Bridgestone Arena

Bridgestone Arena

Bridgestone Arena 501 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203   Bridgestone Arena is Nashville’s premier arena venue.  Its primary tenant since 1998 has been the expansion Nashville Predators, although its multipurpose functions have allowed it to host plenty of basketball games too.  In odd-numbered years through the 2000s the arena hosted games in the first two rounds of the NCAA March Madness Tournament.  It has also hosted the SEC and Ohio Valley Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament multiple times due to its convenient central location in the country and large metropolitan area.  The PBR Built Ford Tough Series bull riding event is an annual tenant.  Known as the force in the country music industry, Nashville has been the home of the CMA Awards for years, and they’ve made their way to Bridgestone Arena since 2006.  The competitive Preds have hosted plenty of NHL playoff games as well.     Originally called Nashville Arena and Gaylord Entertainment Center, Bridgestone has a unique seating configuration.  It makes many seats unavailable for hockey.  While basketball can seat over 19,300 fans, hockey can only accommodate 17,113.  While the Preds draw well the capacity gives them little excuse not to sell out.  The seating configuration is a strong asymmetrical pattern, as one end has just two seating levels to the other side’s three and leaves less seating space overall.  It’s not obvious which side to put a stage for an end-stage concert configuration.  Bridgestone Arena is nestled in downtown Nashville between the Convention Center, Music City Center, and the Country Music Hall of Fame, just a few blocks from the picturesque riverfront.