Friday night was a trip to Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium to see 49 Winchester. A full house swayed and sang along through “Russell County Line.” Maggie Antone joined the country rockers for “Leavin’ This Holler.”

The audience got a warm-up from Canadian songbird Noeline Hofmann kicking off her first ever full set in the Mother Church with her rollicking “Lightning in July.” Her Purple Gas Tour promoted some new material, including a cover of Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues” she added to her repertoire on a trip to that city earlier in 2025.

And the show was kicked off by a short set from the Brudi Brothers, who included their newly released “Serpent Lullaby.” The whistling tune of “Me More Cowboy Than You” is an amusing tune about country cosplay. 

On the whole, the show was great. And the Ryman is one of those places where visitors to Nashville need to see a show, if they can.

Now, the caveats.

My seats were in the second row from the stage (Section 3, Row BB). You want a view? You want close-up pictures of the artists? You cannot beat those seats. They’re spendy, but worth the price – for those purposes.

The acoustics down front in the Ryman were not great. Several people around me complained. A few left padded folding chairs and moved to the BACK of the old building into unpadded church pews.

Being farther back may not be the answer. Ticket buyers should know that those views are not necessarily unobstructed, so that’s a potential drawback. Sometimes, fans crane their neck to see around support posts in that area. But the sound in the center rows there is good.

So where should you buy tickets? I think the answer is the balcony, as close to in line with the sound board as possible – always the right answer. So upper level and close to center seems to be the best option for acoustics.

There’s a reason that the Grand Ole Opry moved to a new building – and it’s not just 2,000 more seats.