Nashville’s City-Built Amphitheater Gets A New Name And Star-Studded Lineup

Nashville’s new downtown amphitheater is set to open in late summer with a full schedule and a corporate name.

Ascend Credit Union bought the naming rights to the city-owned venue. The price of the deal was not announced, but it will be called Ascend Amphitheater for ten years.

Country star Eric Church is set to play the inaugural show July 30. Metro Parks will open the new 10-acre West Riverfront Park that houses the venue on the same day.

One of the reasons the city gave for including a 6,800-seat performance space on the site was to give the Nashville Symphony a new home for outdoor concerts in the summer, including the annual fourth of July celebration.

But those shows will be just part of an extensive concert schedule. Live Nation won a contract to manage the amphitheater. For its first season, the company has lined up 22 shows to run over the span of 11 weeks. The lineup includes Steely Dan, The Smashing Pumpkins, Old Crow Medicine Show and Idina Menzel.

See a complete list of announced shows at the Live Nation website.