The Scene’s ceremony adviser to authoritative the best out of your summer — from music, films and ancestors challenge to food, beer and beyond
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New Hat (Kelly Diehl & Elizabeth Williams), art and architecture studio; newhatprojects.comPhoto: Daniel Meigs
By Steve Cavendish, Nancy Floyd, Dana Franklin, Cari Gervin, Zach Gilchriest, Amanda Haggard, Steven Hale, Laura Hutson, D. Patrick Rodgers and Megan Seling.
May 19-21
HARRY POTTER IN CONCERT AT THE SCHERMERHORN
If your absolute summer involves sitting in the aphotic watching fantasy films and practicing the occult, the Schermerhorn has an accident that ability absolutely force you out into the absolute world: screening Harry Potter and the Alcove of Secrets while the Nashville Symphony performs the score. The music was of advance accounting by John Williams, who has denticulate endless iconic films, including several movies in the Star Wars authorization and the aboriginal two Home Alone films. The additional cine in the J.K Rowling series, Harry Potter and the Alcove of Secrets is darker and sees its three capital characters — Harry, Hermione and Ron — advancing into their own. Advanced of the concert, the Schermerhorn will additionally accept a apparel contest, butterscotch beer, a abode pride antagonism and a witchy photo booth. It’ll be fun alike for the indoorus kiddus. —AH
May 21
PERFUME GENIUS AT EXIT/IN
Perfume Genius — aka Mike Hadreas and his accomplice Alan Wyffels, with added musicians forth for the ride — is a actual gay band. This is by absorbed and design, and acknowledge God for it. Operatic and melodramatic, Perfume Genius escapes annihilation akin affected with arduous agreeable adroitness and absolute artlessness in songs about addiction, rehab, sex and love. Seeing Hadreas bawl and emote alive is an all-embracing and addictive acquaintance — cathartic, almost. You ability cry, and it will be account it. —CWG
May 23
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS AT CANNERY BALLROOM
With May flowers in abounding bloom, it may not feel like the best acclimatized time to embrace the aphotic side, but Goths, the new anthology from The Mountain Goats, will affect you to do aloof that. Singer John Darnielle set out to accomplish a almanac that explores the consequence that bands like Sisters of Mercy and The Birthday Affair larboard on him aback he was growing up in the ’80s, and the after-effects are aberrant and mesmerizing. (Related: Pick up Darnielle’s new abhorrence atypical Universal Harvester for alike added awful summer fun.) Goths boasts a little bounded love, too — the almanac was fabricated at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio, and the aboriginal single, “Rain in Soho,” actualization the Nashville Symphony Chorus arrant out like alcohol of the accursed ascent amidst the beef of a witches’ cauldron. Oh how amazing it would be if the choir abutting the bandage onstage for their Nashville stop. See our affection on The Mountain Goats here. —MS
May 23
RAISING OUR VOICES FEAT. AMANDA SHIRES & FRIENDS AT 3RD & LINDSLEY
Getting registered to vote is a acute allotment of the autonomous process, but it can be accessible to discount aback you’re analytic for agency to booty absolute action in afraid the Trump administration. HeadCount is a civic alignment that uses music challenge to advance acquaintance and annals acceptable voters, and they’re alive with the bounded accumulation Nashville United to put on this show. The capital accident is a set from superb singer-songwriter Amanda Shires and some outstanding friends, including her bedmate Jason Isbell, Cory Branan, Ruston Kelly and added to be announced, but the featured bedfellow speakers are a draw on their own: Ernest “Rip” Patton will altercate his accord in the Freedom Rides during the civilian rights movement, and songwriter Buddy Mondlock will allege about how he benefited from the Affordable Care Act. —ST
Rashad tha poet, Musician; rashadthapoet.comPhoto: Daniel Meigs; Location: Jefferson Street Tee: ramhjtribe.com, Shorts: Kenneth Cole, Shoes: Converse
May 26-Sept. 10
VADIS TURNER: TEMPEST AT THE FRIST
In her aboriginal abandoned building exhibition, Nashville artisan Vadis Turner is arduous accepted gender roles, absolute “the base of the changeable archetype.” The works in Tempest accord to the three abeyant capacity of a woman’s action — the adolescent “Wild Woman,” the “Mother” and the “Elder” — ceremony of which is met with a agnate annihilative abettor that the curator, Katie Delmez, describes (respectively) as “a able storm, broiled blank and the bit-by-bit silencing of voice.” Turner’s all-embracing bolt paintings absorb bright ribbons captivated about the canvas, and abate works absorb actual fluids like breast milk and the tears of ovulating women — a aggregate that calls to apperception both Claude Monet and Kiki Smith. —LH
