2022 Nashville concert guide: All of the biggest shows coming to Music City
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We’re barely a week into the new year, but Nashville’s 2022 concert calendar is already stuffed from start to finish.
You can thank the pandemic for that (if nothing else). Dozens of tours once planned for 2020 and 2021 were postponed until this year — when surely, things will all be back to normal, right?
Well, stop dwelling on all that for a moment and see if this list doesn’t bowl you over. We’ve pored over the calendars of Nashville’s most popular venues, and more than 85 shows have already caught our eye.
Whether you’re into pop phenoms (Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber) rock legends (Elton John, The Eagles, Def Leppard, Slash) country titans (Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban) or multi-genre giants (Alicia Keys, Kacey Musgraves), we’re sure you’ll find a few dates to pencil in over the next 12 months in Music City.
January 12: Wale at Marathon Music Works (more info)
January 14: RnB Rewind 2 with Charlie Wilson, Boyz II Men, Monica, Ginuwine and more at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
January 15: MLK Freedom Fest with Lil Durk, Moneybagg Yo, Rod Wave, Latto at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
January 19-21: Dwight Yoakam at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
February 4-5: Black Pumas at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
February 6: The Beach Boys at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
February 8: Louis Tomlinson at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
February 11: Kacey Musgraves at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
February 14: Dua Lipa at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
February 17: Clairo at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
February 18: New Edition at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
February 19: Winter Jam with Skillet, Tauren Wells, KB and more at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
February 20: The Temptations and Four Tops at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
February 22-23, 25-26: Tedeschi Trucks Band at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
February 25: Dierks Bentley at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
February 28: Gregory Porter at Schermerhorn Symphony Center (more info)
March 1: Marina at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
March 1: Alt-J and Portugal. The Man at Nashville Municipal Auditorium (more info)
March 3-4: Yola at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
March 6-7: Conan Gray at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
March 8: Jazmine Sullivan at Marathon Music Works (more info)
March 9: Billie Eilish at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
March 9: Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
March 13: Dream Theater at Grand Ole Opry House (more info)
March 16-18: Morgan Wallen at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
March 16: Slash at Grand Ole Opry House (more info)
March 17: JoJo at Cannery Ballroom (more info)
March 22: Ben Platt at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
March 22: Sparks at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
March 23: Judas Priest at Nashville Municipal Auditorium (more info)
March 23: Tame Impala at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
March 24-26: Stewart Copeland with the Nashville Symphony at Schermerhorn Symphony Center (more info)
March 25: Tank and the Bangas at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville (more info)
March 26: Buddy Guy at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
March 27: Casting Crowns at Grand Ole Opry House (more info)
March 31: Mitski at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
April 1-2: Relient K at Marathon Music Works (more info)
April 3: Lorde at Grand Ole Opry House (more info)
April 6: Maxwell at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
April 8: 2CELLOS at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
April 13: Johnnyswim at Grand Ole Opry House: (more info)
April 13: John Mayer at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
April 13: The Zombies at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
April 15: Chris Tomlin at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
April 27: Journey at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
April 28: Miranda Lambert at FirstBank Amphitheater (more info)
April 28: The Eagles at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
April 29: Walker Hayes at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
April 30: Bon Jovi at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
April 30 and May 1: Jack White at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
May 4: Shinedown at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
May 6-8: Billy Strings at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
May 7: Deftones at Nashville Municipal Auditorium (more info)
May 8: Yolanda Adams with the Nashville Symphony at Schermerhorn Symphony Center (more info)
May 10: Olivia Rodrigo at Grand Ole Opry House: (more info)
May 11: Still Woozy at Marathon Music Works (more info)
May 13: Leon Bridges at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
May 13: New Kids On The Block at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
