Us jaded locals have been poking fun at our city becoming the bachelorette party capital of the world for years now. It’s practically a bonding experience when you meet a fellow unicorn. “Haha – those pedal taverns, am I right?” Or, my personal favorite – “yeah, I’m old enough to remember when Nashville WASN’T cool!” Cadbury and I talked about New Nashville on a recent episode of the SoBros Power Hour, and if I’m being perfectly honest with you guys, I definitely feel like the scene is beginning to pass this soon-to-be 35-year-old by. Now, if anyone mentions going downtown, I tend to cringe a little bit. It’s one of those things that I have to kind of hype myself up for, whereas just a few years ago, nothing sounded better than hopping in a Lyft and heading down to Buffalo’s Billiards to drink gin and tonics all night until I puked in the bathtub.
I love living near a city that so many friends and family members across the country want to visit. I’ll put on my cowboy hat and cowboy boots (not really – that’s just a metaphor to say, “I’ll grin and bear it”) and go downtown to show people the bright lights of Broadway when they’re visiting. I keep up with the food scene. I know where to go to get away from all the madness and still show our guests the spirit of the Music City. It’s probably my favorite thing about living here – that, and the motherfucking Opryland Hotel at Christmastime. And, I realize that deep down, I’m a proud Nashvillian, even though I certainly make my jokes. The smells that come out of Broadway at 5AM on a Sunday morning – no, that scene is not my cup of tea. But, it never really was, and I don’t think it would be anywhere I live. I’m fascinated, and in a weird way, proud of how this city has grown since I was a kid in the early 90s.
But, over the last year, I’ve seen a lot of my friends and acquaintances lose their job, or have their gig prospects completely dry up because of the covid-19 pandemic. Musician friends struggling to make ends meet. Friends in the hospitality industry that either have no job to go to anymore, or one at which they have to risk their personal health for smaller crowds and smaller tips. It’s been rough – and we’ve seen how it effected the soul of the city. The last thing I want to do is rush to declare that covid is over. That’s irresponsible, but I am happy to see restrictions ease. At the very least, I look at it as a little light at the end of the tunnel. If you want to go bury yourself in a sea of people right now, that’s on you. I won’t be participating…but I’m happy for my friends that are vaccinated, comfortable getting back out there, and that have jobs to go back to.
And, here’s where I circle back to those bachelorettes I was laughing at to start this piece…because now, they could be integral to getting Nashville back on track, and growing. Brittney Baird of WKRN recently caught up with Greg Ramey, Founder and CEO of the “Bach” app, who touted Nashville as one of the most popular destinations for bachelorettes now that restrictions are starting to loosen up. I found a couple quotes to be pretty interesting.
“I would say that there is an obvious stigma around bachelorette parties, there is the “woo girls,” and it’s so easy to categorize in one category. I would say our groups are bringing significant economic impact whether it’s in hotels, restaurants, or Broadway as a whole,” said Ramey.
We know it – no one wants to say it. But, the term ‘significant economic impact’ shouldn’t surprise anyone. How much do y’all think a single bachelorette party can drink in a single night? I mean, you’re rolling 10-12 woo girls deep, and this city is relentless. I don’t think you can stop until your body forces you to stop. Believe me – I’ve had those #NashvilleNights. I’ve been sitting in a bar somewhere while the rooms pins, wondering if maybe I went a little too hard….ultimately waking up from my coma two weeks later to find a pocketful of bar tabs and $500 gone from my bank account. Now, imagine that…times a dozen, maybe more, times seven nights a week, exponentially throughout the city.
We joke because they’re so damn insufferable. There aren’t many things worse, and I’m speaking from experience here, than having a really shitty day at a stupid desk job, only to get stuck in traffic on the way out of town at 6PM, and then having a party barge pull up next to you with a bunch of drunk people screaming and yelling at you…sometimes, even poking fun because you look like a miserable shit, and they don’t understand that real life DOES still go on in the city, too. Okay, that sounds personal, and I promise we’ll get back on track.
The point is, we all know musicians and bartenders in this town – these folks are the heartbeat of our city. And, as long as those woo girls are keeping that heartbeat going, our people get to go on.
“Tennessee as a whole has been more open to tourism than others so places like Nashville, Scottsdale, Miami have been really thriving throughout this. I would say the uptick is about to be monumental,” said Ramey.
Is Nashville back? I don’t think that’s for me to say. I’m just an old curmudgeon, shaking his fist at pedal taverns. This isn’t my city anymore. It’s a tourist attraction. We’ve established that – but “about to be monumental” really stood out to me. The CDC said y’all can take your masks off if you’re fully vaccinated, and I swear people heard “covid is gone, y’all – let’s fuckin’ rage!”
Regardless, if the bachelorettes start coming back to town, and that extra revenue keeps Mayor Cooper from raising y’all’s taxes in Davidson County again, and it keeps Steve Smith’s mouth shut, I’m all for it. I still don’t have to go downtown for anything, and I won’t. I’ve rolled my eyes at many a bachelorette party….but maybe this time….I actually owe them a hearty “thank you.”
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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