The Ascend Amphitheater is an open-air event venue located on the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee. It is set inside the Metro Riverfront Park. The amphitheater seats 2,300 in fixed seating, and 4,500 on the lawn, with a total capacity of 6,800.
History
Ascend Amphitheater was first proposed on August 27, 2013, when then-Nashville Mayor Karl Dean unveiled plans for the venue on the site of the city's former thermal transfer plant, which was phased out in the early 2000s. The site was originally proposed to be the home of First Tennessee Field, a minor league baseball stadium for the Nashville Sounds. After numerous financing delays, the ballpark project was scrapped in 2007 and the land sat largely vacant until construction on the amphitheater began. The land was occasionally used as temporary event space in the meantime.
Venue
Live Nation was the operator for the open-air venue for the first several years. Eric Church opened the venue with two sold-out shows on July 30 and 31, 2015, followed August 1 by Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire during their Heart and Soul Tour 2015, and Phish on August 4. Live Nation signed a 10-year contract with Nashville and a 10-year contract with Ascend Federal Credit Union.
Opry Entertainment Group took over management of the venue in 2025.
Concerts A list of notable events held/to be held at the Amphitheater. Artist Tour/Event Date Opening act(s)5 Seconds of SummerNo Shame TourJune 30, 2022— Alabama Shakes — April 21, 2016 Dylan LeBlanc Alan Jackson Honky Tonk Highway Tour May 19, 2017 Lee Ann Womack & Adam WrightAlicia KeysAlicia: The World TourAugust 2, 2020 All Time Low & Sleeping with Sirens Back To The Future Hearts Tour October 13, 2015 One Ok Rock & Neck Deep America Fest 2015 September 19, 2015 — Amos Lee Spirit Fall Tour 2016 September 16, 2016 — Australian Pink Floyd — August 22, 2015 LedZeppelin2 Avril Lavigne Greatest Hits Tour September 4, 2024 Simple Plan and Girlfriends Barenaked Ladies Last Summer on Earth Tour July 5, 2016 OMD & Howard Jones Bastille Wild Wild World Tour May 5, 2017 Mondo Cozmo Ben Rector The Biggest Tour I Have Done So Far Tour August 27, 2016 Colony House Blink-182 California Tour August 8, 2016 A Day to Remember, All-American Rejects, & DJ Spider Boyz II Men — September 11, 2016 — Brand New & Modest Mouse — July 19, 2016 — Bryan AdamsGet Up! Tour April 15, 2015 — Cage the Elephant 2016 Tour May 19, 2016 Portugal. The Man Carnival of Madness 2016 Tour August 4, 2016 — Cheap Trick, Heart & Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Rock Hall Three for All September 19, 2017 — Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire Heart and Soul Tour August 1, 2015 —Chris StapletonChris Stapleton's All American Road Show October 14, 2016 Lee Ann Womack October 15, 2016 Brent Cobb Chris Tomlin Love Ran Red Tour October 8, 2015 Rend Collective Chris Young I'm Comin' Over World Tour September 30, 2015 Jerrod Niemann & CamCMA Festival Jonathan Jackson + EnationJune 9, 2016 — Ryan Lafferty Sara Evans June 10, 2016 Cody Jinks Change the Game Tour April 27, 2024 The Steel Woods Counting Crows Somewhere Under Wonderland Tour August 7, 2015 Citizen Cope & Hollis Brown Counting Crows & Rob Thomas Counting Crows & Rob Thomas on Tour September 30, 2016 K. Philips Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds2017 Tour May 6, 2017— May 7, 2017 Depeche Mode Global Spirit Tour September 18, 2017 — Dierks Bentley Miles and Music for Kids November 1, 2015 Thomas Rhett, The Cadillac Three, Cole Swindell, Florida Georgia Line, Canaan Smith, Brooke Eden Disturbed & Rob Zombie — May 7, 2016 Pop Evil Duran Duran Paper Gods on Tour July 6, 2016 Chic feat. Nile RodgersEric Church The Outsiders World Tour July 30, 2015 J. Roddy Walston & The Business July 31, 2015 Ryan Bingham Flight of the Conchords Sing Flight