By Lauren Campbell
The flowers bloom, the sun shines, and summer concert dates are being sent out to fans.
Here at the OM office, music consumes our profession and pastime—and nothing is better than summer concerts. Here are our most anticipated shows:
Erin - Musicians Corner at Centennial Park from May to June
Musicians Corner is a summer stable during the spring/summer months in Nashville. Through May and June, Musicians Corner rallies the Nashville community around good music, food, and community—and free admission!
Maddy - Taylor Swift at Nissan Stadium on May 5
Swift famously combines setlists from all ten of her albums into one show—or rather, three sold-out stadium shows (that’s nearly 210,000 people in one weekend). Even if you got stuck in the queue or spent a whole paycheck on a ticket, it’s basically ten concerts in one, plus a stellar opening show from Gracie Abrams or Phoebe Bridgers…so all’s well that ends well.
Merk - Ed Sheeran at Nissan Stadium on July 22
Speaking of selling out stadiums…Ed Sheeran will be touring around the US this summer. Sheeran used to open for Swift, and is now one of the most successful singer/songwriters in his own right. The “+-=÷x” tour seems to be his take on the “eras” tour. For the past decade, Sheeran has been releasing albums named after mathematical symbols, and his - album seems to be the finally.
Grace - Sabrina Carpenter at the Ryman Auditorium on May 2
Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album emails i can’t send has got fans raving about her newfound bravado on the pop charts. Our favorites are “because I liked a boy” and “nonsense,” naturally.
Maddie - The Chicks at Bridgestone Arena on July 27
Thirteen-time Grammy award winners the Chicks have been around since the 90s, and they are back for an arena tour in Nashville. I mean, “Wide Open Spaces” has been a playlist staple on every burnt CD (or, now, Spotify account) since it came out in 1998. Now, the iconic track can be heard live at the Chicks tour from June to August.
Lauren - Vance Joy at Ryman Auditorium on September 1
Admittedly, not quite a true ‘summer’ concert, but I’ve been kicking myself for a solid year after missing Vance Joy’s pre-album release show of In Our Own Sweet Time at Ryman for the summer 2022 concert circuit. I’ve been playing “Missing Piece” and “Don’t Fade” on repeat ever since.