The Ryman Auditorium will begin hosting live performances again starting next week, as the popular Nashville music venue has revealed plans for its Live at the Ryman virtual concert series.
Announced by the venue on Friday, Live at the Ryman will feature performances to be streamed live every Friday night for six weeks beginning August 14th with For King & Country. The series will air exclusively on the new streaming platform Mandolin, and will continue until at least September 18th with scheduled performances from a mix of country artists including Cam, Chris Janson, Scotty McCreery, Brett Young, and Old Crow Medicine Show. Each ticketed webcast will begin at 8 p.m. local time every Friday over the next six weeks, with a strong likelihood of the schedule extending into the fall months.
The series will also look to begin reintroducing live performances with fans in the room, as the venue will responsibly welcome a limited number of guests to experience each show in person as soon as local health regulations permit, according to Billboard. The venue has teamed up with local health organizations Vanderbilt Health and Metro Public Health to assure there will be enough masks for all Ryman operations and production staff to go with enhanced cleaning procedures before and after events. Friday’s announcement did not reveal how many fans would be allowed into the venue for each performance once they have the go-ahead by state and city health officials to do so.
“Both fans and artists are eager to once again feel the energy and excitement that concert venues foster, but we must prioritize health and safety as we reimagine live entertainment today,” said Opry Entertainment Group president Scott Bailey added in a statement with Friday’s announcement. “Our team has developed a turn-key way for artists to connect directly with their fans. We hope that this series will be the first of many shows to use this model in the months ahead.”
“Our company has prioritized the health and safety of our employees, customers and artists since day one of the pandemic,” said Ryman Hospitality Properties‘Â Colin Reed also added. “This unique live music experience represents the next step in our commitment to doing things the right way while also creating a repeatable model that will allow artists and fans to connect during this bridge period until a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is available.”
Scroll down to watch the trailer on the forthcoming series shared on Friday.
Live at the Ryman Series Trailer
[Video: Ryman Auditorium]
Tickets for all upcoming Live at the Ryman livestreams go on sale this Monday, August 10th, at 10 a.m. CT here.
[H/TÂ Billboard]