June 1, 8, 15, 22
MOVIES IN THE PARK
The Scene’s Movies in the Esplanade allotment for its 23rd year, with food, fun and flicks on the backyard at Elmington Park. Films activate screening at sundown, but advanced of ceremony actualization there will be aliment trucks and amateur for several thousand of your abutting movie-lover pals. This year’s calendar includes three contempo hits and one bequest cine alleged by Scene readers: June 1, Sing!, the activated adventure of a Voice-like aptitude antagonism for animals; June 8, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which capacity how the Rebels got the affairs for the Death Star; June 15, The Secret Action of Pets, an activated attending at what your pets do aback you leave the house; and June 22, Aback to the Future. Folks, area we’re going, we don’t charge roads. —SC
June 2
BREW AT THE ZOO
This adults-only after-hours affair at the zoo brings calm all of the best things in life: absolute ability beer, beautiful animals ... and that’s it. What added do you need? Stop actuality greedy! Sample added than 100 ability beers — and a scattering of wines — while exploring the zoo’s alien exhibits (say “hey” to those aboriginal spider monkeys) and adequate alive music and entertainment. A agile of aliment trucks is consistently on duke to accommodate much-needed sustenance, or opt for a VIP admission to adore aliment pairings and your actual own beastly appointment in a clandestine lounge. —NF
June 8-11
BONNAROO
This year, Bonnaroo bare to accompany out the big accoutrements to advice affected 2016’s clearly lower-than-average attendance, so the top of this bill boasts some abundant artillery: U2, one of the best-known bedrock bands in the world, brings the 30th ceremony bout for The Joshua Tree (in which they accomplish said battleground anthology in full) to Manchester, Tenn. Their co-headliners accommodate freaky-styley stalwarts Red Hot Chili Peppers, accompanist of hardcore raps The Weeknd and industry-defying, Grammy-winning MC Adventitious the Rapper. The agenda is ablaze on jam bands (Umphrey’s McGee is your capital option), but actualization a deluge of pop artists like Lorde and Tegan and Sara, hip-hop acts including D.R.A.M. and Travis Scott, rockers such as White Reaper and The Lemon Twigs, and a ambit of EDM producers from Major Lazer to Ookay. On the bounded tip, country ace and Scene admired Margo Price and wry songsmith Aaron Lee Tasjan accomplish their ’Roo debuts, while Cage the Elephant arrives for a acknowledgment visit. There’s an arrangement of can’t-miss notables in the tents and abate stages too, including Michael Kiwanuka, Car Seat Headrest, Jay Som, and Beninese fable Angélique Kidjo assuming Talking Heads’ Remain in Light. —ST
Daddy Issues, bandPhoto: Daniel Meigs; Location: Inifinity Cat Records; apparel supplied by Additional Sea, Lindsey Gardner
June 8-11
CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL
The ceremony already accepted as Fan Fair takes over Lower Broadway, Riverfront Esplanade and Nissan Amphitheater for the aforementioned four-day amount as Bonnaroo, acceptation if Eric Church and U2 are both on your brazier list, you will accept to accomplish a aching choice. This year’s CMA Fest calendar isn’t acutely altered from added contempo years’, and conspicuously misses out on some top ascent aptitude like Margo Price and Grammy champ Sturgill Simpson. But if you’ve absent seeing any audience like Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton or Keith Urban (and either already accept a admission or accept $200 for one of the actual four-night passes), the amphitheater shows are your adventitious to bolt them all. A boatload of admired performers with broader appeal, like Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Brandy Clark and Little Big Town, will be in the amphitheater as well, alongside bequest sets from John Anderson and Kenny Rogers. Action added afield will accolade you with performances from up-and-comers like Lauren Alaina, Natalie Stovall, CJ Solar, Eric Paslay, Maggie Rose and longtime Jack White bandage affiliate Lillie Mae, who aloof appear her abandoned admission almanac in April. —ST
June 24-25
NASHVILLE PRIDE FESTIVAL AT PUBLIC SQUARE PARK
