> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://pamphleteer.co/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Staged Battle for Nashville's Soul - URL: https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/the-staged-battle-for-nashvilles-soula/ - Published: 2025-04-30T17:23:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-05-17T11:26:14.000Z - Description: 🎙️ Chris Cobb stuck in a time loop · Stand Up Nashville isn't local · Bridgestone expansion · Home rule airport · Much more! - Author: The Pamphleteer - Tags: Newsletter, #Import 2026-08-01 20:40 **Good afternoon, everyone.* **If you haven't noticed by now, facts and information in media increasingly take the form of an expert statement or the result of a study. Entire narratives are built on these (often tenuous) statements, studies, and polls.* **The Unified Housing Strategy starts from the understanding that we need 90,000 new homes over the next decade. In* Axios’ [**reporting*](https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/04/29/metro-unveils-10-year-strategy-to-ease-nashvilles-housing-crunch?ref=pamphleteer.co) *on the UHS, that value is asserted as pure fact. No debate to be had here. Where did this number come from? Nevermind. Nashville needs 90,000 new homes ASAP.* **Today’s a big, juicy day for news here. Check out our update on the EXIT/IN’s Chris Cobb and a revelation about who is funding local NGOs.* **Onward, Davis.* The Belcourt’s Music City Mondays has remained one of Nashville’s most consistent weekday evening offerings for most of the indie theater’s recent history. And last week, the series that aims to highlight the most important movies about music in film history took a decisively local turn with its screening of *The Day The Music Stopped*, a feature documentary that, as [its official synopsis](https://www.belcourt.org/films/the-day-the-music-stopped/?ref=pamphleteer.co) states, “follows Exit/In owner Chris Cobb as he wages a heroic effort to advocate for venues nationwide — while struggling to keep the legendary Nashville venue afloat at home.” The latest from Nashville-based filmmaker Patrick Sheehan positions itself as the definitive version of the events that took place from Spring 2021, when AJ Capital Partners announced plans to buy the storied Nashville venue, to January 2023, when Cobb made his tumultuous exit from the property. Co-produced by former WSMV anchor and *Nashville Banner* co-resurrector Demetria Kalidimos, the film also prominently features an interview with *Axios Nashville* reporter Nate Rau. For anyone who weathered COVID in the Greater Metro Area, Cobb’s self-styled David v. Goliath fight against the corporate overloads at AJ became a potent symbol of Nashville’s identity crisis in the wake of unprecedented growth. During the year it was supposed to be celebrating its 50th anniversary, the storied independent venue found itself for sale. Owner and local music entrepreneur Chris Cobb made a bid on the property that was summarily rejected, then created a firestorm of publicity and a [GoFundMe campaign](https://www.gofundme.com/f/preserve-exit-in?ref=pamphleteer.co) purportedly to buy the venue that raised $271,541\. At the same time, he restarted the [Music Venue Alliance Nashville](https://www.mvan.org/?ref=pamphleteer.co), a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, “dedicated to retaining and nurturing the fragile, yet complex ecosystem of our famous music scene in Nashville, Tennessee.” Despite these seemingly valiant efforts, Cobb’s work appeared to be in vain. AJ closed on the property and Cobb’s tenure as EXIT/IN owner ended in November 2022\. The night before the new owners took the reins, someone [vandalized the venue](https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2023/01/10/exitin-trashed-before-new-owners-gain-entry/69778976007/?ref=pamphleteer.co), cutting wires, ripping up breaker boxes, and tagging everything with phrases like, “Sorry, not sorry.” As for the money, Cobb told the public on his campaign site that, “Should our bid fail, all money raised with be donated to NIVA \[The National Independent avenue Alliance\] and MVAN.” Our [prior reporting](https://pamphleteer.co/post/the-exit-in-cashes-in-on-nashvilles-identity-crisis/) on the matter revealed that long before he started the fundraiser, Cobb knew he had no chance of purchasing the property. Its original owners, whose relationship with Cobb soured over his incendiary approach to community conflicts, rejected his initial offer even though it was above the asking price. Likewise, AJ Capital never expressed interest in selling the property. According to all available evidence, Cobb knew his bid was dead in the water before he started the campaign. [Continue reading...](https://pamphleteer.co/post/chris-cobb-cant-stop-reenacting-the-battle-for-nashvilles-soul/#continue-reading) [![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2025/04/1b855cfd-4224-400d-a510-01f3f3f31de1.jpg)](https://lu.ma/6g9ihun7?ref=pamphleteer.co) All attendees will get a **free* ticket to Bitcoin2025 in Las Vegas ([RSVP](https://lu.ma/6g9ihun7?ref=pamphleteer.co)) #### ⧖⧗⧖ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT ⧗⧖⧗ If you want to support our work at *The Pamphleteer*, a recurring donation is the best way. We have a $10/month **Grub Street** tier and a $50/month **Bard tier**. Membership gets you access to our comments