On Thursday night (Feb. 16), the stage was set at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with an old red leather chair and a small wooden table sitting beside it. The table was stacked with books, just waiting for someone to sit and tell a story. That seat was filled by a young blonde-haired girl in a red dress, who fans may recognize from the Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville album cover. McBryde’s voice narrated overhead as the child flipped through the pages, the crowd cheering at such comical lines referencing “beef jerky and tequila.”
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It was the second of two back-to-back sold-out shows at the Ryman in support of Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, the 2022 concept album the singer created alongside collaborators Brandy Clark, Pillbox Patti, Benjy Davis, Connie Harrington and Aaron Raitiere, with additional songwriting contributions from Phil Everly and Jon Decious. The album was produced by Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne, with brother TJ Osborne and Caylee Hammack among the featured artists.
The show began with the raucous opening number “Brenda Put Your Bra On,” starring McBryde, Pillbox Patti and surprise guest Lainey Wilson, who was filling in for Hammack. Similar to the height of the Beatles mania, women in the audience were throwing their bras all over the stage, the singers fully embracing the props, twirling and tossing them around, with Wilson accidentally hitting backing band member John Osborne with one of the colorful undergarments.
This set the stage for the next rowdy 60 minutes, which felt more like a play with a live studio audience than a typical Nashville concert. A staged avant-garde piece of art that blended surrealism with reality, McBryde assembled some of Nashville’s best talent. From TJ Osborne and Charlie Worsham among the jumpsuits-clad bluegrass jam band that performed in between songs to her Lindeville cohorts Pillbox Patti, Clark, Davis, and Raitiere stepping into the eccentric roles of the fictional town of Lindeville’s cast of characters.
Sirius XM The Highway host Storme Warren served as the local radio DJ who cleverly helped push the plot along, capturing the absurdity of the town along the way. From a fake ex-girlfriend berating Raitiere from the audience during “Jesus Jenny” to an audience member winning a toy dog that represents the town’s Siberian Husky, there was no shortage of activity that came to life onstage as a result of the collaborators’ wild imaginations.
McBryde wasn’t just a performer, but a facilitator of the action, oftentimes taking a backseat to allow her friends to shine. Despite the absurdity, the Lindeville townspeople dropped in little vignettes of wisdom through such lyrics as I ain’t saying I’m a saint /But I’m living proof a heart can change in “Jesus Jenny” and any day you wake up’s a damn good day to be alive on the TJ Osborne-fronted “Play Ball.”
One of the best moments in the show came with “Gospel Night at the Strip Club.” With Davis perched on a stool, the stage lights dimmed as he strummed his guitar, transforming into the character of a man who somberly leads the “singin’ service” at the local strip joint. He was soon joined by McBryde, Wilson, Pillbox Patti and Shelly Fairchild who softly reprised “hallelujah” in the background as drag queens made their way throughout the crowd, their sparkling presence elevating the song and earning a standing ovation. It was a welcomed sight at the Ryman, the crowd embracing the drag queens with open arms, so much so that fans were hugging and taking pictures with them in the middle of the performance, making for one of the most beautiful moments of the show.
The audience remained on its feet for the all-female number “When Will I Be Loved,” the energy remained high for “Bonfire at Tina’s,” which felt like McBryde and her cohorts leading the choir in a spirited sing-a-long. McBryde brought the show to a humble close, dropping any Lindeville-inspired eccentricity as she sat perched on a stool with a guitar in hand, serenading the Mother Church with the tender-hearted title track that puts the album to rest as she gently sings there’s nothing but stars over Lindeville.
The singer had one more trick up her sleeve, bringing the entire cast out for the grand finale, a cover of The Chicks’ equally riotous “Goodbye Earl,” written by the late Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Dennis Linde after whom Lindeville was named, that had the audience singing as loudly as the singers onstage. TJ Osborne wrapped his arms around the drag queens while a man dressed as Ping, Lindeville’s resident gorilla that escaped from the local zoo, all singing along together in a display of unity.
Between the humorously crafted songs and brilliant creativity of some of Nashville’s brightest stars, with a little bit of heart mixed in, Live From Lindeville is easily one of the most unique shows Nashville has seen. McBryde ended the night by returning to the stage solo, her guitar once again in hand, as she humbly thanked the fans for showing up and supporting this project, recalling how she had the vision for these characters and a desire to “give them a place to live.” This led her and her creative cohorts to a cabin in Tennessee to write what would become Lindeville.
“We wrote it and I said, ‘In my mind, these songs will be at the Ryman,’” she said emotionally. “Thank you for making my dream come true.”
It was a genuine segue into a heartfelt rendition of her autobiographical “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” that also speaks to bearing witness to a dream being realized – not bad for a girl going nowhere, indeed.
Photo Credit: Catherine Powell for Ryman Auditorium / Courtesy of EB Media PR
