April 1, 2024

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80º | 0% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 6:32 a.m. | Sunset 7:09 p.m.

A comedy festival walks into Nashville...

Standup comic Nate Bargatze holding a microphone onstage with thousands of phone lights illuminating from the audiance.

Remember when Nate Bargatze broke Bridgestone Arena’s attendance record during the 2023 Nashville Comedy Festival? | Photo courtesy of Studio Moderne via Bridgestone Arena

Are you ready for the funniest month in Music City? This isn’t an April Fools punchline — Nashville Comedy Festival is back for the 10th year.

If you love to laugh (or if you saw NASHtoday’s open mic roundup), you know the 615 has a robust comedy scene. There are more laughs to be had, so dive into the festival guide below.

About the festival

The Nashville Comedy Festival takes place over 10 days — Friday, April 12-Sunday, April 21. More than 30 comedians will take the stage at Bridgestone Arena, Ryman Auditorium, TPAC, the Opry House, Zanies, Clarksville’s F&M Bank Arena, and a brand new venue (more on that below).

Tickets are sold individually by event — aka, no festival passes are required for entry. Prices range from ~$10-$75 depending on the show.

Meet the comics

Bridgestone Arena | Tom Segura and Jeff Dunham
Ryman Auditorium | Deon Cole, The State, Kid Rock’s Comedy Jam, Matteo Lane, Tony Hinchcliffe
TPAC | UpDating, Letterkenny, Ali Siddiq, Shannon Ford
Zanies | Leslie Liao, Dusty Slay’s Grand Ole Comedy Show, Kaitlyn Bristowe

This is just a sampling of the lineup — visit the festival’s website for more sets and performances dates. Heads up: Some events, like Tim Robinson and Shane Gillis, are sold out.

What’s new

Enter: The Lab at Zanies, a new 100-seat theater located next door to the comedy club. It’s arriving just in time for the festival (a formal grand opening will come later this spring), so save the dates for these 11 events if you want a first-look at the new development.

Beyond the festival, The Lab will offer everything from stand-up shows to improv and sketch comedy, as well as educational spaces for aspiring comedians.

Bonus: It has a kitchen, so expect a food menu, alongside a full bar and an assortment of craft cocktails.

Let the laughs begin.

Events

Monday, April 1

French Conversation | Monday, April 1 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | Nashville Public Library’s Green Hills Branch, 3701 Benham Ave. | Free | Join the library to chat in French or just listen in at this weekly event.
Joanne Shaw Taylor | Monday, April 1 | 8 p.m. | The Franklin Theatre, 419 Main St., Franklin | $39+ | The singer and guitarist will perform tracks from “Nobody’s Fool,” as well as songs from her upcoming album.

Tuesday, April 2

Nashville Sounds vs. St. Paul Saints | Tuesday, April 2-Sunday, April 7 | 6:35 p.m. | First Horizon Park, 19 Junior Gilliam Way | $12+ | Cheer on the Sounds at the home opener.
Sounding Off | Tuesday, April 2 | 6-7 p.m. | Nashville Public Library’s Goodlettsville Branch, 205 Rivergate Pkwy. | Free | Talk about essential albums in this music discussion group that meets monthly — April’s album is “Led Zeppelin II.”

Wednesday, April 3

Puckett’s Hendersonville Grand Opening Day | Wednesday, April 3 | 7 a.m.-9 p.m. | Puckett’s Hendersonville, 1039 Glenbrook Way | Cost of purchase | Celebrate the restaurant’s opening day with live music, giveaways, and outdoor activities for all ages.

Thursday, April 4

Iron Fork | Thursday, April 4 | 6-9 p.m. | Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, 401 Gay St. | $60+ | Five local chefs battle it out in this food competition inspired by “Iron Chef” — tickets include unlimited food samples and a drink passport.

Friday, April 5

OZ’s 10th Anniversary Bash | Friday, April 5 | 8 p.m. | OZ Arts Nashville, 6172 Cockrill Bend Cir. | $10+ | Celebrate a decade of OZ Arts Nashville with visual art installations and dozens of artists and performers.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Open

Brotherly Love, a restaurant specializing in Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, is now open in the Nations at 1610 54th Ave. N. The menu features three main cheesesteaks (sliced ribeye, chopped chicken, and veggie) served on Amoroso’s rolls.

Eat

Two eateries are getting into the lunch game — Frankies 925 Spuntino (12-4 p.m. daily) and Ophelia’s (11 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday). If a sandwich is calling your name, order one on pizza bianca bread at Frankies, or head to Ophelia’s starting tomorrow for the meatball sandwich.

Biz

Brentwood’s new Sage Head Spa is accepting appointments for Monday, April 8 and beyond at 1648 Westgate Cir. The business, which has locations in Georgia, Florida, and Texas, offers halo water therapy, deep conditioning, and other services tailored to the scalp, hair, and skin.

Kids

Centennial Park’s inaugural Kidsville Family Walk is set for Saturday, April 27. The free event (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) will feature a storybook walk along Lake Watauga, hourly yoga classes, a dance party, arts and crafts, and an instrument petting zoo.

Wellness

Designed with conversation in mind, these game-changing hearing aids feature crystal-clear sound in a sleek, discreet design. Enjoy clear speech with minimum background distractions — even in the noisiest environments. Join 385,000+ happy customers and start your 45-day, no-risk trial today.*

Opening

🍖 ‘Cue with a view

A rendering of a barbecue restaurant with a bar area and a disco ball hanging above table seating.

Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s. | Rendering via Chief’s and AJ Capital Partners

Pitmaster Rodney Scott is bringing the heat to Eric Church’s new Lower Broadway bar, Chief’s.

We’ll have more on the six-story venue later, but for now, let’s fire up the grill and share what we know before Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ debuts on Friday, April 5.

The space

The restaurant is situated on the top two floors of Chief’s, including the Hell of a Q rooftop, and is open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. A special late-night menu will be served from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Bonus: Keep your boots on Broadway and order breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the street-level walk-up window.

What’s cooking

Let’s start with the apps: pimento cheese and pork skins, nachos, and smoked chicken wings. Then, you have pit-cooked meats served on sandwiches and plates, as well as catfish dishes and Scott’s take on hot chicken.

Meet the man behind the smoker

The Buy

The Song of Everything Book to celebrate National Poetry Month. This poetic journey takes an adventure through South Carolina’s State Parks.

Answered

Last week we asked, “Do you want a MLB team in Nashville?”

A graphic with a light red background and a baseball glove holding a baseball with the word "NASHtoday." — Will Nashville be the next home of Major League Baseball? | Graphic by 6AM City

We heard from ~200 readers about the prospect of Nashville getting called up to the big leagues one day. Here’s a look at the scoreboard:

Of course! Let’s play ball. — 81%
No, it’d be a strikeout. — 11%
I’d cheer for them, but not a big baseball fan. — 8%

Of the submissions, ~150 people shared why they’d want to root, root, root for a local MLB team. Here are some of the responses:

“Grew up going to the Braves and would love for my kids to have a similar experience!” — LS

“It’s great to have all major sports here. You could see pro team sports year-round.” — Anna B.

“MLB needs Nashville. There is very strong support for baseball in general in this area. An [American League] team would be ideal, as there is a huge void of AL teams in this part of the country.” — Johnny C.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Dylan

From the editor

I’ll keep the laughs going with one more comedy rec — Joe Pera’s five-show tour stop at Zanies in July. For those unable to catch his slow-moving, subdued comedy style in person, his TV series “Joe Pera Talks With You” is a perfect blend of hilarious and heartwarming.

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