The Nashville Metro Council has voted to reject the installation of a sign on the front of Morgan Wallen’s This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen. The sign, measuring 20 feet vertically reading “MORGAN WALLENS This Bar” on either side, was rejected by a 30-3 vote after “This Bar” developer 4th Avenue Property LLC requested an “aerial encroachment” on the property. The council must approve any encroachment along public sidewalks before they’re installed.
The vote was accompanied by strong words from the council members who expressed their distaste for Morgan Wallen, referencing an April 2024 incident at Eric Church’s “Chiefs” bar in Nashville that led to Wallen’s arrest, as well as his use of a racial slur in February of 2021. “I don’t want to see a billboard with the name of a person who’s throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs, using the n-word, so I’m voting no,” Councilwoman At Large Delishia Porterfield said.
“Number one: Mr. Wallen is an East Tennessean – he gives all of us a bad name,” council member Jordan Huffman said in his statement during the vote. “His comments are hateful, his comments are harmful, and you don’t belong in this town, as far as I’m concerned. I’m tired of this city bending over to just make anybody happy that makes a comment that they want to. We continue to go down this road. I encourage my colleagues to vote against this.”
One of only three council members to vote in favor of the sign’s installation, Jacob Kupin, sided more with TC Restaurant Group than Wallen himself, given they’re behind most celebrity-branded bars and restaurants in downtown Nashville. “It struck me that we’re putting up a sign with someone’s name on it that hasn’t been a good actor downtown,” he said. “I decided to move approval for this because I do support the efforts to move this bar forward […] the restaurant group that’s managing this facility, TC Restaurant Group, has been really a good partner in everything going on downtown.”
In response to the news, Wallen took a photo of Nissan Stadium to Instagram to share during one of his sold-out performances earlier this month, tagging the city in his story.
On April 7th, Morgan Wallen was arrested in downtown Nashville for throwing a chair off the rooftop at Eric Church’s Chiefs on Broadway. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 15th on three Class E felony counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon and one count of disorderly conduct. Shortly after his arrest, Wallen shared on X that “I didn’t feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.”
Back in May of 2020, the singer was arrested at Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse after kicking “glass items” and verbal altercations with others in the establishment. Those charges, however, were likely expunged before going missing from the Davidson County Criminal Court records.
This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen, located adjacent to the Ryman Auditorium on 4th Avenue, is one of the most prominent restaurants in downtown Nashville. It measures 30,000 square feet and will feature six bars, three live music stages, and an open-air rooftop. While the sign would be helpful for those who may need to be made aware of its existence, it’ll be hard to miss this behemoth of an attraction. It’s scheduled to open in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen is currently embarking on his One Night At A Time World Tour, with dates scheduled for cities across the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, and more. He’s currently sharing massive success at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart following his highly-anticipated collaboration with Post Malone, “I Had Some Help,” which has been streamed over 118 million times following its release on May 10th.
