The Twang Town city council has given a thumbs down to country singer Morgan Wallen's plans to light up Nashville's night sky with a neon sign for his upcoming bar. Wallen, known for his musical chops, has been drowned out by controversy, and the Metro Council struck a discordant note with his proposal, flatly refusing to approve the illuminated marquee for "This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen." The sign was designed to stand out in the bright cacophony of Broadway's Honky Tonk Highway, but it seems the council isn't ready to let bygones be neon bygones.
In a decisive vote this Tuesday evening, council members denied Wallen's bar the aerial clearance needed for the sign, which would have protruded over the public sidewalk and into the limelight. With a tally of 30-3 against Wallen, and four council members abstaining, the grounds for rejection were anything but harmonious – citing not only his recent charges of hurling a chair off a rooftop, but also past indiscretions including his use of a racial slur, according to a report by The Tennessean. "I don't want to see a billboard up with the name of a person who's throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs," At-large Council member Delishia Porterfield was quoted saying.
The "Whiskey Glasses" singer's establishment is set to open its doors this Memorial Day weekend and will boast six bars, a rooftop, and musical stages adjacent to the Ryman Auditorium. Yet, despite following the city's neon-signed footsteps of fellow musician-owned bars, Wallen's namesake could not flicker above the entrance, a detail reported by Stereogum.
The denouncement by the council seems to echo the sentiments of not just one, but several council members who are unwilling to overlook Wallen's contentious track record. During the council meeting, member Jordan Huffman made clear his disapproval, stating, "His comments are hateful. His actions are harmful, and he don’t belong in this town, as far as I’m concerned," as reported by WKRN. Wallen's recent collaboration with Post Malone, "I Had Some Help," may have topped the charts, but his conduct continues to strike a sour note with Nashville's leaders and citizens alike.
Despite the council's hard pass on Wallen's brand lighting up Broadway, the bar itself will open as scheduled – minus the controversy-cast shadow of its now-absent marquis name. Representatives for both Wallen and the TC Restaurant Group managing "This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen" have held off on public comment regarding the council's decision. Whether the absence of Wallen's neon signature will affect the bar's opening chord remains to be seen, but this weekend promises a debut stripped of a certain anticipated glow.
