When my bucket list began in October of 2016, I never thought I would visit nine arenas in such a short amount of time. Nashville wasn’t a planned city for this season, but the opportunity fell into my lap and I couldn’t say no!

During the final week of January, I traveled to Tennessee to experience a Predators game in-person for myself. It was everything that is represented on TV, and more. Here’s what went down.

Bridgestone Arena – Nashville Predators

Game attended? January 30th, 2018 vs the Chicago Blackhawks

Where is the arena? Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The arena is located right off lower-Broadway, home of the famed honky tonk bars that have live music 365 days a year.

Why is it worth visiting? Nashville seemed like an unlikely home for hockey when the Predators first became a team in 1998. That has been proven wrong, as the fanbase is very passionate for the team and the arena surges with energy for every home game.

My favorite parts of the arena were the live music and the team store. Sure, it’s silly to point out a store, but it made me jealous of the merchandise options available to Predators fans.

My favorite merch was the player sweatshirts. I always have complained about being too cold in a player t-shirt and I wish there were long-sleeved options – a sweatshirt is even better! (Yes, I did specifically take a photo of the Filip Forsberg one to taunt Ian.)

Bridgestone plays good in-arena music, but my favorite part is the live band featured during intermissions. The Predators have a house band, but often host famous country artists currently in the area to play live during the games. On Tuesday’s game, Charles Esten from the TV show Nashville performed during both intermissions. Hayley Williams from Paramore was also in attendance. She was shown rocking out on the Jumbotron.

The Predators also had a giveaway featuring rally towels.

Aside from the passionate fanbase and great hockey, Nashville has been one of my favorite cities I have visited so far during this endeavor. A huge fan of country music, I found it awesome to be able to see the Country Music Hall of Fame and tour the Grand Ole Opry. One surprise was the history behind the Ryman Auditorium. I have been aware of the Ryman in modern music, but the 125-year old history blew my mind!

Cons of the arena? Honestly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about the arena. The only thing that could be a con is the fans are VERY intense with their chants, as was evident during their Stanley Cup run last season. I would be emotionally scarred if I went to a Capitals game and had to hear the goalie chants all night long.

Do they sell cotton candy? Yes!

Overall, I enjoyed the game but I REALLY enjoyed the city. I would love to go back to Nashville when it’s warm and experience the liveliness of the nightlife. And maybe catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry. The best part of these trips is being reunited with out-of-town friends. For this game, I was joined by my lovely friend Jenn, who I ran my music magazine (Highlight Magazine) with for many years.

And finally, here is a photo Filip Forsberg.