The Pinnacle is officially open at Nashville Yards.
The 4,500-capacity venue, a partnership between entertainment giant AEG and developer Southwest Value Partners, anchors the 19-acre Nashville Yards campus — a project that’s been in the works a decade.
“We have coming online now concurrently at Nashville Yards, 4.2 million square feet of Class A+ real estate. We’ve got this Pinnacle Tower that’s coming in on the west side, we’ve got two residential towers, we’ve got the CAA building. If you look at the architecture and the aesthetics, I think you’ll appreciate that it’s some of the finest most well-thought-out design work really anywhere,” Cary Mack, managing partner of Southwest Value Partners, said at a grand opening event Feb. 20. “It dances around The Pinnacle, this venue that we’ve designated as really the heartbeat of Nashville Yards.”
The Pinnacle manages to feel nostalgic, yet modern at the same time — its marquee, box office and signage mimicking those of an old school theater, while its amenities, lighting and sound capabilities are definitely of the future.
Guests are greeted by a grand staircase leading to an infinity mirrored “The Pinnacle” sign that will change colors depending on the performer.
Art isn’t just reserved for the stage at The Pinnacle. It’s concourses, artist spaces, bathrooms and hallways are filled with murals, installations and wallpaper from 32 local Nashville artists, curated by Emily Cox, owner of Formation, making the 125,800-square-foot space feel like a gallery.
“There’s a lot of new builds happening in Nashville and it’s important for them to have identity and feel a part of the community. I think the best way to do that is have local artists in the building and I wanted the money to go to the Nashville community,” Cox told the Business Journal.
Inside the venue itself, a 40×80 Gallagher Stage sits at the front of the room and overlooks a flexible layout with downstairs general admission standing options the floor and upper risers, as well as balcony options, the track and upper risers. Reserved seating rims the balcony and will have QR codes to have drinks brought to the seat.
A curtain can be drawn to make the room feel more intimate for smaller shows and events and the room’s ceiling has infrastructure for production to go out over the audience.
“This room is like an accordion in terms of what we can do with it,” Mike Ducharme, AEG regional vice president, said during a venue tour Feb. 20. “The idea is that from an artist’s perspective, looking out the room always feels full.”
Despite being a smaller venue, The Pinnacle has arena-scale production capacity with features like K2 L-Acoustics sound system by Clair Global, Solotech lighting and video systems and a broadcast service panel system and protected parking for buses.
The Pinnacle’s artists spaces are meant to feel like small hotel rooms or studio apartments and four of the six dressing rooms have balconies.
Artists also have access to seating on the sides of the stage to watch other performers.
A 400-capacity rooftop with its own bar and booth seating will be used for private events and artist parties.
Plus, the venue has access to 7,000 parking spaces.
“What a day for Music City USA,” Mayor Freddie O’Connell, said at the event. “Everything that’s happening, emanating from this as an epicenter for how we think about vibrant urban living. This is part of a vision, and it’s consistent with what we are trying to do in the city as a whole. … I think it’s a representation of what is possible in Music City not just for artists, not just for venue quality and mix, but we are spanning genres and generations.”
The Pinnacle’s first several shows range from Kacey Musgraves to Illenium to Killswitch Engage to Deadmau5. Several shows on the calendar have already sold out.
Pinnacle Financial Partners (Nasdaq: PNFP) announced its sponsorship of the venue last January and will soon open their new headquarters at Nashville Yards.
“Twenty-fve years ago, we started this bank with a vision to be Nashville’s bank, and we had a list of things that are important to us, things that we want to make sure we do. One is to invest in a vibrant downtown. … We’ve always had a headquarters downtown. We always will,” said Terry Turner, Pinnacle’s CEO and president. “Secondly, if you’re going to be Nashville’s bank, obviously you’ve got to be good at financing what’s important to Nashville, you’ve got to be good at it. Of course, that means music and entertainment. … How could you pass on this opportunity?”
Several restaurants are slated to open at Nashville Yards in 2025 including Sweet Paris Creperie & Café, Shipley Donuts, The Wine Bar, Earls Nashville, Culaccino, Fogo de Chão and Ocean Prime.
Read the full story from Nashville Business Journal here.