Nate Bargatze breaks attendance record at Bridgestone Arena

Comedian and Old Hickory native Nate Bargatze recently told The Tennessean how he'd dreamed of performing at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena since he first started telling jokes on stage. But even as he dreamed big, we'd bet he never imagined he'd be setting a new attendance record at the venue.

Bargatze's April 15 show at Bridgestone had an audience of 19,365 people, arena officials report. That bests the previously held record of 19,292, which was set just last month by country star Morgan Wallen.

“My first visit to Bridgestone Arena was to watch a Nashville Kats arena football game with my family and now wife and I have been going since they opened," Bargatze said per Monday's press release.

"When I started comedy, I would find myself daydreaming about coming home to play Bridgestone, but never really thinking it would happen. It will take me a while to wrap my head around it. All the people coming to the show, I can never repay you for allowing me to get to this point. Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you.”

The feat's made sweeter by the fact that Bargatze is one of the Nashville area's own: “It is incredible to have someone from middle Tennessee who grew up coming to Bridgestone Arena to watch events be able to come here and perform for the largest crowd we’ve ever hosted,” said David Kells, the arena's EVP of Entertainment and Venues.

The 44-year-old has been performing standup comedy since 2002, but has reached new heights of fame in the past five years through a series of specials for Netflix and Amazon. His "Be Funny" tour continues April 27 in Muncie, Indiana.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nate Bargatze breaks attendance record at Bridgestone Arena