Part of Belcourt 100 Seminars
Live at the Belcourt: How Music Helped Us Rebuild examines the pivotal years of the early 2000s when our historic theatre reinvented itself through live performance. As we established our nonprofit foundation, an important network of locals mobilized to save the building. Their strategy was urgent and direct — to bring people back through the Belcourt’s doors. Live theater, film programming, and especially concerts became the engine of renewal.
Working with Nashville-based promoters, the 1925 Hall’s stage hosted performances that restored energy, revenue and visibility to our theatre. These concerts did more than sustain operations. As preservation efforts gained strength, the Belcourt became a local center in a developing, roots-oriented music community emerging outside the mainstream country industry.
And on this stage, audiences encountered artists such as Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Brandi Carlile, Mary Gauthier, and Norah Jones as they moved toward national recognition. What began as a plan for survival helped redefine both the theatre, its cultural role in Nashville, and the genre-blending sounds of a new century.
