Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café is heading back to Broadway—for one night only—to celebrate its 43rd birthday and kick off CMA Fest. The venue is teaming up with Garth Brooks’ Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk on June 4 for two exclusive songwriter sessions featuring the creatives behind Brooks’ greatest hits and Trisha Yearwood’s new album.
Yearwood’s showcase begins at 1:30 p.m. with doors opening at 12:30. Songwriters Leslie Satcher, Bridgette Tatum, and Rachel Thibodeau—who contributed to her upcoming album The Mirror—will perform. Yearwood co-wrote and co-produced the entire project, a first in her career. “I’ve always written a little, but I’ve never called myself a songwriter,” she told Kelly Clarkson. “Someone told me I wasn’t—and I believed it for 45 years. But why does that have to be the truth?”
Satcher, who also penned hits for George Strait and Martina McBride, joins Tatum (“She’s Country” – Jason Aldean) and Thibodeau (“Good Directions” – Billy Currington, Luke Bryan) for what may include exclusive previews from The Mirror, due out July 18.
The 5 p.m. show, with doors at 4, reunites Brooks’ longtime collaborators: Pat Alger (“The Thunder Rolls”), Kent Blazy (“If Tomorrow Never Comes”), Tony Arata (“The Dance”), and Victoria Shaw (“The River”). These veterans aren’t just hitmakers—they’ve known Brooks since his earliest days and aren’t shy about sharing candid stories.
Blazy recalled how labels initially passed on Brooks, saying, “No one will sign someone named Garth.” Brooks got his break when he filled a last-minute spot at the Bluebird Café—and someone in the audience finally saw his potential. “He came back in and got a record deal,” Blazy said.
Alger added heart to the humor. When Brooks’ debut single only hit No. 8, too low for an official party, Alger threw one anyway—complete with a cake shaped like a giant “8.” That night, Brooks predicted “If Tomorrow Never Comes” would be his next No. 1—and he was right.
Though both shows are sold out, some tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For fans and songwriters alike, this one-night Bluebird return promises stories, songs, and a bit of history on Broadway.
