Little Big Town Talks ‘Off The Charts’ Excitement Over Ryman Residency
“The nerves are starting to kick in because it's coming up really soon, but I think we feel a responsibility to honor that place and what it represents,” said Phillip Sweet.
Little Big Town will soon embark on an adventure had by no other country artist in history… a residency within the hallowed walls of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The residency will begin on February 24, the day the group releases their much-anticipated eighth studio album, The Breaker.
As the days tick by and the shows approach, the group is rehearsing with “off the charts,” excitement, said Phillip Sweet, and “nervousness” added Karen Fairchild.
“The nerves are starting to kick in because it’s coming up really soon, but I think we feel a responsibility to honor that place and what it represents,” Sweet told Sounds Like Nashville and other media during a recent press conference. “What it represents to us personally, but us being the face of the first artist ever to do this at the Ryman is just so amazing. I can’t even describe it really. I feel kind of silly talking about it, because it’s just a sacred place. I don’t know why it is, but it is.”
The moment is extra exciting for Jimi Westbrook, who once stood on the steps outside and announced (on video) that he’d one day be on the iconic stage.
“I was 23 or 24, and I visited Nashville for the first time. Of course, we had been all over. It was just me and a bunch of guy friends of mine, and we were having a few cocktails and walking around town,” Westbrook recalled. “It was probably after midnight, 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, and I have a video of it of me walking up on the steps of the Ryman and I sang ‘I Love the Way You Love Me,’ which was a huge song that year. I sing this little chorus, and then I go, ‘Jimi Westbrook of the Grand Ole Opry’ or something like that.”
“I remembered that a few weeks ago. I was like, ‘I wonder if we have that little clip of something,’ but it’s really cool to actually have had that moment and then turn around and now we’re the first people to have a residency there,” he continued. “It’s mind blowing. I would have never … Even though I was dreaming big, I don’t know if I really thought that would happen or not. I hoped and dreamed, but it’s amazing. What an unbelievable place, and to be able to come back and do some special things and invite some friends. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Previously announced dates for Little Big Town’s residency include February 24th & 25th, May 19th & 20th and September 15th & 16th, with additional dates July 28th, July 29th, and November 27th being added due to high demand. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com as well as ryman.com. Each ticket holder will receive one physical copy of the band’s new album The Breaker.
