Bridgestone Arena Nashville Tickets

Bridgestone Arena events and history

Bridgestone Arena opened on December 18, 1996, as Nashville Arena. Its first event was Amy Grant's Tennessee Christmas, with guests Gary Chapman, Vince Gill, Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans. A 1993 mission statement asked the building to host a full spectrum of events, stimulate downtown growth and become a landmark for Nashville. The current name dates from February 2010, when the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Americas announced a multi-year naming rights partnership.

Home of the Nashville Predators

The NHL's Nashville Predators debuted in 1998, two years after the arena opened, and have been its primary tenant ever since. The building has staged the franchise's biggest milestones and league showcases including the NHL Draft in 2003 and 2023, the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, announced at the arena by Commissioner Gary Bettman in October 2014, and the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. The arena counts the Predators' game-night atmosphere among the most distinctive in the league.

A Music City concert and championship stage

The Academy of Country Music has named the building Arena of the Year seven times, in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024, and Pollstar picked it as 2014 Arena of the Year. In 2013, past headliners included Taylor Swift for three shows, Luke Bryan for two, Elton John, Beyoncé, Eric Clapton and the Eagles. The arena has also hosted the Country Music Association Awards, and an October 2013 agreement made it home to 12 consecutive SEC Basketball Championships, including the 2015 tournament.

Bridgestone Arena seating plan and levels

The arena is organized around the Lower Bowl, Club Level, suites and Upper Bowl, with main, club, suite and upper concourses. Official charts are published separately for Predators games, accessible concert seating and suites, so use the one that matches your event.

Successive renovations have reshaped the seating. One summer project added in-bowl LED lighting and new Lower Bowl seats, and a September 2016 project fitted new seats and a concrete finish across the Upper and Lower Bowls. The suites carry a community story: in 2014 Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne bought two to host patients and families from Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Redevelopment south of Broadway

On January 9, 2014, the arena opened the Nissan SoBro entrance at Fifth Avenue and Demonbreun, linking the building with the Music City Center and the newer businesses south of Broadway. It is home to Pete & Terry's Tavern, which opened as Tavern '96 and was the arena's first outside-accessible restaurant. Arena leadership has called its sports and entertainment calendar a catalyst for keeping downtown Nashville growing.

Getting to Bridgestone Arena

The arena sits at 501 Broadway, with the Nissan Main Entrance near Section 102 and the SoBro entrance on the south side. WeGo Central, the main transit hub, is downtown, and WeGo Route 18 runs an express service to Nashville International Airport. Lyft, taxis, Nashville BCycle e-bikes and e-scooters also operate in the city; the arena's directions page has full details.