May 17: Justin Bieber at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
May 20: Haim at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
May 22: For King and Country at FirstBank Amphitheater (more info)
May 26-27: Bonnie Raitt at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
May 26-28: Leslie Odom, Jr. with the Nashville Symphony at Schermerhorn Symphony Center (more info)
May 28: Kenny Chesney at Nissan Stadium (more info)
May 28: Jacob Collier at Cannery Ballroom (more info)
May 29: “Weird” Al Yankovic at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
June 9-12: CMA Music Festival at Nissan Stadium (more info)
June 16-19: Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. (more info)
June 24: Kraftwerk at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
June 24: Bon Iver at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
June 26: Matchbox Twenty at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
June 30: Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett at Nissan Stadium (more info)
June 30: Bikini Kill at Marathon Music Works (more info)
June 30 - July 2: Ben Folds with the Nashville Symphony at Schermerhorn Symphony Center (more info)
July 5: Rod Stewart at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
July 6: The Masked Singer at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
July 8-9: Brandi Carlile at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
July 28: Cody Johnson at FirstBank Amphitheater (more info)
July 28: Glass Animals at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
August 12: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes and Thundercat at Nissan Stadium (more info)
August 24: Jack Johnson at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
August 27: Roger Waters at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
September 7: Twenty One Pilots at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
September 17: The Killers at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
September 24: Alicia Keys at Ascend Amphitheater (more info)
October 2: Elton John at Nissan Stadium (more info)
October 7: Keith Urban at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
October 9-10: You Got Gold: Celebrating the Life and Songs of John Prine at Ryman Auditorium (more info)
October 19: Shawn Mendes at Bridgestone Arena (more info)
Game Day: Preds at Bruins Preview
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The Preds had won each of their five games in 2022 entering Thursday’s contest against Buffalo, including a 5-4 overtime victory against Colorado on Tuesday, but the Sabres prevailed by defeating Nashville 4-1 in a game the home team said wasn’t their best. Now, the Predators are excited for the next challenge today in Boston, but they won’t necessarily be taking the lessons from the loss to Buffalo with them, as Preds Head Coach John Hynes explained.
The Nashville Predators saw their win streak conclude at five games on Thursday night, but the chance to start a new run begins this afternoon when the Preds face the Boston Bruins with a 12 p.m. CT puck drop from TD Garden. Today’s game is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season; the Bruins shut out the Predators by a 2-0 final back in December at Bridgestone Arena.
“There’s different challenges that you go through during the year, particularly with 82 games,” Hynes said following Friday’s practice in Nashville. “We came off of a game that was hyped up by the outside versus Colorado, and it was a big, emotional win. And coming from an emotional win to get ready for the next opponent, we didn’t do a good enough job in that area - any of us, obviously - based on our performance, because we got outplayed. The better team won the game [Thursday]. There’s going to be other situations where we may come off of a rivalry game or a Central Division game or a real physical, hard-fought battle, and we’re going to have to get ourselves back up and ready to play the next opponent. And we didn’t do a great job of that.
“So, to me, that’s a great experience that we can take the next time this happens, But, to me, I think the important thing is to focus on now we have a different type of game. We have an [afternoon] game - how are we going to respond to a game that we all collectively felt we didn’t bring the competitive level we needed to be at? And we’re facing a team that’s red hot, and that’s our next challenge. How do we answer this challenge?”
Preds forwards Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin both missed Thursday’s game after remaining on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list. Defenseman Mark Borowiecki was also absent against Buffalo and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The Predators will not hold a morning skate with today’s afternoon start time.
Video: Coach Hynes previews Nashville vs. Boston
The Good Guys:
Matt Duchene scored the lone goal for the Preds in Thursday’s loss - his third-straight tally on the power play for Nashville. Duchene leads the club with 17 goals and is second in points (34) only to Preds Captain Roman Josi (12g-26a) who has 38 points in 36 games this season. Mikael Granlund (5g-28a) has 33 points for the Preds, Ryan Johansen has 10 goals and 30 points and rookie forward Tanner Jeannot has 12 goals and 23 points. Goaltender Juuse Saros, who was named an NHL All-Star on Thursday, is 20-10-1 in net for the Preds; David Rittich is 3-1-1.
