Memorabilia is seen at the Ryman Auditorium and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s new Exhibition Hall at the Ryman Auditorium on November 01, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium isn’t only a hallowed hall for country crooners and bluegrass pickers.
The room — located steps away from the city’s bustling Lower Broadway nightlife district — boasts a deep history with rock ’n’ roll music, like the time a 19-year-old Elvis Presley made his crash-and-burn debut on the stage in 1954 or the Halloween night in 2014 when Foo Fighters took the stage for a pop-up gig (with the band wearing skeleton face paint, no less).
The near-endless list of rollicking rock players to entertain an audience inside the 134-year-old room includes Bob Dylan, James Brown, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Byrds and Bruce Springsteen, as well as modern acts the likes of Paramore, Cage The Elephant, Geese, Phoebe Bridgers … and the list goes on.
And on Tuesday night, the Ryman Auditorium celebrates its rock history with the second installment of “Rock The Ryman,” a recurring concert produced in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Billed as a night to celebrate “the legacy and impact of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees who have graced the Ryman stage,” the lineup includes Wynonna Judd, Sam Bush, Yola, Maggie Rose and more.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member John Oates joins the bill as emcee and bandleader.
“The Ryman is one of my favorite venues in the world and I’ll take any excuse to play there,” Oates told Forbes last week. He added, “It’s just a magical stage to be on. I love the history.”
“Rock The Ryman” marks the latest chapter in a growing story shared between the influential museum and longtime concert hall. The partnership began in 2022 when the Ryman became the first location in Tennessee to receive a landmark designation from the Rock Hall; the collaboration expanded later that year when Ryman leadership opened an exhibit featuring artifacts from Rock Hall members.
Called “Rock Hall At The Ryman,” exhibit highlights for summer and fall 2026 include a Gibson Les Paul prototype played by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, a vest and top hat worn by Bob Dylan in 1987, a jacket and boots owned by James Brown and more. Anyone who purchases tickets to a daytime Ryman tour can visit the exhibit.
“It’s a pretty incredible selection of artifacts that are down there,” said Jason Hanley, vice president of education and visitor engagement at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “We want to show people some key things that tie into the Ryman but also show you the incredible diversity of rock ’n’ roll.”
Initiatives like the exhibit and concert provide opportunities for the Rock Hall to connect with music fans outside of the museum’s hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. Between daytime tours and roughly 260 ticketed shows a year, the Ryman brings in more than one million visitors annually, according to parent company Opry Entertainment Group.
“Nashville, as the home of country music, it’s the perfect place to have the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame make a connection,” Hanley said. “Both to let people know the museum’s here in Cleveland, but also to be part of the experience down in Nashville.”
On stage Tuesday night, Oates and company plan to take the audience through a rock ’n’ roll history lesson — with a few unexpected turns along the way. Show-goers can expect performers to dig into songs made famous by Led Zeppelin, The Band, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and others, Oates said.
Or, in his words, “It’s going to be amazing and really keep you on your toes.”
“I don’t want to give the whole thing away but it’s just a really cool, eclectic group of artists [and] selection of songs,” Oates said.
As for why it’s important to celebrate this music at the Ryman? “The history,” Oates said.
“I think it was a brilliant idea by the Rock Hall to come up with this concept, to bring it to this historic music venue that is world-famous and revered by musicians,” Oates said. “Every musician in the world wants to play on the Ryman stage. It’s a rite of passage, in a way. … It make you feel like you’re part of history. When you’re standing on that stage, you feel like you’re part of an important musical legacy and I think that’s important to all musicians.”
Find more information on “Rock The Ryman” at ryman.com.
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