Connie Britton as Rayna and Charles Esten as Deacon strike up a duet in a scene from Nashville. Photo / Getty Images
Connie Britton as Rayna and Charles Esten as Deacon strike up a duet in a scene from Nashville. Photo / Getty Images
On the drama Nashville, the Bluebird Cafe is a sacred space where singer-songwriters belt out stunning songs that make the audience cry, and soulmates Rayna (Connie Britton) and Deacon (Charles Esten) met for the first time.
Over the years, fans of the show who have flocked to Nashville have been eager to check out the real-life place and maybe grab a beer and a bite to eat.
Many are shocked to learn that, unfortunately, that's not how it works. Nashville has made the 90-seat venue so incredibly popular over the past five years that it's impossible to get in unless you have a reservation (snapped up seconds after they're available online) or wait in line outside for hours.
"It has become a celebrity in and of itself," said Erika Nichols, the Bluebird's general manager. "We had to significantly change our business operation."
Now that the Bluebird has received international recognition, Nichols and others are trying to capitalise on its new fame - and 35th anniversary - with Bluebird: The Movie, a documentary that tells the little-known story behind the cafe that went from beloved local institution to a must-see travel destination.
In mid-October, Esten appeared at one of the venue's famed "in the round" performances, where songwriters sit in the middle of the room in a tight circle. One by one, they tell the stories behind their songs and play them.
The event, which served to kick off a fundraising drive for the movie, was streamed on Facebook and all the musicians tried to put into words the importance of the Bluebird.
"You can feel the foot tap on the carpet when someone pours their heart out right next to you," said Esten, who arrived from the set of Nashville still dressed in the clothes he wears to play tortured singer-songwriter Deacon Claybourne.
"There's no place like this in the whole wide world."
Unless you've been to a Bluebird show, it's difficult to describe why so many audience members leave in tears. At the movie kickoff, artist Lucie Silvas could barely hold it together after someone played a particularly intense song. "I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown, but in a good way," she said.
"People can have that kind of emotional response. A lot of times, they're not expecting it," said Nichols, who started at the Bluebird as a waitress in the early 1980s and became general manager 10 years ago.
Part of it is the physical closeness of the cosy room, with walls covered in pictures of singers who have played there. The packed crowd is seated around the musicians in the centre - you can literally bump elbows with a famous songwriter, or even Garth Brooks, who is known to drop by.
The crowd gasps when songwriters, many of whom they don't recognise, launch into a huge hit - for the Nashville songwriting community, that's one of the perks of the Bluebird.
"It brought [songwriters] to the forefront in a way that intentionally showed people their creative spirit and their craft so they're no longer behind the scenes," Nichols said.
Back in 1982, owner Amy Kurland had inherited some money from her grandmother and wanted to open a small restaurant near her house. So she bought the cafe space in an unassuming strip mall. Soon, it became a busy daytime lunch spot, and was "a restaurant with a little bit of music", as Nichols said.
A rare scene in Nashville - the Bluebird Cafe empty of customers. Photo / Courtesy Bluebird Cafe
It eventually attracted some of the biggest names in town (Minnie Pearl, Chet Akins) and the booker noticed that the room's sound worked unusually well for acoustic music.
So just as songwriters held "guitar pulls" in their living rooms, they started holding them at the Bluebird. In the late 1980s, Kurland cancelled lunch and launched two singer-songwriter shows a night with dinner service.
Taylor Swift played there before she had a record deal. Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley were performers. Yet in those days, you could just show up and get a seat. Now, if you don't snag a reservation, you have to wait - some line up outside about 5.30pm for a 9pm show.
Though Nashville built an impeccable lookalike of the Bluebird on set, the show offers some misconceptions. For example, Scarlett O'Connor (Clare Bowen) launched her country career after she was peer-pressured onstage during a slow night. In reality, that wouldn't happen, as the performance spots at the Bluebird are hotly contested and ultra-competitive.
One option is to perform at an open-mic night on Mondays - the first 25 people to call on Monday morning get a slot. Another choice is to audition to be a regular performer.
Four times a year, the venue holds tryouts.
One hopeful at a recent audition was Mitch Emmons, a 60-year-old who had already tried once before.
"Playing the Bluebird is on my bucket list and I'm getting to end of my bucket so want to get it done," he said. "If I don't get it this time, I'll be back a third time."
* Season six of Nashville premieres on Sky TV's streaming service Neon in January.
