson in Nashville?  You’ve got to REALLY believe in yourself, to go all in day in and day out, whether people are listening or not.  It can’t be about that the general population, it gets to be about the one. The one that is there for you and for what you have to offer. I mean, you want to them all to listen, but some days you’ll be playing on a Sunday morning when everyone is hungover or there for some other reason.  There will also be nights where you play in front of hundreds of people that dance and sing along all night long.  Regardless of where you are, you get to keep going…do it, not for the crowd, not for the cheers at the end of the song.  For the long game.  To “make it”.