How to "90's Mixtape" in Nashville, Brian-stylee
We asked a local, and someone very familiar with Do615, to choose a category and give us their favorite picks. He naturally chose the 90's, (a most excellent decade, dudes!) and here's his spin on some upcoming shows from that magical era.
"Do you ever hear a song on the radio and it takes you back to a time where things were a lot simpler? To when there wasn't even a MySpace around. All you could do is make mixtapes to that crush you really liked. This is Brian, the general manager of Do615, and here are my favorite 90's throwbacks that are coming back to town. Keep the 90's alive, baby!"
Brian is our fearless and always genial General Manager based in East Nashville and a longtime community supporter who clearly loves this place as much as we do. When they’re not leading the team at Do615, he is sharing photos of shows, his kids, and community events on Instagram, building out robot costumes for the East Nashville Robot Parade, shopping at Grimey's or finding a new hiking location for the fam and pup!
Point being: He was raised on MTV and Nintendo, and has the Zubaz pants and Starwood Amphitheater ticket stubs to prove it! You may wanna listen to this guy. From Inglewood to Franklin (and beyond), these are the spots where he'll be moshing when in between his sons' bball practices and break dancing classes.
THE LOCAL'S LIST is our weekly series where we tap locals to share their favorite spots, personal recs, & the kind of tips you usually only get from a friend.
Every Friday, new person, new subject, maybe a new friend?
Here are some of BRIAN’s favorites:
Location: The 5 Spot (East Nashville)
“Easter Sunday with the world’s premiere "Weird Al" Yankovic tribute band! Well, they played at Tomato Arts Fest, but world premiere sounds so on brand for Weird Al. Come on down and Dare to Be Stupid with the crew...pid."
Location: The Basement East (East Nashville)
“Sheryl Crow pulling up to an “in the round” on a spring night already sounds good, now add a stacked Nashville lineup and a solid cause. It’s hits, stories, and hometown energy, all circling around JT Moore School. So yeah, you can feel like a good person and sing along.”
Location: The Ryman Auditorium (Downtown)
“This show is part of the larger Nashville Comedy Fest, and nothing says 90's like a few good lines from your favorite SNL sketch and/or Tommy Boy/Black Sheep. Come get your laugh on and reminisce with one of the comedic legends of his time. Not actually my favorite comedian, but nothing shouts 90s more than David Spade...plus Adam Sandler is not currently touring."
Location: The Ryman Auditorium (Downtown)
“You have two chances to see these indie-rock legends at the Mother Church in July... Darling, don't you go and mess it up!”
Location: FirstBank Amphitheater (Franklin, TN)
“Any number of song references here would work, but I'mma go with... Don't go chasing waterfalls, cause this pop diva trio ain't accepting No Scrubs. Take the leap out to Thompson's Station for some nostalgia and one of the best lineups of the year."
Location: The Basement East (East Nashville)
“If “All the Small Things” and American Idiot were your soundtrack for the 90's, this is your personality in concert form. A full-on tribute night to Green Day and Blink-182, loud, messy, and exactly the kind of pop-punk chaos your teenage self would’ve lost it over.”
Location: The Ryman Auditorium (Downtown)
“Ani DiFranco isn’t a throwback; she’s the reason half your '90s personality exists.
This is the raw, righteous, acoustic catharsis you grew up on, now paired with Valerie June’s soul-soaked magic. Bring your feelings (and maybe that old mixtape energy).”
Full 90's Mixtape Calendar is here! No show is left behind...
Got a better take?
Disagree? Think we missed something?
Email us at [email protected] (subject: 90's Mixtape) and put us on.
More Local Picks
This guide is part of The Local's List, a series where we ask people who actually live here to share their favorite spots, routines, and opinions about the city. We want to spotlight what makes Music City a special place to live. It's not the bars taken over by celebrities; it's the real people who celebrate the city every day.
Know someone who should be featured?
Nominate someone (or yourself) to share their favorite spots around town.