The Opposition:
The Bruins have only lost once in eight tries in the year 2022, and that includes a current four-game win streak and a 3-2 victory over Philadelphia on Thursday with a hat trick from David Pastrnak. Brad Marchand leads the Bruins with 19 goals and 41 points, followed by Pastrnak (16g-14a) with 30 points and Patrice Bergeron (11g-17a) with 28 points. Goaltender Tuukka Rask, who just returned to the Bruins this week, won his season debut on Thursday night, while Linus Ullmark is 12-5-0 on the campaign.
Video: Philip Tomasino previews Nashville vs. Boston
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 14-15-(1)-2 all-time against the Bruins, including a 4-8-(1)-2 record on the road. Nashville last played in Boston on Dec. 21, 2019, a 4-3 overtime victory for the Predators that featured two goals from Roman Josi.
The Predators are 2-3-0 in their last five games at TD Garden. Nashville has won six of its last 11 meetings against Boston (6-5-0).
Notables Versus Boston:
Ryan Johansen has 13 points (4g-9a) in 17 career games vs. the Bruins. Johansen recorded three assists at Boston on Dec. 21, 2020. Roman Josi has five goals and 10 points in 17 career games against Boston.
Dante Fabbro played three seasons of collegiate hockey for Boston University from 2016-19, appearing in 111 games while posting 80 points (22g-58a), the most among team defensemen in that span.
Predators Head Coach John Hynes and Assistant General Manager/Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty both played college hockey at Boston University. Hynes and Kealty helped lead the Terriers to four consecutive Frozen Four appearances and the 1995 NCAA title.
Bruins forward Craig Smith played 661 games for Nashville from 2011-20, tallying 162 goals and 330 points. Bruins forward Erik Haula played the 2020-21 season in Nashville and had 21 points (9g-12a) in 51 games.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for today’s 12 p.m. CT puck drop from Boston begins at 11:30 a.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Lyndsay Rowley have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 11 a.m. with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country, click here.
Win Streak Concludes at Five as Preds Fall to Sabres
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After an entertaining, 5-4 overtime win against Colorado on Tuesday, the Preds say they simply weren’t good enough two nights later, a lesson received as Nashville suffered their first loss of the 2022 calendar year.
Matt Duchene scored Nashville’s lone goal as the Predators fell to the Buffalo Sabres by a 4-1 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result stops Nashville’s win streak at five games as they remain at the 50-point mark in the standings.
“Buffalo was the better team,” Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. “We learned something about our team. When you go through 82 games, you are presented different challenges. We came off an emotional win versus Colorado, we had a day in between games to regroup ourselves, but we didn’t handle this challenge the right way. You have to credit Buffalo, and it goes to show if you’re not mentally and physically ready to play, anyone can beat anyone on any given night.”
“Definitely not our best game,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “We came out kind of flat, didn’t have a good first period. They were just faster, they were quick on pucks and kind of out-battled us. I thought we played a little better in the second, but I think just overall we didn’t have enough pressure. We didn’t have enough zone time in their end… It’s a tough League to win in when you’re not at your best.”
Buffalo owned a 1-0 lead after one period of play as Mark Jankowski was credited with a goal that the Preds accidentally put into their own net. Nashville’s output improved in the second stanza, and at the 13:12 mark, Duchene tallied his third power-play goal in the last two games to even the score at 1-1.
Video: BUF@NSH: Duchene scores PPG in net-front scramble
Before the period was out, however, Jeff Skinner converted on a man advantage and beat goaltender Juuse Saros in front to give the Sabres a 2-1 advantage headed into the final frame. Skinner scored once more at 7:59 of the third for Buffalo’s first two-goal lead of the night before the Sabres iced things with an empty-netter.
The Predators outshot and out-hit the Sabres by counts of 30-21 and 45-21, respectively, but the story was told on the scoreboard. Nashville knows they’ll need a better showing on Saturday afternoon as they face one of the best in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins, on the road.
