Old Dominion is 'just so proud' to headline Nashville's July 4th mega-bash

The last time Old Dominion headlined a show in Nashville, the band performed on top of a tour bus. Seriously.

In May, the group threw a pop-up show at Basement East a night before supporting summer concert mainstay Kenny Chesney at Nissan Stadium. Hundreds of fans who couldn't squeeze into the East Nashville club lined the Woodland Street parking lot and neighboring sidewalk for a hopeful look at the show within.

And lucky for each of these would-be showgoers, Old Dominion delivered a one-of-a-kind moment by hopping atop the parked motorcoach for a makeshift performance unlike any seen in Nashville this summer.

"(The pop-up shows) are kind of last-minute announces and they're free, so people just show up – about 400 or 500 too many people showed up for that one," Old Dominion frontman Matthew Ramsey told The Tennessean. "It was surreal, man. It was such a cool moment."

The view may be a little different when Old Dominion returns to Nashville next week – and this time, everyone should fit into the venue.

The "One Man Band" hitmaking group headlines Nashville's annual July 4 celebration Let Freedom Sing, set for Monday night in the city's buzzing Lower Broadway nightlife district.

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Supporting performers for the free concert include reggae mainstay Gramps Morgan, "Think Of You" singer Cassadee Pope and rising country artist Levi Hummon.

Music kicks off around 4:30 p.m. with "The Voice" alum Wendy Moten singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." The night wraps with the Nashville Symphony performing at Ascend Amphitheater alongside a fireworks show scheduled to begin around 9:30 p.m., according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.

Old Dominion notches a headlining slot after years of rising success that includes CMA and ACM award wins, playing Nissan Stadium at CMA Fest and a new album of expansive – and downright catchy – pop-country called "Time, Tequila & Therapy." Still, for Ramsey, headlining Nashville's marquee summer party feels like Old Dominion reaching "a new level" in the band's growing career.

"I've been here for now almost 20 years," Ramsey said. "Watching it grow – the city itself – but also that celebration and the fireworks show and knowing what a big deal it is, to be able to go, 'Wow, they asked us to do this?' ... It's one of those things where it lets us feel surprised in our career that has got us to this point."

When Ramsey and company take the stage Monday night, they'll likely rip into chart-topping radio hits "Hotel Key," "Make It Sweet" and "Written In Sand" (plus the jangly fan-favorite summer anthem "I Was on a Boat That Day," of course) for an audience that often reaches 200,000, according to organizers at the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.

Clusters of concertgoers often stretch from the stage at First Avenue to outside Bridgestone Arena, overflowing to the steps of Schermerhorn Symphony Center and sidewalks lining Walk of Fame Park.

Last year, attendance reached 350,000, organizers said. The concert concludes with a half-hour fireworks show that launches an estimated 40,000 pounds of explosives.

Those unable to catch the show in-person can tune in to part of the performance via CMT at 9 p.m. CDT.

"It's one of the bigger shows that we've ever been part of," Ramsey said. "It's bigger than us. It's bigger than our show. We're trying to be a part of it and not feel like the focus."

And the band wants to craft a performance that rings like Independence Day by baking in "holiday appropriate" cover songs between radio hits. Knowing not everyone who comes downtown is an Old Dominion fan, Ramsey keeps one goal in mind for the show: Be as entertaining as possible.

"Country music and summer time in America ... that's the trifecta," Ramsey said. "We're just so proud to be part of it."

Find more information on Let Freedom Sing at visitmusiccity.com/july4th. 

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Old Dominion headlines July 4th Let Freedom Sing show in Nashville