Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers
Established in 2001, the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival celebrates Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia’s music heritage as the birthplace of country music. Showcasing the very best in Appalachian roots music and beyond, the event honors the legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and their far-reaching influence on the soundtrack of today.
The three-day music festival is held throughout downtown Bristol, Sept. 8 through 10 and features roots music across a wide variety of genres, including Americana, country, old-time, bluegrass, rock, Piedmont blues, Celtic and more. There are more than 90 acts on more than a dozen outdoor and indoor stages.
This year’s headliners are Nickel Creek, Margo Price and Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers. Nickel Creek performs Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. Price performs Saturday at 8:15 p.m. and Hornsby performs Friday at 10 p.m.
Other artists include 49 Winchester, Marty Stuart, Sierra Hull, Amythyst Kiah, Tommy Prine, Dave Eggar, Ed Snodderly, Andrew Scotchie and Logan Fritz, Dimestore Cowboys, Illiterate Light, Damn Tall Buildings and many others.
Stages are located on State Street, Piedmont Street, Cumberland Square Park, Country Mural, Paramount Center for the Arts, Lauderdale Stage, Cameo, Machiavelli’s Outdoors, Sixth Street, State Line Bar & Grill, Borderline Billiards, Theatre Bristol, Shanghai, O’Mainnins Pub and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
Food trucks, vendors and special events also abound. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Artmobile is on hand in front of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. It will be located outside the festival gates, so that the public can visit without a Bristol Rhythm & Roots ticket.
Free street parking is limited around State Street and the festival grounds. Look for Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion parking signs and check festival map for parking locations. ADA parking is available at Regions Bank (corner of Volunteer Parkway and Shelby Street). ADA parking is limited and filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Disabled Veterans of America operate the ADA parking area and appreciates donations. Paid parking and private lots are available throughout the city. Shuttles from several hotels are available. Shuttle tickets are $16.58 for the weekend.
Tickets are weekend passes $140; Friday, $70; Saturday $70 and Sunday $70.
For more information, visit www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.
