Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Encyclopedia
The Nashville Municipal Auditorium (NMA) (informally known locally as Municipal Auditorium, or simply Municipal) is an indoor sports and concert
venue in Nashville, Tennessee
. Constructed in 1962, the Auditorium was the first public assembly facility in the Mid-South with air-conditioning.
, The Wiggles
, The Doodlebops
, Barney
, Bob the Builder
,Disney Live, Harlem Globetrotters, and the annual Al Menah Temple Shrine Circus.
, rock 'n' roll, heavy metal
, pop
, R&B, urban, oldies and Hispanic concerts.
The NMA is the only Nashville entertainment venue to host pop
singer Michael Jackson
. He performed with The Jackson 5
on December 29, 1970, January 1 and August 6, 1972 and August 8, 1973.
In 1967, the auditorium accommodated the Country Music Association
's first CMA Awards festivities, before the ceremonies moved to the Grand Ole Opry
House the following year.
Due to the damage incurred to the Grand Ole Opry House during the May 2010 Tennessee floods, the NMA hosted the June 8, 2010 edition of the Grand Ole Opry. NMA also hosted an Opry show in 1973.
The walls of the upper and lower concourses are decorated with enlarged ticket stubs for events and concerts the auditorium has hosted between the venue's debut in 1962 and 2010.
Songwriting legend Bob Dylan, who had previously recorded three important albums in Nashville, performed at the venue with his band in 2010.
Gymnastic Championships as well as the 1996 Tour of World Figure Skating
Championships.
The Auditorium has hosted minor league hockey, with the teams known as the Dixie Flyers, South Stars, Knights, Nighthawks, and Nashville Ice Flyers
. It has also hosted minor league basketball - Stars and Jammers, and women's professional basketball - Noise. It was a home court for the Belmont University
basketball teams while Striplin Gym
was being rebuilt into Curb Event Center
. Additionally, the NMA has hosted several Ohio Valley Conference
basketball tournaments, and the Auditorium hosted the OVC again in 2008. Beginning in 2011-2015, the NMA will host the men's and women's OVC basketball tournaments in a new four day tournament format. The capacity is set around 8,000 during these tournaments.
Many Professional wrestling
events were hosted in the arena including the NWA's Wrestle War 89 which featured a world title change and match of the year candidate in Ric Flair vesus Ricky Steamboat. It also was the home for the World Wrestling Federation
's No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie PPV special held in December 1989 as well as the World Wrestling Federation
's second In Your House
PPV in 1995
, and TNA Slammiversary
in June 2007. It was a favorite venue over the years for World Championship Wrestling
, which hosted its supercard show Starrcade there from 1994 to 1996 and its final Clash of the Champions
show there in 1997. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
held their first events there June 2002 before moving to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds
.
The Music City Stars, then known as the Nashville Broncs, an American Basketball Association expansion team, began its inaugural season at the NMA in November 2008.
The Professional Bull Riders association hosted a Built Ford Tough Series
event at this venue from its inception in 1994 until 2001 (during this era the BFTS was known as the Bud Light Cup). In 2002, the event was moved to the Gaylord Entertainment Center (later the Sommet Center). The NMA hosted Tuff Hedeman's CBR All-Star Shoot-Out on June 10, 2009 and again in 2010.
It is currently home to the Nashville Rollergirls
, a flat track roller derby
league, and a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
.
. The Hall of Fame will move into the sparsely-used Exhibit Hall on the bottom floor of the Auditorium building, and the official name of the entire building will change to Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum at Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
venue in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Constructed in 1962, the Auditorium was the first public assembly facility in the Mid-South with air-conditioning.
Popular venue for touring family shows
Having served the greater Nashville area with many diverse events for almost 50 years, today the Auditorium is a popular venue in Nashville for major touring family shows, such as Sesame Street LiveSesame Street Live
Sesame Street Live is the live touring show based on the children's television show Sesame Street.Produced by Minneapolis-based VEE Corporation, the show opened on September 17, 1980, with a production of Sesame Street Live "Missing Bird Mystery" playing at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota...
, The Wiggles
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
, The Doodlebops
The Doodlebops
The Doodlebops is a Canadian television children's television series. "Rock & Bop with The Doodlebops", , was released in 2004 and continues to top the children's charts in North America...
, Barney
Barney & Friends
Barney and Friends, also referred to by HiT Entertainment as Barney the Friendly Dinosaur, is an independent children's television show produced in the United States, aimed at children from ages 1-8...
, Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder is a British children's animated television show created by Keith Chapman. In the original series Bob appears as a building contractor specialising in masonry in a stop motion animated programme with his colleague Wendy, various neighbours and friends, and their gang of...
,Disney Live, Harlem Globetrotters, and the annual Al Menah Temple Shrine Circus.
Concerts
The venue continues to serve niche concert markets, such as alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, rock 'n' roll, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, R&B, urban, oldies and Hispanic concerts.
The NMA is the only Nashville entertainment venue to host pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. He performed with The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
on December 29, 1970, January 1 and August 6, 1972 and August 8, 1973.
In 1967, the auditorium accommodated the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
's first CMA Awards festivities, before the ceremonies moved to the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
House the following year.
Due to the damage incurred to the Grand Ole Opry House during the May 2010 Tennessee floods, the NMA hosted the June 8, 2010 edition of the Grand Ole Opry. NMA also hosted an Opry show in 1973.
