When the new Nissan Stadium opens its doors in 2027, one of the major draws will be a slate of massive stadium concerts. A specially-designed translucent roof means the new stadium can host the biggest touring acts all year round, adding to Nashville’s live-music reputation. But the old venue helped put Nashville on the map as a global music tourism destination.
On Aug. 15, the rock band Foo Fighters performed the final concert in the original Nissan Stadium, and it was sold out.
As we prepare for a new “era” of Nissan Stadium concerts, let's look back through the years at the moments that defined the original Nissan Stadium's musical legacy. It will be a bittersweet goodbye.
These are our top 10 music moments from the original Nissan Stadium.
What are yours?
10. George Strait becomes the stadium's first headliner (2000)
The stadium’s first official concert was headlined by George Strait when the stadium was still called the Adelphia Coliseum. The nine-hour show was part of his Country Music Festival Tour in 2000, featuring a who's who of Y2K country greats. According to a "Strait Talk" newsletter from back then, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney and Asleep at the Wheel were all on the tour lineup. Strait was in the middle of promoting singles like "Murder on Music Row" (with Alan Jackson) and "The Best Day." A gleaming new stadium and country royalty like this sounds like a pretty good day, too.
9. NSYNC's No Strings Attached Tour (2000)
Believe it or not, Nashville's stadium has been a draw for major non-country acts right from the start. Pop superstars NSYNC performed the second-ever show at what was still Adelphia Coliseum in 2000, right at the height of their MTV's "TRL" fame. (This was long before singer Justin Timberlake moved to Leiper's Fork for several years.) Nashville was the fifth stop on the No Strings Attached Tour, which sold out more than 50 dates on the first day of ticket sales, leading to an entire new leg of the tour. Pink and Sisqó opened the show. Nashville fans screamed along to "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me" for the first time. The show helped demonstrate that Nashville's market could support big music events that fall well outside its traditional country footprint, a trend that would become increasingly common over the years that followed.
8. The Rolling Stones rock LP Field (2015)
When The Rolling Stones brought their Zip Code Tour to LP Field in 2015, Nashville fans viewed it as a watershed moment. It was the first time the rock 'n' roll legends had been to the city in over a decade, and the first time Music City's stadium had hosted a rock event. The show itself was a euphoric, multi-generational celebration, going down in history as one of the largest rock concerts Nashville had ever seen at the time. Some fans thought it may be the last time The Stones would come through town, but they were wrong. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood would return for the No Filter Tour six years later, less than two months after the death of drummer Charlie Watts. The emotional night had the added electricity of marking Nissan's first full show after a COVID-19 hiatus.
7. Garth Brooks’ Post-pandemic rain out (and reschedule) (2021)
Garth Brooks had a triumphant post-pandemic return to normalcy planned for July 31, 2021, announcing a highly publicized live concert at Nissan Stadium. It was intended to be the first Nashville stadium show since the pandemic (and 2020 tornado), a celebration of community following more than a year of upheaval. Mother Nature had different plans. After country singer Chris Young opened the show, strong thunderstorms forced around 70,000 fans to take shelter for about an hour. Organizers debated what to do. The crowd packed itself tight into Nissan's concourses, and eventually the concert was called off. As disappointed fans headed home, Brooks announced he would reschedule. Then a new wave of COVID-19 made that impossible for the rest of the year. Ultimately, The Rolling Stones would beat Brooks to the stadium's re-opening punch with their 2021 No Filter Tour. Brooks followed shortly after with two shows of his own. At the time, he was the first artist to play back-to-back nights.
6. Beyoncé - Renaissance World Tour (2023)
By 2023 Nashville's stadium-show potential was fully understood. A wave of historic events began taking place. Major pop and rock shows were becoming the norm. However, Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour stop on July 15, 2023, was still an eye opener. It was one of the most acclaimed tours of the decade, full of future-fantasy visuals, elaborate choreography and even flying horses. Nashville showed up in a big way. Queen Bey ruled over one of the largest R&B-focused crowds ever assembled at Nissan Stadium, which only further reinforced the idea that Music City was a must-visit market for artists of all kinds, not just country. Clocking in at nearly three hours, it was a concert no one in attendance will forget.
