Bridgestone Arena
Bridgestone Arena (originally Nashville Arena, and formerly Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1996, it is the home of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League.
Former names
Nashville Arena (1996–99, 2007, 2009−10)
Gaylord Entertainment Center (1999–2007)
Sommet Center (2007–09)
501 Broadway
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Sports Authority of Nashville
Davidson County
Sports:
- concerts: 19,891
- ice hockey: 17,500
Concerts:
- end-stage 18,500
- half-house 10,000
- city theater: 5,145
- center-stage 20,000
19,365 (April 15, 2023; Nate Bargatze)[1]
750,000 sq ft (70,000 m2)
Multi-surface
January 20, 1994[2]
December 18, 1996
2007, 2011, 2015
HOK Sport
Hart Freeland Roberts, Inc.
Brookwood Group[4]
Smith Seckman Reid Inc.
Ownership[edit]
Designed by HOK Sport in conjunction with the Nashville-based architecture/engineering firm Hart Freeland Roberts, INC., it was designed at an angle on the corner of Broadway and 5th Avenue in Nashville in physical homage to the historic Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.[6]
Bridgestone Arena is owned by the Sports Authority of Nashville and Davidson County and operated by Powers Management Company, a subsidiary of the Nashville Predators National Hockey League franchise, which has been its primary tenant since 1998.
Seating capacity[edit]
Bridgestone Arena has a seating capacity of 17,159 for ice hockey, 19,395 for basketball, 10,000 for half-house concerts, 18,500 for end-stage concerts and 20,000 for center-stage concerts, depending on the configuration used. It has also hosted several professional wrestling events and a boxing card since its opening.
The seating configuration is notable for the oddly-shaped south end, which features two large round roof support columns, no mid-level seating, and only one level of suites, bringing the upper-level seats much closer to the floor.
The arena can be converted into the 5,145-seat Music City Theater, used for theater concerts and Broadway and family shows, by placing a stage at the north end of the arena floor and hanging a curtain behind the stage and another to conceal the upper deck. The arena also features 43,000 square feet (4,000 m2) of space in a trade show layout.
Nate Bargatze set the attendance record on April 15, 2023, with 19,365 fans in attendance.[1] The previous record (19,292) had been set six weeks earlier by Morgan Wallen. Kacey Musgraves set the record for the highest attendance for a female headliner with 18,373 fans during the Oh, What a World: Tour.
Awards and nominations[edit]
The Bridgestone Arena was nominated for the 2007 Pollstar Concert Industry Venue of the Year Award. This is the fourth time the venue has been nominated. The first was in 1998 as the Nashville Arena, and then in 1999 and 2000 as the Gaylord Entertainment Center.[11] In 2017 it was named loudest arena in sports.
Renovations[edit]
In the summer of 2007 a number of renovations were made to what was then called the Sommet Center at a cost of several million dollars.[22] Renovations included changes to concession stands and public areas, as well as major changes to infrastructure. The most obvious change was the August 2007 replacement of the original center-hanging scoreboard (at a cost of $3.6 million[22]) with a new scoreboard made by ANC Sports.[23] The original analog scoreboard had become outdated and was no longer supported by the original manufacturer, making parts difficult to come by.[24] The new scoreboard is referred to as the "megatron" by arena and Predators staff. In addition, the TV–media control room was renovated at a cost of $2.6 million.[22]
During the summer of 2011, a new NHL-mandated ice and dasherboard system was constructed and installed in the arena. In addition, the south side of the upper concourse was redesigned as a "fan zone". The wall separating the arena and that part of the upper concourse was removed.
In the summer of 2015, the Predators began replacing all of the arena's seating. This project was completed in Summer of 2016.[25]
In the summer of 2019, the scoreboard above center ice was replaced with a new model known as "FangVision" which measures 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 34 feet (10 m) wide, along with the replacement of urinals in the men's toilets with waterless versions.[26]
Flood damage[edit]
Twice in the building's history, event level space (located below street level) has sustained significant flood damage.
In early May 2010, downtown Nashville was heavily impacted by a major flooding event. Located 0.3 miles away and uphill from the bank of the Cumberland River, Bridgestone Arena escaped heavy damage, but drainage system backups caused several inches of standing flood water to seep into the building. The Predators had been eliminated from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs the week prior, and the arena's schedule was mostly clear for the remainder of May as a result. No events were affected by cleanup and repairs.[27]
On November 25, 2022, a water main beneath Demonbreun Street ruptured, spilling thousands of gallons of water into the arena. Two Predators games were postponed as a result, and a college hockey game planned for Bridgestone Arena was moved to another facility in Nashville.[28]