Country singer John Rich warns tax hikes could dim Nashville's Broadway lights

Country star John Rich says a wave of property tax increases is already forcing venerable honky-tonks to close, and he fears Nashville’s famed Lower Broadway could lose its glow entirely if the trend continues.

Mr. Rich, who co-owns Redneck Riviera Bar & BBQ on the strip and is half of the duo Big & Rich, sounded the alarm in a video posted to social media last week, declaring, “The lights are going out on Broadway.” Speaking afterward to Fox News Digital, he said the district’s roughly 60 to 80 honky-tonks are being squeezed by what he called a one-two punch: sharply inflated property appraisals followed by an aggressive tax rate increase on top of them. 

“And with those two things, what you’ve done is you’ve now put a death nail in a vast majority of the businesses,” Mr. Rich said. “It’s only a matter of time before you’re going to see large percentages of the businesses downtown turning out the lights.”

Mr. Rich said three major, long-established venues have shuttered in the past two weeks alone, and he warned that surviving businesses would need to charge unrealistic prices — he cited $50 for a beer — just to break even.

The tax burden traces to Davidson County’s regularly scheduled four-year property reappraisal, conducted in 2025 and overseen by the independently elected assessor of property, not Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, whom Mr. Rich has blamed for the overall increase. The assessor’s office says the reappraisal produced a 45% median increase in property values countywide and, under Tennessee law, is designed to be revenue-neutral, meaning the tax rate is supposed to be adjusted down so higher values alone don’t generate extra revenue. But Mr. O’Connell and the Metro Council subsequently set the Urban Services District rate at $2.814 per $100 of assessed value — 26% above the revenue-neutral certified rate — and the General Services District rate 39% above that benchmark.

The increases hit Lower Broadway especially hard. Axios Nashville reported that some building appraisals in the district rose by as much as 400%, and that many honky-tonk operators lease their buildings under net-lease arrangements that leave them responsible for the tax bill without benefiting from the underlying rise in equity.

Acme Feed & Seed, a four-story restaurant, bar and live-music venue on Broadway, has become a flashpoint in the debate. Owner Tom Morales has said his annual property tax bill jumped from $129,000 to nearly $600,000, and he told NewsChannel 5 the business ended 2025 about $500,000 “in the red.” Mr. Morales and his daughter later told the Nashville Scene that closure was imminent absent a fix.

Mr. O’Connell, a Democrat, drew criticism after telling Fox 17 that “the market evolves,” saying it wasn’t up to him whether Acme stayed open. His office later said the station had selectively edited the exchange and released a fuller transcript in which the mayor said a state comptroller review had found downtown valuations reflect market value.

Mr. Rich, an outspoken supporter of President Trump, has placed much of the blame on Mr. O’Connell’s tax policy, though he maintains the concerns cross party lines among Broadway’s business owners. He is now pressing Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and Gov. Bill Lee to intervene, urging the governor to convene a special legislative session. Mr. Sexton’s office confirmed to Axios Nashville that he has discussed the issue with Mr. Lee’s office and that state leaders are “looking at all possible solutions,” including a special session.

NFL owners voted 32-0 in May to award Nashville the 2030 Super Bowl, which will be played at the Titans’ new Nissan Stadium, set to open for the 2027 season. Mr. Rich has warned that without a fix, visitors could arrive downtown for the game to find only “30 or 40%” of Broadway’s iconic neon signs still lit.