One year of connecting melodies with memories.
Back in April 2024, Eric Church became the latest in a long line of country artists to open their own bar on Broadway in downtown Nashville. But it was clear from the beginning that Church’s place was going to be something totally unique from all the cookie-cutter bars that have popped up over the past few years.
When you walk in Chief’s, the first thing you notice is that Eric had his hand in designing every inch of the bar, from the tour posters that cover the floor, the walls and even the barstools in the honky tonk to the numbers on the pews in the Neon Steeple – a two-story concert venue reminiscent of the Ryman Auditorium that’s unlike anything else on Broadway.
There are stained glass windows honoring some of Church’s biggest influences, a “Sinners Like Me” confessional by the bar, “Two Pink Lions” wallpaper, dueling pianos surrounded by photographs of Church’s adventures along his two-decade career, and even the original sign from the Fiddle & Steel Guitar Bar in Printer’s Alley, where Chief got his start playing in Nashville after being told he wasn’t wanted on Broadway.
For fans of Eric Church, and fans of country music, Chief’s is a special place, one where artists come to perform their own music and not just another “Wagon Wheel” cover. During its first year on Broadway, Church himself performed a residency show at his bar that took fans through his two-decade long career with brutal honesty and unbridled emotion, a show unlike you’ve ever seen from Church and definitely unlike anything else you can find on Broadway.
And of course Chief’s has made headlines for…well, other reasons too. There was the infamous chair incident not long after the bar opened, something Chief’s has decided to embrace with a plaque and a special drink featuring a mini chair.
But it was all of those memories that the bar celebrated yesterday for their one-year anniversary party – and there was a special guest on hand for the celebration.
After a day of festivities, two of Church’s frequent co-writers, his guitar player Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell, took the stage in the Neon Steeple concert venue for a show featuring the songs of Eric Church himself. They told stories along the way about how the song came about (including one about a very persistent wasp) before alternating performances of hits like “Record Year” and “Some Of It,” as well as some deep cuts like “Rollercoaster Ride” and “Keep On.”
As Tyndell and Hyde were wrapping up the show with “Springsteen,” their third co-writer on the song – Eric Church himself – surprised the crowd and walked out from behind the curtain to join them on his biggest hit.
@whiskeyriff @Eric Church just made a surprise appearance at Chief’s with his guitar player Jeff Hyde. // whiskeyriff.com #whiskeyriff #ericchurchmusic #nashville #chiefsonbroadway ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff
It was obviously a special moment for the crowd, but no doubt it was special for Church too – being able to join his two friends and co-writers during a show that he said exemplifies what Chief’s is all about: Celebrating the songwriting that makes up the heartbeat of Nashville.
After the show, Church wasn’t ready to leave the party just yet: He decided to move on down to the first floor and celebrate the one-year anniversary of his bar with the fans, even hopping on stage to perform a couple songs with the band, much to the excitement of the packed crowd.
It was one of those “only in Nashville” moments, but even more than that, it was an “only at Chief’s” moment. You’re not going to get moments like that, and artists truly connecting with their fans and their bar, anywhere else on Broadway.
It’s why Chief’s is one of the only bars I’ll go to when I’m on Broadway. After living in Nashville for a decade, I’ve become pretty cynical about Broadway and generally try to avoid it unless I have a friend in town or have a reason to be downtown. But Chief’s is different. It’s about Eric Church, but more than that, it’s about the music, it’s about the songs, and it’s about connecting melodies with memories.
And with moments like this, I have a feeling there are going to be a lot more memories to be made at Second and Broadway in the years and decades to come.
@whiskeyriff @Eric Church #whiskeyriff #chiefs
@madelineunes It’s like just running into @Eric Church on a random Saturday night !! #nashville #diml