Nashville’s Pride weekend consistently delivers summer fun — a huge acquisition of blessed bodies booty over Public Aboveboard Esplanade to bless assortment and equality, while aliment trucks bandage the streets, annoyance queens accomplish on the capital date and the Nashville Humane Association’s Teddy Wagon brings puppies and kitties for attendees to comedy with and/or accept (with some of the floofers assault the calefaction by clumsily aqueous about in a adolescent basin — it’s so adorable). But this year? Well, this year Nashville Pride has skyrocketed to new levels of absurd with the best calendar the ceremony has anytime seen. Bounce queen Big Freedia! R&B affair canticle queen Lizzo! Plus old-school ball favorites like La Bouche and CeCe Peniston and accomplished Tennesseans Julien Baker and Alanna Royale. Pair that with all the acceptable accordance that appear from blind out and bistro ice chrism while acknowledging and amusement in Nashville’s basic LGBT association and there’s no way you’ll accept a bad time. Appointment nashvillepride.org for the abounding agenda of events, including added Pride Month ceremony including Pride Pageant (June 11) and Pride Night with the Nashville Sounds (June 13). —MS
July 4
MUSIC CITY HOT CHICKEN FESTIVAL IN EAST PARK
Founded 10 years ago, the chargeless Music City Hot Craven Ceremony celebrates Nashville’s acclaimed comestible specialty, hot chicken, with a big July 4 affair outdoors in East Park. The accident starts with a blaze barter array at 10:30 a.m., and the fest absolutely bliss off at 11 a.m. with samples from the city’s top purveyors of ablaze fowl, forth with music, beer and added food from bounded vendors. Then the action heats up as teams vie in the Amateur Hot Craven Cooking Contest; the affair apprehension bottomward by 3 p.m. so assemblage can air-conditioned off and accomplish their way to the July 4 fireworks affectation downtown. —DKF
Brandon Donahue, artistPhoto: Eric England in East Nashville. Grill, accessory and mural corrective by Brandon Donahue
July 7
MY MORNING JACKET w/MARGO PRICE AT ASCEND AMPHITHEATER
Seeing as how they’re about to become the alone accouterments to comedy the two-year-old Cumberland River-adjacent Ascend Amphitheater three times, Louisville’s My Morning Jacket charge adulation the Nashville skyline. (It’s apparently safe to accept the ever-jamming monsters of consciousness-expanding Southern bedrock additionally dig Nashville Skyline, seeing as how they opened for Bob Dylan in the actual aforementioned area in 2013, but I digress.) But really, with absorbing agent frontman Jim James & Co. already afresh set to comedy the big alfresco date downtown, there’s alone one affair that could accomplish this summer’s actualization alike added special: an aperture set from a admired local. That’s what we’ll have, acknowledgment to longtime Nashvillian and Third Man Records recording artisan Margo Price — whose 2016 abandoned admission Midwest Farmer’s Daughter landed at No. 1 in the Scene’s Bounded Albums Critics’ Poll and No. 2 in our Country Music Critics’ Poll. Actualization up aboriginal and acquisition your seats; this ain’t the affectionate of aperture set you skip. —DPR
July 8
U.S. VS. PANAMA AT NISSAN STADIUM
If the stakes for this weren’t aerial abundant — this is the best allusive bold in the accumulation date of the Gold Cup for the U.S. (they should bash their added two opponents) — the bounded accumulation attempting to accompany an MLS authorization actuality has promised to backpack the amphitheater as a actualization of abutment for soccer in Nashville. For U.S. fans, the antagonism promises to be an absorbing showcase: It will be the aftermost adventitious for some new players to accomplish their case for Apple Cup qualifiers and a cruise to Russia for abutting year’s Apple Cup. —SC
Henrietta Red: Julia Sullivan (right) & Allie Poindexter, RestaurateursPhoto: Eric England
July 29
MUSIC CITY BREWER’S FESTIVAL AT WALK OF FAME PARK
What if I told you that you could alcohol beer, including some from Nashville breweries like Yazoo and Jackalope, and advice out a acceptable account at the aforementioned time? Bottoms up, you’d say. The Music City Brewer’s Ceremony — a one-day beer-apalooza, a allocation of the gain of which go to account Additional Harvest Aliment Bank of Average Tennessee — is that opportunity. This year’s 16th ceremony event, sponsored by Mafiaoza’s, offers the adventitious to sample offerings from added than 50 breweries — local, regional, civic and beyond. Buy an afternoon or black pass, or go for the all-access amalgamation that lets you aberrate about Music City Walk of Fame Esplanade for eight hours if you like. You charge be 21 or older, of course, and sorry, you’ll charge to leave the kids at home. The air will be hot, the beers will be cold. —SH
Aug. 10, 17, 24 & Aug. 31-Sept. 2
LIVE ON THE GREEN
If attitude holds, we won’t apperceive until backward June who’s arena Lightning 100’s ninth ceremony chargeless all-ages concert alternation in Public Aboveboard Park. But we can acquaint you appropriate now that Alive on the Blooming is one of the city’s top crowd-pleasers, and the blooming amplitude at the top of acropolis on Additional Avenue will be accommodation on every Thursday in August and for a three-night run arch into Labor Day. Bills tend to accommodate accepted civic touring bands — both locals and out-of-towners — as able-bodied as a alternative of up-and-comers, and they about angular adjoin the poppier ancillary of bedrock and Americana. There are consistently a few appropriate standouts, too, like Dr. John (who played in 2012), All Them Witches (2014 and 2015) or Bully (2016). —ST
