Garth Brooks doesn’t have drawings of what the inside of his new Friends in Low Places honky-tonk on Lower Broadway will like, but he knows what he wants.
“It’s a classic honky-tonk,” Brooks explained. “It’s what I grew up in. It’s a bar along one wall, a bar along the other wall, and the rest is just space to dance or whatever you want to do.”
Brooks explained his vision for this new 40,000+ square foot property on Lower Broadway Friday ahead of his weekend shows in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
“The main thing people care about when they go into a bar is the people,” Brooks said. “My main push, from day one, is that they are sweet people. They are nice people. It’s a house of love and a house you are safe in.”
In essence, Brooks said he wants “the Chick-fil-A of honky-tonks.”
“I’m hoping that right when you walk in, it’s a ’love everybody’ stated right there,” he continued. “That’s what it’s about, right? So, I want a place that’s just safe. That feels good.”
The singer envisions house music that ranges from George Strait and Merle Haggard to Trisha Yearwood, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire to Luke Bryan and Ashley McBryde.
“I don’t think that’s impossible to ask,” he said. “I’m hoping this place is a thumpin’ place that always looks like something is going crazy in there. I like that. But when you walk in, I hope it’s country music that you hear.”
Brooks’ Friends in Low Places bar is located at 411 Broadway in Nashville, which is the heart of the famed Lower Broadway entertainment district. He purchased the building in December of 2021 via 411, LLC.
“We feel very lucky to have the chance to be part of Lower Broad, which is arguably THE hottest spot in the country,” Brooks said in a statement in March. “The goal is a classic honky-tonk that welcomes all and encourages love and kindness while playing the greatest music in the world in the home of Country Music!”
Brooks partnered with Strategic Hospitality, a Nashville-based hospitality company owned by brothers Benjamin and Max Goldberg, to help him complete the project.
“Garth’s long-standing commitment to Nashville is far beyond music and has been so meaningful to our city,” the Goldbergs said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited than to help him bring his concept to reality.”
More information regarding the concept and the bar’s opening will be announced as the details become available.