"Nashville" reunion tour celebrates show's impact

Stars from the TV show "Nashville" are reuniting for a mini tour this fall , including a performance at the Ryman Auditorium.

Why it matters: The reunion is a sign of staying power for the show that poured gasoline on the inferno that became Nashville tourism.

• "Nashville" attracted enormous government incentives , boosted regional film production and provided unique earning opportunities to songwriters and musicians.

If you go: The "Nashville" reunion tour will take place at the Ryman on Nov. 23. Tickets are already on sale .

• Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio and Jonathan Jackson are the "Nashville" alums who will perform at the reunion shows.

The intrigue: Unlike neighboring states Georgia and North Carolina, Tennessee has traditionally eschewed large tax incentives for television and film production. The state and Metro made an exception for "Nashville" for two reasons.

• It was the first long-running, scripted network drama produced in Nashville.
• The show quickly paid off as a tourism advertisement. "Nashville" concluded in 2018 after six seasons.

Between the lines: The show created jobs for hairstylists, sound engineers and other film production crew members. It also relied heavily on Nashville songwriters and musicians, whose songs provided the soundtrack.

• Actors like Esten and Bowen carved out sturdy careers as artists following their star turns on "Nashville."

Landmarks featured on the show developed a heightened mystique among visitors.

The big picture: "The show 'Nashville' is still having an economic impact on the city," Nashville Songwriters Association International executive director Bart Herbison tells Axios. NSAI owns the Bluebird Café.

• "Our venue revenues rose dramatically as a direct result of the program," Herbison says.
• He added that the Bluebird "still experiences sold-out audiences due in part to it being highlighted in the show."

Zoom in: For instance, tickets to a songwriter round at the Bluebird Café were sometimes hard to come by before "Nashville."

• But, after the show aired, it took lottery-winning luck to snag a seat.
• The show eventually was syndicated, which attracted fans from all over the country and the world.

Other factors — like bachelorette parties and a country music boom — helped the city's leisure tourism industry grow, but top executives say "Nashville" was a primary reason.

What he's saying: Colin Reed, executive chairman and former CEO of Ryman Hospitality, which co-produced the show, recalled attending a rocking "Nashville" concert at Royal Albert Hall in London a few years ago.

• "It's mind-blowing," he tells Axios, adding that the show remains popular in places like England, Scotland and Ireland. "There is no doubt this created enormous demand from people who had never frequented the city of Nashville before."
• "They saw what life was like in the city, as it was characterized by these actors and actresses, and folks said, 'We gotta go see it.'"

What we're watching: Reed said the whole objective of Ryman investing in the scripted show was to "show-window the wonderful assets our company has in this city."

• Now that a few years have passed since "Nashville" went off the air, Reed says he could foresee a second iteration of some sort.
• "You could imagine a 'Nashville 2' of sorts, whether that's another show or a movie, that showcases our city."