of the Conchords July 14, 2016 Arj Barker Florence and the Machine How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Tour October 9, 2015 — Garth Brooks — October 24, 2016 — Gary Clark Jr. The Story of Sonny Boy Slim Tour July 16, 2016 Raury Goo Goo Dolls Boxes Tour August 5, 2016 Collective Soul & Tribe SocietyThe Miracle Pill Summer TourAugust 29, 2020Lifehouse Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Midnight Tour October 10, 2015 Lake Street Dive Hall & Oates 2015 Tour September 14, 2015 — Halsey Hopeless Fountain Kingdom World Tour July 18, 2018 Jessie Reyez For My Last Trick: The Tour May 21, 2025 Julia Wolf & The Warning Idina Menzel Idina Menzel: World Tour August 15, 2015 — Jackson Browne Standing in the Beach Tour October 11, 2015 Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams Jake Owen — April 27, 2017 Eric Paslay & LANco Janet Jackson Unbreakable World Tour September 27, 2015 — Jeff Beck — August 3, 2016 Buddy Guy Jill Scott — August 5, 2015 Lecrae & BJ the Chicago Kid Jimmy Buffett I Don't Know Tour May 26, 2016 Huey Lewis and the News—June 25, 2020—John LegendDarkness & Light Tour May 18, 2017GallantBigger Love TourAugust 15, 2020The War and Treaty Journey Eclipse Tour July 27, 2016 Dave Mason KeshaThe High Road TourMay 16, 2020Big Freedia Kesha & Scissor SistersThe Tits Out TourJuly 15, 2025Slayyyter Kings of Leon Album release concert October 6, 2016 — Kip Moore Me & My Kind Tour August 10, 2017 Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Brandy Clark & Chris LaneThe LumineersCleopatra World Tour September 20, 2017Børns & Rayland Baxter September 22, 2017 Lynyrd Skynyrd — October 2, 2015 Blackstone Cherry Meghan Trainor The Untouchable Tour August 6, 2017 Hailee Steinfeld & Common Kings Muse & Thirty Seconds to Mars 2017 North American Tour June 3, 2017 PVRIS My Morning Jacket The Waterfall Tour August 6, 2015 Moon Taxi NEEDTOBREATHE and Switchfoot Tour de Compadres August 14, 2015 Colony House & Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors Neil Young & Promise of the Real The Monsanto Years Tour April 28, 2016 Steve Earle Niall Horan Flicker World Tour July 23, 2018 Maren Morris Odesza A moment Apart May 12, 2018 Old Crow Medicine Show — August 28, 2015 The Devil Makes Three Peter Frampton & Cheap Trick — August 16, 2015 Slash & Sammy Hagar Phillip Phillips & Matt Nathanson 2016 Summer Tour July 28, 2016 A Great Big World & Eric HutchinsonPhish — August 4, 2015 —Fall 2016 Tour October 18, 2016 October 19, 2016—August 4, 2020—August 5, 2020 Pretty Lights Pretty Lights Hallows Eve October 31, 2015 Goldroom, Chali 2na, Daily Bread, DJ Matoma Ray LaMontagne The Ouroboros Tour July 29, 2016 — Sheryl Crow July 4th Celebration July 4, 2016 — The Smashing Pumpkins & Marilyn Manson The End Times Tour August 9, 2015 Cage Snoop Dogg Wellness Retreat Tour April 28, 2017 Flatbush Zombies Steely Dan Rockabye Gollie Angel Tour August 8, 2015 Elvis Costello & The Imposters Steve Earle September 19, 2015 Styx 2016 North American Tour May 21, 2016 — Sublime with Rome — August 18, 2015 Rebelution, Pepper, & Mickey AvalonThomas RhettHome Team Tour April 20, 2017Kelsea Ballerini, Russell Dickerson & Ryan Hurd April 21, 2017 Train Play That Song Tour May 31, 2017 O.A.R. & Natasha Bedingfield Twenty One Pilots Emotional Roadshow World Tour August 7, 2016 Mutemath & Chef'Special Umphrey's McGee 2016 Tour August 26, 2016 Tauk Uncle Kracker, Sugar Ray, Better Than Ezra & Eve 6 Playing Under the Sun Summer Tour August 29, 2015 — Weezer & Panic! at the Disco Weezer and Panic! at the Disco Summer Tour 2016 July 13, 2016 Andrew McMahon in the WildernessWidespread PanicSummer Tour 2015 September 5, 2015— September 6, 2015 ZZ Top Grooves & Gravy Tour September 1, 2015 Blackberry Smoke—June 28, 2020—
See also List of contemporary amphitheatres
References
External links Official website