Aug. 10-Sept. 17
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK
Established in 1988, Nashville’s Shakespeare in the Esplanade is a able nonprofit amphitheater aggregation carrying apprenticeship and ball while continuing to acquisition beginning nuances in the works of the Bard. The chargeless plays in the Centennial Esplanade Bandage Shell are a Nashville summer attitude — acute admirers access at 6 p.m. to grab a atom and patronize the vendors, with preshow ball starting at 6:30 and the big actualization at 7:30. This year’s productions are The Winter’s Tale and Antony and Cleopatra. —DKF
Christian Fonseca (left) & Terence Williams, skatersPhoto: Eric England
Aug. 11-12
TOMATO ART FEST IN EAST NASHVILLE’S FIVE POINTS
The Amazon Art Fest is Nashville’s hottest alfresco art accident for a acumen — it’s in the average of August, aback amazon division is in aerial accessory and temperatures generally access enough for anybody who doesn’t accept a algid blood-soaked mary in hand. But that’s additionally what makes it the best fun. Now in its 14th year, the weekend-long East Nashville academy actualization apparel contests for kids and pets, a array of tomato-themed floats and busy bikes, alive music and, of course, all the vegetable-centric art you could anytime want. Appointment tomatoartfest.com for a abounding schedule. —LH
Aug. 19
OZ FAMILY DAY AT OZ ARTS NASHVILLE
This year’s OZ Arts’ Ancestors Day, the ceremony ceremony of calm and alfresco arts activities for adolescent bodies and families, will focus on the affair of sports and art. Artisan Brandon Donahue will arise an “art in sports” alternate installation, and on OZ’s breathtaking grounds, a dozen bounded artists and association organizations will set up action stations to let kids tap into their imaginations. There will additionally be a pop-up skate esplanade and a BMX achievement show. —LH
Nekos Barnes, DJPhoto: Daniel Meigs
THE NASHVILLE SOUNDS AT FIRST TENNESSEE PARK
The boys of summer are aback in town, and you’ll accept dozens of opportunities to absorb nine innings with them at Aboriginal Tennessee Esplanade in the months ahead. Entering their third year arena in Germantown, and their 40th division as a franchise, the Sounds appear into 2017 attractive to advance on the success of aftermost year, aback they put up a Pacific Coast League-best almanac of 83-59 and fabricated it to the American Conference finals. They acknowledgment with a new administrator in Ryan Christenson, but a abundantly accustomed agenda including all-star additional baseman Chad Pinder. If you’re a added accidental fan aloof attractive for a acceptable way to absorb a summer evening, you ability appetite to analysis out the circadian specials, so to speak. On Music City Mondays, the aboriginal 2,000 admirers will accept a chargeless 40th ceremony item. On Bequest Thursday, the Sounds will abrasion awakening uniforms and action alcohol specials at concessions. The, uh, alike added accidental fan ability do able-bodied to analysis out the bandage box accomplished appropriate field, area there’s ping pong, cornhole, foosball and shuffleboard forth with an alfresco bar — oh, and additionally a baseball bold in the background. But it’s adamantine to exhausted the appearance from abaft the bowl — the guitar-shaped scoreboard with the Nashville skyline confined as a backdrop. Who cares if you never get back? —SH
SUMMER FILMS AT THE BELCOURT AND THE CINEPLEXES
Several able openings will acreage at Nashville’s admired Belcourt Theatre throughout May and June, amid them: Azazel Jacobs’ comedy-romance The Lovers (May 26); a bound run of the alcove ball The Death of Louis XIV (May 31-June 4); Terence Davies’ Emily Dickinson biopic A Quiet Passion (June 2); the mysterious, Rachel Weisz-starring My Cousin Rachel (June 9); a bound run of Del Shores’ aftereffect to Sordid Lives, A Actual Sordid Wedding (June 10-14); and Miguel Arteta’s appropriate Beatriz at Dinner (June 23), which pits a anxious immigrant (Salma Hayek) adjoin a prickish billionaire (John Lithgow). Above that, accessible first-run Belcourt films after set absolution dates include: A Ghost Story, in which Casey Affleck plays a accurate white-sheeted ghost; the Sundance crowd-pleaser Patti Cake$; Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Endless Poetry; Columbus from Nashville-based administrator Kogonada; and Landline, from administrator Gillian Robespierre and amateur Jenny Slate, who aftermost teamed for the acclaimed Obvious Child.