The walls of the upper and lower concourses are decorated with enlarged ticket stubs for events and concerts the auditorium has hosted between the venue's debut in 1962 and 2010.
Songwriting legend Bob Dylan, who had previously recorded three important albums in Nashville, performed at the venue with his band in 2010.
Religious events
The Auditorium is also a popular venue for religious events, having hosted Mt. Zion Baptist Church New Day Conference, Teenmania's Acquire the Fire, Dare 2 Share Ministries, and the Tennessee Baptist Convention Youth Evangelism Conference. Its first-ever event was a city-wide Church of Christ gospel meeting.Sporting events
The NMA hosted the 1994 United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Gymnastic Championships as well as the 1996 Tour of World Figure Skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
Championships.
The Auditorium has hosted minor league hockey, with the teams known as the Dixie Flyers, South Stars, Knights, Nighthawks, and Nashville Ice Flyers
Nashville Ice Flyers
The Nashville Ice Flyers played as part of the Central Hockey League at Nashville Municipal Auditorium from 1997–1998. Alexsandr Chunchukov lead the team in points in the 1997–1998 season, with 102 points. They were previously known as the Nashville Nighthawks. Iain Duncan also played for the Ice...
. It has also hosted minor league basketball - Stars and Jammers, and women's professional basketball - Noise. It was a home court for the Belmont University
Belmont University
Belmont University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the largest Christian university in Tennessee and the second largest private university in the state, behind nearby Vanderbilt University.-Belmont Mansion:Belmont Mansion...
basketball teams while Striplin Gym
Striplin Gym
Striplin Gym was a 2,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Nashville, Tennessee, named for Larry D. Striplin, Jr., the first basketball coach at Belmont College. It opened in 1964. It was home to the Belmont University Bruins basketball team. Striplin Gym was demolished in 2001 to make room for its...
was being rebuilt into Curb Event Center
Curb Event Center
The Curb Event Center is a multipurpose arena on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.The facility was completed in 2003. It is the home venue of Belmont's men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams and hosted the 2004 and 2005 Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball...
. Additionally, the NMA has hosted several Ohio Valley Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
basketball tournaments, and the Auditorium hosted the OVC again in 2008. Beginning in 2011-2015, the NMA will host the men's and women's OVC basketball tournaments in a new four day tournament format. The capacity is set around 8,000 during these tournaments.
Many Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
events were hosted in the arena including the NWA's Wrestle War 89 which featured a world title change and match of the year candidate in Ric Flair vesus Ricky Steamboat. It also was the home for the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie PPV special held in December 1989 as well as the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's second In Your House
In Your House
In Your House was a pay-per-view series created by the World Wrestling Federation . The original concept was that, in months when the WWF was not holding one of its major PPV events , they would offer a two-hour PPV, priced at $14.95...
PPV in 1995
In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks
In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It was the second pay-per-view of the In Your House series. It took place on July 23, 1995 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.Seven professional...
, and TNA Slammiversary
TNA Slammiversary
Slammiversary is the name given to professional wrestling pay-per-view events held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the month of June. This is of historical significance since June 19 is the date of the first TNA event in 2002. It is considered one of TNA's flagship PPV events along with...
in June 2007. It was a favorite venue over the years for World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, which hosted its supercard show Starrcade there from 1994 to 1996 and its final Clash of the Champions
Clash of the Champions
The Clash of the Champions were a series of professional wrestling television specials aired by World Championship Wrestling. The specials were supercards intended to feature pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event.The first Clash of the...
show there in 1997. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
held their first events there June 2002 before moving to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds
TNA Asylum
The Asylum is the nickname given to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds arena that housed Total Nonstop Action Wrestling for two-and-a-half years...
.
The Music City Stars, then known as the Nashville Broncs, an American Basketball Association expansion team, began its inaugural season at the NMA in November 2008.
The Professional Bull Riders association hosted a Built Ford Tough Series
Built Ford Tough Series
The Built Ford Tough Series is the "major league" tour of the PBR competitions. It is a 30-city event series culminating in the PBR World Finals every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top 45 riders of the PBR compete in the BFTS with the rankings determined by points and money won...
event at this venue from its inception in 1994 until 2001 (during this era the BFTS was known as the Bud Light Cup). In 2002, the event was moved to the Gaylord Entertainment Center (later the Sommet Center). The NMA hosted Tuff Hedeman's CBR All-Star Shoot-Out on June 10, 2009 and again in 2010.
It is currently home to the Nashville Rollergirls
Nashville Rollergirls
Nashville Rollergirls or NRG, are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Nashville, Tennessee. The NRG are a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association .-Current teams:...
, a flat track roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
league, and a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues in the United States. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501 business...
.
Musician's Hall of Fame and Museum
Sometime in 2012, the auditorium will begin housing the Musician's Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum was forced from its previous building as a result of the construction of the Music City CenterMusic City Center
The Music City Center is a convention center currently under construction in the SoBro district in Nashville, Tennessee. The current convention center is the 115th largest in the country competing for one-fourth of the convention market. This new project will allow the city to compete for...
. The Hall of Fame will move into the sparsely-used Exhibit Hall on the bottom floor of the Auditorium building, and the official name of the entire building will change to Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum at Nashville Municipal Auditorium.