“We’ve got to look at some things, and I think it’s a good learning process for us,” Josi said. “If you don’t play your best in this League it doesn’t matter who you play. You’re not going to win games. So, we’ve got to learn from it, but we’re playing again Saturday. It’s an early game, so I think we’ll look at some things tomorrow, but after that, we’ll look forward and we’ve got some big games coming up.”
“The big thing moving forward is we learned whatever we did from after the Colorado game, to get ready for the Buffalo game as coaches and players, certainly wasn’t good enough,” Hynes said. “We’ve got to find a way to be able to do a better job than we did tonight, and now we’ve got to move our focus. We get a day tomorrow and then we’re playing a hot Boston team. They’re playing really well right now, it’s going to be a big challenge in their building and we’ve got to get ready here.”
Notes:
Prior to Thursday’s game, the NHL named Preds goaltender Juuse Saros to the Central Division squad for the 2022 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. Additionally, Predators Captain Roman Josi is part of the NHL’s “Last Men In” ballot, which allows fans to vote for the final player on each NHL All-Star Game roster. You can vote for Josi at nhl.com/LastMenIn.
The Predators recalled forwards Matt Luff and Cole Smith from the taxi squad ahead of Thursday’s contest, and forward Cody Glass was also recalled to the taxi squad from Milwaukee (AHL).
Defenseman Mark Borowiecki missed Thursday’s game and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Philippe Myers took Borowiecki’s place on the backend against the Sabres. Forwards Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin were also absent and remain on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list.
With their two-game homestand now complete, the Preds will head out on the road for a pair of games starting on Saturday afternoon in Boston against the Bruins.
Video: NSH Recap: Predators drop winning streak at 5 games
NHL’s Chief Content Officer Previews NHL Stadium Series Game in Nashville
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In just over six weeks’ time, Mayer’s concept will become reality as the Nashville Predators host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series, the first outdoor NHL game in Tennessee’s history.
The NHL’s chief content officer wasn’t imagining next week’s NFL postseason contest on the banks of the Cumberland River in Nashville, however. Instead, Mayer had a different vision in his head - one that includes a hockey rink, stages and neon to mimic the lights of Broadway.
The Tennessee Titans logo was being painted onto the field at Nissan Stadium on Wednesday afternoon as Steve Mayer looked on from the club level high above the turf.
In town for meetings and walkthroughs at the venue the Preds will temporarily call their home for a practice on Feb. 25 before the game arrives one evening later - perhaps the most anticipated Saturday night in Smashville in franchise history - Mayer, who puts the outdoor spectacles for the League all over the continent, knows there’s nothing quite like a party in Nashville.
And while two points in the standings will still be on the line, make no mistake - the final weekend in February will be unlike any celebration the Music City has seen before.
“We’re really looking forward to creating what we think will be one of the most incredible outdoor game experiences that we’ve ever created at the League,” Mayer said. “There’s a lot of big plans that we have, and we’re really looking forward to this one.”
Video: Mayer talks preparations for Stadium Series Game
Over the past few seasons, the consensus around these parts essentially morphed into not a matter of if - but when - the Predators would host an outdoor game not far from their traditional home inside Bridgestone Arena. Two years earlier, Nashville’s fanbase traveled in droves - 20,000 strong - to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas as the Preds faced the Stars in the 2020 NHL Winter Classic.
That showing, combined with the 2016 NHL All-Star Weekend in Nashville and the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, confirmed again and again the League wanted - and needed - to come back again sooner than later.
Now, in less than two months, a city known for putting on a show will do so with its favorite sons as the leading act.
“Nashville just lends itself to big events, and there’s been so many great events that have taken place in the city - and for us, that’s a challenge,” Mayer said. “How do we do something that the fans here, the people here, leave and go, ‘Wow, that was unbelievable.’ We’re ready for that… We’ve got some big plans, and there’s so much more to do in the next few weeks as we prepare. But we’re ready and I do think the challenge of being here in Nashville is actually not a challenge. It’s actually welcomed because it just will lead to what we think will be a bigger and better event.”
