Jon Bon Jovi toasts patrons at at Jon Bon Jovi's Nashville. David Bergman Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment On a Monday night in Nashville, a live band's belting out "Sweet Child O' Mine" at Jon Bon Jovi's Nashville, while one block down, you'll be hard-pressed to hear yourself speak on the raging roof of Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk. "They keep their windows wide open so all of Broadway hears them," gripes a neighboring bartender. Nearby, down a blink-and-you'll-miss-it stairwell, lies Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre's elusive new rum joint, The Spot By Dre and Snoop, while up at Justin Timberlake's The Twelve Thirty Club, immaculately dressed wait staff swiftly sweep in to refold my napkin the second I head to the restroom. Related Stories Movies Inanna Sarkis Making Graphic Novel Debut With Action Fantasy for Vault Comics (Exclusive) TV Snoop Dogg Set to Return for NBCUniversal's Winter Olympics Coverage I first came to Nashville in 2014 to explore how you don't have to love country music to enjoy Music City. Judging by the growing culinary world, evolving fashion industry, pedal tavern adventures and burgeoning indie rock scene I found, I was right. But one area that remained dominated by country crooners and fans, albeit amid gradual change, was Broadway. It's a different story a decade later, thanks to a post-pandemic slew of musicians outside of the country genre blazing onto Broadway to feed and entertain a broader range of music lovers, while also enticing those looking for a fancier night out. "Nashville's Music City, not Country Music City," says longtime local, NSYNC musician and JBJ's Nashville partner Chris Kirkpatrick. "The heart of Broadway's honky-tonks and country and still has the soul of what this town was built on, but now there's something for everyone. It's a Disney-like experience. The spots we've always loved are still there - just with artists' names on them." Celebrity-infused bars aren't new to Broadway. Tootsie Bess opened iconic honky-tonk Tootsies in 1960, while JesseLee Jones' legendary Robert's Western World landed in 1999. "When The Opry were housed at the Ryman, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn would come out, go into Tootsies and get on stage," says Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. "These bars have always had celebrity connections." Blake Shelton's Ole Red Opry However, Broadway wasn't where many locals, nor tourists, would hang, let alone dine. Blake Shelton recalls little more than a Planet Hollywood restaurant and NASCAR Café when he arrived at 17. "It was all dive bars and not where you wanted to be walking down the street after dark," he tells THR. Shelton credits city and tourism officials for transforming Broadway into a "star attraction" and is proud to have been part of the wave of country artists - like Dierks Bentley, Luke Byran, John Rich and Jason Aldean - who opened venues in 2018. "We all blew in and created something that's never happened in Nashville," says Shelton, whose Ole Red dining, drinking and music venue now has six U.S. locations. "Music was always a draw, but now it's also food and Broadway's truly the centerpiece." Kid Rock and Gavin DeGraw also entered the scene in 2018; however, it's post-COVID-19 that a greater influx of mainstream artists have joined the party, starting with Tennessee native Timberlake, who partnered with restaurateur Sam Fox to open decadent supper club The Twelve Thirty Club in 2021. Fox scored the prime location, opposite Bridgestone Arena, on the condition he'd create something unique. Cue a swanky dining experience - and Timberlake. "Rather than a cliché with his name on the building, we wanted something low-key that was more about the food, wine and cocktail experience, which often gets overlooked in such a touristy area," says Fox. "Justin's big into wine, so the wine program was really important to him." "And the music was important since that's what Justin does," continues Fox, adding that Timberlake's career has enriched his hospitality skills since he "knows how to put on a good time." That good time starts on the ground floor honky-tonk, which leads up to the restaurant, offering dishes like scallops with artichoke fondue. A cocktail cart rolls up, with the waitress lighting an Old Fashioned on fire then presenting the smoky drink as a country songstress performs acoustically behind her. There's also a rooftop and members-only lounge. Throwback to one of the best meals ever at @jtimberlake 's The Twelve Thirty Club 🤤 pic.twitter.com/GbPpZxdmXt- Leena Tailor (@LeenaTailor) August 28, 2025 From here, you can spot JBJ's Nashville, the seeds of which were planted pre-COVID, when Tara and Josh Joseph of Big Plan Holdings explored Broadway to sniff out what was missing. "Before Miranda Lambert [who