In account of Sofia Coppola’s awful advancing and star-studded Civilian War ball The Beguiled aperture at the arthouse June 30, the Belcourt additionally affairs to flash its Administrator Spotlight on Coppola throughout June and into July with screenings of her films The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere and The Bling Ring. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford will aboveboard off in the Belcourt’s Weekend Classics series, with screenings set for Mildred Pierce (June 3-4), Now, Voyager (June 10-11), Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Strait-Jacket (June 17-18), and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (June 24-25). In accession to the theater’s Music City Mondays alternation (which will present Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same, Monterey Pop and Bedrock ’n’ Roll Aerial School, amid others), the Belcourt will additionally awning Midnight Movies and Saturday Ancestors Films all summer long.
Of course, if big-budget airheaded flicks are added your speed, you’ll accept affluence of options at your affable (read: corporate) adjacency megaplexes — from superhero book (Wonder Woman on June 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 7) to apprentice reduxes (Transformers: The Aftermost Knight on June 23), car chases (Baby Driver on June 28) and Tom Cruise-featuring semi-spooky reboots (The Mummy on June 9). There’s additionally affluence of being for the kids (including Cars 3 and a Captain Underpants movie, both out in June), but you won’t charge our advice to acquisition out about that being — aloof analysis that tasteful ad adjustment on your fast-food cup. —DPR
Freddie O’Connell, District 19 Metro Council MemberPhoto: Eric England
SUMMER BEERS
It’s summer in Music City, and that agency some of Nashville’s ability breweries and taprooms will anon be rolling out their finest alternative of summer beers. Below is a account of all the brews that are abiding to accompaniment a absolute summer.
Bearded Iris Brewing has two summer beers available: Bifold Homestyle, a bifold adaptation of their accepted Homestyle IPA, and Afresh & Again, an APA. Yazoo — the Scene’s Best of Nashville 2016 Best Bounded Brewery champ in both the readers’ poll and writers’ choices — will accept their Summer Seasonal, a light-bodied acerb gose. Starting in July, Jackalope will be absolution the cleverly alleged Casper the Gose, and from April to June will they’ll additionally action Lovebird, their accepted strawberry/raspberry hefeweizen. Blackstone will accept their bounce and summer strawberry-infused anemic ale, Strawberry Picnic, as able-bodied as their watermelon-infused summer gose, Watermelon Picnic. Fat Bottom will accept their Two Piece summer aureate ale, while Black Abbey will action Crossroads, a chrism ale acclimatized from German Köln-style ales. Tennessee Brew Works will accept Nashweizen, their hoppy hefeweizen ale, with intonations of mango, grape, pineapple, grapefruit, mandarin orange and banana. Granite City will accept a few summer offerings accessible on tap, including their ablaze kölsch, Lazy Lake, and their summer white ale, Peel Off. Little Harpeth has a few different offerings as well, like their India anemic kölsch, Mosaic, and their “Bavarian hefe maisen,” Davy B.H.M. Tailgate allotment their Grapefruit IPA and Watermelon Aureate beers and introduces a hazy-IPA alleged Pedal Tavern. Attending for a watermelon gose from them soon. —ZG
Brandon Donahue, artistPhoto: Eric England in East Nashville. Grill, accessory and mural corrective by Brandon Donahue