Just as there were pig races in Dallas or cabins and firepits sharing space with the rink in Minneapolis during the 2022 Winter Classic two weeks ago, one of the goals is to make the experience unique to the host city. Music is an obvious tie-in here in Nashville, and the event’s logo - made to look like the neon sign of a honky tonk, will only be amplified inside Nissan Stadium with a puck drop after dark.
Of course, Mayer wasn’t interested in giving too much away when it comes to the look and feel of the experience, but as he calls it, this “bucket-list” event is not to be missed.
“Remember, these are global games - these are shown all over the world - so this is a chance for Nashville to shine, and it’s our job to help Nashville do that,” Mayer said. “When we get feedback, sort of after the event, like, ‘Wow, that was awesome. Thank you, that was cool, you really showed off the city,’ That means a lot to us… The game, the field, the look, everything will be completely different [than ever before]. And that’s why this is fun for us.”
To hear more from Mayer on preparations for the Stadium Series, listen to Episode 157 of the Preds Official Podcast. Click here for more information on the game and to buy tickets.
Preds Foundation, SmileDirectClub Award $100,000 SuperGrant to CISTN
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Nashville, Tenn. (January 13, 2022) - The Nashville Predators Foundation and SmileDirectClub announced that Communities in Schools of Tennessee will be presented with a SuperGrant totaling $100,000 as the Predators face the Sabres at Bridgestone Arena today, Jan. 13. A Nashville-based non-profit, Communities in Schools of Tennessee (CISTN) is dedicated to helping children overcome challenges both inside and outside the classroom.
“We are excited to award the second SuperGrant of the season to Communities in Schools of Tennessee and recognize the organization for its amazing work in ensuring student success in our community,” Nashville Predators Vice President of Community Relations Rebecca King said. “We look forward to partnering with SmileDirectClub and working with CISTN on future opportunities to grow this relationship.”
Communities in Schools connects students to resources and helps remove barriers for at-risk students by helping them stay in school and on the road to graduation. The SuperGrant will allow five Metro Nashville public schools to continue partnering with Communities in Schools and benefit from its services for students.
Introduced during the 2019-20 season as part of the groundbreaking partnership between the Predators Foundation and Nashville-based SmileDirectClub, multiple SuperGrants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 will be awarded each season to Middle Tennessee community organizations. Funding will be allocated to support programming or the completion of largescale projects that empower people during times of life transitions. Including the funds awarded to Home Street Home Ministries, Monroe Harding, Retrieving Independence and Maple Built, $200,000 in financial support was distributed by the SuperGrant program last season.
ABOUT THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS FOUNDATION EMPOWERED BY SMILEDIRECTCLUB
The Predators Foundation has partnered with Nashville-based SmileDirectClub in an ongoing effort to meet educational, social, health and cultural needs throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The Predators Foundation is devoted to using its platform and influence from its affiliation with professional sports to serve the needs of the community by offering unique resources and financial support to local youth-oriented organizations. Since its inception in 1998, the Predators Foundation has awarded over $8 million in grants to the greater Nashville community. During the 2020-21 season, the Nashville Predators, Bridgestone Arena, Ford Ice Centers and Predators Foundation contributed over $4 million in cash and in-kind gifts throughout the Nashville community and surrounding areas. To learn more about the Nashville Predators Foundation empowered by SmileDirectClub and to see a list of upcoming events, visit NashvillePredators.com/Foundation.
ABOUT SMILEDIRECTCLUB
SmileDirectClub, Inc. (“SmileDirectClub”) is an oral care company and creator of the first medtech platform for teeth straightening. Through its cutting-edge telehealth technology and vertically integrated model, SmileDirectClub is revolutionizing the oral care industry, offering consumers the ability to get clinically safe and effective treatment but without the 3x markup. SmileDirectClub’s mission is to democratize access to a smile each and every person loves by making it affordable and convenient for everyone. SmileDirectClub is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee and operates in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, France and Mexico. For more information, please visit SmileDirectClub.com.