Nashville, Tennessee USA - November 2023
I was really irritated by country music.... Yet having lived in one of the southern U.S. states, I began to appreciate it moo much in its most authentic mood.
It was Thanksgiving weekend, and many friends and colleagues would be visiting their families. So I decided to take off one of the last treats and spend the weekend in Music City, Nashville, among pubs, live music. It was like overdosing on music-I was doing in and out of pubs and clubs to range genres and rhythms, they were playing at all hours of the day and night, everything was free, and you could enjoy a nice beer with some crazy music. That's all I could ask for!
I traced the roots of country, blues, rock and jazz at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum-a veritable institution.
I walked out of there and took a few steps toward the old printing district, when I was suddenly drawn to a club on the street. I heard someone keeping time on the microphone and I got curious.
Once inside it felt like a country dance hall: a huge place full of families having lunch, a huge dance floor packed with people, a stage with a country band playing and two ladies on the microphone. Well no, they were not singing. They were holding a line dancing class, totally free of charge. I burst out in thunderous laughter, dropped everything down, and dashed to the dance floor without making myself repeat it twice.
Traveling alone took away any restraint I had, and I must say that the world outside one's comfort zone is a resounding coolness.
Everyone around me was wearing boots and cowboy hat, jeans and strictly plaid shirt. And they were all very tipsy, which made the next step even more fun. They explained the steps to us and we all started doing the sequences together-an immense brothel, but to the beat of the music. Who went right when there was left to go, when you had to turn you ended up hugging your neighbor, and you didn't have to stop clapping in time.
One thing is for sure: I didn't know anyone on that dance floor, but I have never laughed so hard with strangers as I did in that moment.
If you happen to be in Nashville, you absolutely cannot miss the Wildhorse Saloon!
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