Backstage Nashville at 3rd & Lindsley — Music Venue Review | Condé Nast Traveler

"Big picture: What’s the vibe of the place, what’s it like?     Like many time-loved Nashville venues, 3rd & Lindsley is nondescript. From the outside it looks like the DMV, and inside it's basic square tables and ladder-back chairs. All the lighting and sound mechanics are unhidden, but it has good sound and a stage visible from almost any spot on both floors of the bar—and that’s what matters here. You want to be able to see and hear the incredible performers. What kinds of events can we see here? 3rd & Lindsley books a wide cross-section of shows with an emphasis on Western swing and old-school country. Nashville’s reputation as Music City makes lots of people think of rhinestones and names in lights, but it's really the singer-songwriter who makes Nashville music. In order to really understand Nashville’s essence, you want to go somewhere you can hear the stories behind the songs. And you can do that every Saturday at 3rd & Lindsley for Backstage Nashville, a live singer-songwriter show that's featured songwriters for some of the biggest-name musicians. How are the seats? Most people at 3rd & Lindsley sit at a table to enjoy table service food and drink. Almost all the tables have good sight lines. Limited standing-room-only space is available to the side of the stage and behind the tables. There’s a small area for dancing in front of the stage, but that doesn’t tend to matter at a Backstage Nashville show, as they are singer-songwriter focused. Come back another time if you want to dance. Good for kids? Yes. Backstage Nashville takes place from 12:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m. Saturdays. Kids of all ages are welcome, and it's the perfect place to expose them to Nashville music without all the age inappropriateness of Lower Broad. Anything in particular that makes this place special, from the programming to a unique feature it has? It can be hard to find a singer-songwriter show elsewhere in town if you don’t know where to look. Bluebird Café tends to sellout in minutes, so Backstage Nashville is a great place to scratch that itch. If we’re going to be in town, what—and who—do you think this is best for?      Families, aspiring singer-songwriters, people looking for a low-key couple of hours of music, multigenerational groups, people who love a good story song (it is all about the lyrics here)." - Margaret Littman