section and free access to upcoming events. [→ BECOME A MEMBER ←](https://pamphleteer.co/#/portal/) ![Nashville](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2021/10/nashville-label.png) 🖋️ *Edited by [Davis Hunt](https://pamphleteer.co/author/davis/)*. **💸 Stand Up Nashville Is Not Local** To much fanfare, Metro on Tuesday released its [Unified Housing Strategy](https://www.nashville.gov/departments/planning/housing-division/unified-housing-strategy?ref=pamphleteer.co) to address Nashville’s “affordable housing crisis”. One part of the document stood out to me, and it reflects the primary problem with how politics operates in today’s Nashville. I’ve mentioned before the [growing power of NGOs](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/that-big-blue-dot-in-the-roaring-red-sea/) in the city, and the UHS affirms this observation. The plan lists a group of “UHS community ambassadors” who represent “populations disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity.” Among these groups are [Stand Up Nashville](https://standupnashville.org/?ref=pamphleteer.co) and [Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition](https://www.tnimmigrant.org/?ref=pamphleteer.co) (TIRRC), both radical left-wing organizations whose voices are being given a privileged position in the conversation over housing affordability. On the face of it, local non-profits interfacing with local government to organize constituents for public comment and/or listening sessions seems fairly benign. But in the case of Stand Up and TIRRC, the word local *barely* applies. Because this is a blurb, let’s focus on Stand Up Nashville as an example. In 2023, Stand Up raised [$956,368](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/830602074/202412629349300641/full?ref=pamphleteer.co). Of that, [$178,000](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/821517696/202413159349300006/full?ref=pamphleteer.co) came from the DC-based [Amalgamated Charitable Foundation](https://www.amalgamatedfoundation.org/?ref=pamphleteer.co), which raised $284 million in 2023 to foster a “more just and equitable world.” The DC-based [New Venture Fund](https://newventurefund.org/?ref=pamphleteer.co) ponied up [$80,000](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/205806345/202433179349305393/full?ref=pamphleteer.co). In 2023, it raised $887 million to “shape a more just, equitable, and sustainable future.” And the San Francisco-based [Tides Foundation](https://www.tides.org/?ref=pamphleteer.co), which raised $576 million in 2023 to “advance social justice and equity”, sent over [$50,000](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/510198509/202412739349300401/full?ref=pamphleteer.co). In total, that means that at *least* 32 percent of the funding for Stand Up Nashville came from groups outside of Nashville. That Metro government is coordinating so deeply with an organization whose funding sources and agenda are so heavily influenced by massive, progressive NGOs should give you pause. ✰ ✰ ✰ **🏟️ Bridgestone Expansion** Last week, the Nashville Predators announced a plan to [expand Bridgestone Arena](https://www.nhl.com/predators/news/preds-announce-exciting-plans-to-upgrade-transform-bridgestone-arena-2025-04-23?ref=pamphleteer.co). The $650 million upgrade could include two additional towers for a hotel or other accommodations, around 600 additional seats, a new entrance on Rep. John Lewis Way, and a restaurant. The construction timeline is reported to begin in 2027\. According to the [*Tennesseean*](https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2025/04/22/nashville-bridgestone-arena-plans-650m-transformation-in-2027/83199370007/?ref=pamphleteer.co), the construction and renovations would be paid for by ticket sales and the sales tax revenue generated in the arena. When asked about the proposal’s use of tax revenue, Mayor O’Connell indicated that he has not had any discussions on the proposed expansion or renovations. “This seems to be, more than anything, as far as we can tell, an announcement of intent,” the mayor said during last week’s media roundtable. It's also worth noting that Bridgestone would also become home to the [Tennessee Summit](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6100756/2025/01/30/wnba-expansion-nashville-tennessee-summitt/?ref=pamphleteer.co) if Nashville lands the bid to bring a WNBA team to Music City. ✰ ✰ ✰ **🛫 Home Rule Airport** Tennessee’s appeals court said the 2023 law letting the governor and top lawmakers pick Nashville’s airport board members [breaks the state constitution’s Home Rule rules](https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/legal/court-affirms-metro-nashville-s-control-over-airport-authority/article%5Fa4a84997-d9be-4ba8-87ea-46ca9abfabf2.html?utm%5Fsource=ActiveCampaign&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=AM%20News%3A%20Former%20Midtown%20bar%20space%20updated&utm%5Fcampaign=Nashville%20Post%20043025%20AM). So, the mayor still gets to name the board. Other parts of the law—like giving the airport bigger powers, even eminent domain—still stand. The case now heads back to the trial court. #### DEVELOPMENT - Peninsula team to launch Cauponor and Charmers bar in Nashville's evolving Neuhoff area ([NBJ](https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2025/04/29/nashville-restaurant-bar-neuhoff-peninsula-caupono.html?utm%5Fsource=st&utm%5Fmedium=en&utm%5Fcampaign=ae&utm%5Fcontent=NA&j=39638130&senddate=2025-04-29&utm%5Fterm=ep1&empos=p1)) - Holland & Knight signs massive lease at SoBro's Symphony Place tower ([NBJ](https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2025/04/29/holland-knight-symphony-place-lease-nashville.html?utm%5Fsource=st&utm%5Fmedium=en&utm%5Fcampaign=me&utm%5Fcontent=NA&ana=e%5FNA%5Fme&j=39644164&senddate=2025-04-30&utm%5Fterm=ep2&empos=p2)) - West Nashville building once housing Cajun restaurant listed for sale ([Post](https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/west-nashville-building-once-housing-cajun-restaurant-listed-for-sale/article%5Ff775d11a-5b72-47dc-9fae-7ad6d6edec00.html?utm%5Fsource=ActiveCampaign&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=AM%20News%3A%20Former%20Midtown%20bar%20space%20updated&utm%5Fcampaign=Nashville%20Post%20043025%20AM)) - Exterior updates sought for future Dolly hotel building ([Post](https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/exterior-updates-sought-for-future-dolly-hotel-building/article%5F0d57fa80-2a75-40ba-b9c9-c150ca4b7a09.html?utm%5Fsource=ActiveCampaign&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=AM%20News%3A%20Former%20Midtown%20bar%20space%20updated&utm%5Fcampaign=Nashville%20Post%20043025%20AM)) ![Entertainment](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2022/01/Group-27.png) ## THINGS TO DO *View our calendar for the week* [*here*](https://pamphleteer.co/calendar/events-for-the-week-of-april-28/) *and our weekly film rundown* [*here*](https://pamphleteer.co/post/weekly-film-rundown-april-25-may-1/)*.* 📅 Visit our [On The Radar](https://pamphleteer.co/post/on-the-radar/) list to find upcoming events around Nashville. 🎧 On Spotify: [Pamphleteer's Picks](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/46Yds4VbS47NzRa4blrWUY?si=2040311a7d7f403f&ref=pamphleteer.co), a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week. 👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville [farmer's market guide](https://pamphleteer.co/post/nashville-farmers-market-guide/). #### TONIGHT 🎸 Fontaines D.C. @ Marathon Music Works, 7:30p, $47.05+, [Info](https://www.ticketweb.com/event/fontaines-dc-usa-tour-2025-marathon-music-works-tickets/13935423?ref=pamphleteer.co) 🎻 Lettuce with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $48+, [Info](https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/tickets/concert/2024-2025-season/lettuce-with-the-nashville-symphony/?ref=pamphleteer.co) 🎸 J.R. Carroll @ Exit/In, 8p, $27.37, [Info](https://www.ticketweb.com/event/jr-carroll-exitin-tickets/14045783?ref=pamphleteer.co) 🎸 Lucy Dacus @ Ryman Auditorium, 7:30p, $39.50+, [Info](https://www.ryman.com/event/2025-lucy-dacus?ref=pamphleteer.co) 🪕 Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, [Info](https://stationinn.com/event/liam-purcell-cane-mill-road-3/?ref=pamphleteer.co) 🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, [Info](https://www.instagram.com/bluegrasswednesday/?hl=en&ref=pamphleteer.co) ![In case you missed it...](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2023/01/Group-20.png) 📰 *Check out the full newsletter archive [here](https://pamphleteer.co/tag/newsletter/)*. [Future Shock🍔 McDonald’s does the robot · Property tax protest · D-16 zoning battle · Unified housing strategy · Andy Kaufman in Memphis · Week in streaming · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/10/square-ico.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2025/04/visual-karsa-g1KnaJPAlSw-unsplash.jpg)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/future-shock/) [Densification On the Ropes in Woodbine🏘️ District 16 shouts down upzoning proposal · New Youth Safety Director · Fusus on the fritz · Voucher voyage · Repeat offender of the day · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/10/square-ico.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2025/04/wearethemoney_density_buildings_slums_--ar_75_--profile_nt7k3_352fc761-a480-4f2b-9712-1210d9e05c99_3.png)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/densification-defeated-in-woodbine/) [The Rise and Fall of Pants👖 Civilizational decline and the rise of men’s pants · Metro Sues RFK · Casada/Cothren Trial Update · Weekly film rundown · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/10/square-ico.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2025/04/wearethemoney_men_standing_around_in_long_rise_pants_looking__eab91a78-02fd-4897-972c-a1830f82e27d_1.png)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/the-rise-and-fall-of-pants/) [Cut ‘Em Loose, Round ’Em Up, Then Do It All Over Again👑 Old Tent City requests audience with king · Upzone ya · Bills that died · Future deported of the day award · Conclave review · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/10/square-ico.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1524957467802-e4a9b20bcd5c?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fHJ1biUyMGF3YXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ1NTE1ODkyfDA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=2000)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/cut-em-loose-round-em-up-then-do-it-all-over-again/) --- *Today's newsletter is brought to you by* [*Davis Hunt*](https://pamphleteer.co/author/davis/) *(everything else) and* [*Camelia Brennan*](https://pamphleteer.co/author/camelia/) *(Local Noise).*