NASHVILLE — In the overnight hours March 2-3, a powerful storm with heavy rains and a tornado ripped through central Tennessee, killing at least 24, with 150 more requiring hospitalization. The storm left a swath of destruction in Germantown, East Nashville and the John C. Tune Airport in West Nashville.
One business that was virtually demolished in the storm was The Basement East, a 400-capacity music venue on Woodland Street in East Nashville. Despite the significant damage to the structure, the club’s staff were able to take shelter and no one was hurt, although the collapsed roof and several walls would indicate a total loss for the popular facility.
A Facebook posting on the venue’s page read “Building is destroyed, but we will be back,” a testament to the spirit of Music City. Part of The Basement East that survived the fury of the tornado was a side wall section decorated with a large “I Believe in Nashville” mural.
The sister venue to the much smaller The Basement” club, The Basement East — sometimes fondly referred to as the “Beast” — was a regular stop for both nationally touring and local artists and had a commitment to quality entertainment with its Meyer Sound P.A. system, Allen & Heath dLive C3500 digital console and an extensive collection of available backline gear.
Understandably, in the aftermath of the destruction, The Basement East cancelled its scheduled Tuesday March 3rd show with ELOHIM w/Bahari and Mehro. As to the future, made this social media post: “We are diligently working on each show to either relocate or cancel. We will send updates out to ticket holders, on our website and social media as we determine the status of each show. Please bear with us as this process could take a few days to weeks. Love you Nashville!”
After this story was posted, FOH received this info from Kenneth Max: “Anyone that can and wants to help as a Nashville Tornado Relief volunteer let me know. You can register @ www.hon.org. David Stanton and I are team captains PM either one of us and we will get you signed up on our team. We just need first and last name, email, and age in the PM. Thanks all and help us help make a difference to those affected! Much love #FOHForAll #NashvilleStrong”
