Ray Wylie Hubbard, Sunny Sweeney, Sundy Best & More To Perform At Eric Church’s New Nashville Bar, Chief’s

It hasn't even opened yet and it already sounds like Chief's is the place to be on Broadway. Earlier this month, Eric Church announced the opening date for his Nashville bar, Chief's, along with a 19-show residency in the venue's two-story, 350-seat theater, the Neon Steeple. The To Beat the Devil residency kicks off on April 5, and will run through June. But Church isn't the only one who's going to be taking the stage at his Nashville bar when it opens. Chief's just announced the first round of shows at the new venue, and it's pretty clear that Church's place is going to be different than any of the other bars in downtown Nashville. Ray Wylie Hubbard, Sunny Sweeney, Sundy Best, Julie Roberts, Radney Foster and many more are scheduled to take the stage in the Neon Steeple at Chief's, the music venue modeled after the iconic Ryman Auditorium. Other acts that have been announced so far include Casey Beathard, who's one of the best songwriters in Nashville (and a frequent Church collaborator), as well as Church's guitar player Driver Williams. It's pretty clear that Chief's is going to be unlike anything else on Broadway, with regular seated/ticketed music events featuring some incredible performers versus cover bands that just cater to tourists. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's your thing). And tickets to all of the performances will be available to members of Church's fan club, the Church Choir, before going on sale to the general public. Personally I love that Church is bringing something different to Broadway, when so many of the new bars these days are just cookie cutter experiences created for a mass market. It'll be nice to have somewhere to go to see a real show, in a real music venue, when the music seems to have become an afterthought for many of the bars downtown. Along with the Neon Steeple, Church's bar will also feature music in Chief's Tavern (go check out Shelby Lee Lowe while you're in town) as well as on the second floor Friendly Shadows space, which will feature dueling pianos at night. Have I mentioned how excited I am for this place to open up?