5. Ed Sheeran breaks the attendance record (2023)
Stadium shows are often remembered for bombastic production quality, with pyrotechnics, fireworks, costume changes and massive set pieces. But Ed Sheeran proved none of that is really necessary when he broke Nissan Stadium's all-time single-night attendance record in 2023. His +–=÷× Tour rolled through Nashville and drew 73,874 fans to the stadium. How'd he do it? Mostly by keeping things simple. Instead of a huge stage and catwalk taking up space which could otherwise hold fans, Sheeran's tour featured a central stage at the 50-yard line (like U2 pioneered with their 360 Tour at Vanderbilt Stadium in 2011). Fans crowded in on the field and filled up the stands, and Sheeran played much of the show solo with just his guitar and a loop pedal. Interestingly, the attendance record would be broken three times in 2023, but Sheeran's final tally still stands. Sometimes less is more.
4. Kenny Chesney's recurring stadium shows
When it comes to Nashville stadium concerts, it's now totally normal to see fans of pop, rock and R&B fill up the home of the Tennessee Titans ... and the surrounding hotels. But country music is still the beating heart of Music City, and one artist holds the title of country's stadium king: Kenny Chesney. The Knoxville native has headlined Nissan Stadium six times over the years, and his No Shoes Nation of fans always turns out. Chesney's Nashville stadium era began in 2006 with The Road and the Radio Tour, but his most memorable appearance might have been with Tim McGraw on the Brothers of the Sun Tour in 2012. Since then he's brought his barefoot beach-country vibes back to town multiple times. The euphoria inside the stadium is only matched by the tailgating outside.
3. Alan Jackson’s last show (2026)
It's somehow fitting that one of the last concerts to ever take place in Nissan Stadium was also the farewell performance of country music legend Alan Jackson. Held on June 27, 2026, Last Call: One More for the Road: The Finale found the "Chattahoochee" hitmaker finishing his career in the city where it began, surrounded by thousands of fans and more than a dozen admiring fellow stars. George Strait, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson and many more all helped say goodbye to a living icon, who has been battling a neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease for years. It has left the tall Georgia songwriter with nerve damage which affects his sense of balance. The emotional night was also one of joy, with multiple generations saluting one of Nashville's most beloved artists.
2. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour hometown high
One singular Nissan Stadium moment rises above the rest, and that is Taylor Swift's Eras Tour stop. Held over three nights in May of 2023, it was a homecoming for the country-turned-global-pop superstar that became the stuff of legend. At the time, Swift's Eras Tour was still early in its historic two-year run. Demand for tickets was already stratospheric. After the first two shows sold out a third was added, with seats in the nosebleeds going for thousands of dollars on the secondary market, and hotel rooms just as hard to get.
The performances themselves were iconic. Lasting over three hours and covering Swift's entire career, fans treated the event like a pilgrimage. Many created costumes and refused to leave their seats for a single moment, reveling in the sing-along catharsis of the show-opening "Cruel Summer" and the 10-minute version of "All Too Well," then screaming out loud when the nightly surprise songs were revealed. These shows were unabashedly created by women, for women (and girls). Sisterhood reigned supreme in Music City for several days. The rain delayed the Saturday show, which turned out to be especially epic. The superstar did not cancel when severe storms delayed Swift's set for hours. Her fans were rewarded with a late-night performance which stretched into the early morning hours, and became the stuff of Swiftie legend. Over 211,000 fans attended across the three nights. Those who lived it will have bragging rights for "Evermore."
1. 25 years of CMA Fest shows
This list was intended to cover the greatest musical moments in the history of the original Nissan Stadium, which opened in 1999 and will close at the end of the Tennessee Titans 2026-2027 season. Yet the greatest memory of all is not one, but thousands of individual performances delivered by hundreds of artists, etched into the collective memory of Nashville itself.
The four nights of CMA Fest stadium shows held each summer have become part of Nashville's identity. Since the festival moved downtown in 2001, generations of country stars have performed there during the fan-focused festival, from George Strait and Reba McEntire to Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and more. Together, those shows helped Music City earn its name and demonstrate Nashville's ability to host major stadium-level events, setting the stage for the cross-genre reality we have today. It may have never happened without CMA Fest, and the largest annual country music stadium event in the world.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Top 10 music moments that defined Nashville's original Nissan Stadium
