Basement East destroyed by Nashville tornado, but 'I Believe in Nashville' mural remains
A powerful tornado ripped through Nashville early Tuesday, leaving extensive damage to popular concert venue Basement East.
The venue hosted a benefit concert late Monday for United States presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, A tornado hit the venue after the show, at approximately 1:15 a.m., said Basement East co-owner Mike Grimes.
A total five Basement East employees found shelter “with seconds to spare before the roof blew off,” Grimes said. The building is a “total loss,” he added.
“Building is destroyed, but we will be back,” the venue shared Tuesday on Facebook.
Organizers plan to relocate or cancel upcoming concerts booked at Basement East.
"We will send updates out to ticket holders on our website and social media as we determine the status of each show," the venue shared on Twitter. "Please bear with us as this process could take a few days to weeks."
Grimes co-owns East Nashville record store Grimey's. The store was unaffected by the tornado, and announced it will be collecting funds to support the staff at Basement East.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency confirmed that at least 22 people died from tornadoes and storms across four counties.
At Basement East, a wall of art — which represented some of the beloved music created in Nashville — crumbled on the west side of the building, but one mural remains: “I Believe In Nashville.”
As community members recover from damage to East Nashville, Germantown and other areas, some found a positive message that the popular Adrien Saporiti mural withstood the storm.
“It’s a sign of hope and redemption that made it through a night of terror,” one Twitter user shared.
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“Like many folks around here, I’ve always rolled my eyes at the ‘I Believe in Nashville’ murals,” another user wrote. “That being said, it’s hard not to be moved when you see a photo like this.”
"A prosperous music venue destroyed, yet the mural remains ... " one user posted, "I believe in Nashville."
The Basement East opened in 2015 and quickly became one of Nashville’s premier small venues, hosting the likes of Cage The Elephant, Miranda Lambert, John Prine, Reba McEntire, Maggie Rogers, Alice Cooper and Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes.
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Last year, the venue signed a multi-year booking deal with concert industry giants Live Nation.
Well before they opened the Basement East, Grimes and co-owner Dave Brown were two of the architects of East Nashville's modern music scene.
Two years after the 1998 tornado ripped through the area, Grimes opened the Slow Bar live venue in Five Points, while Brown ran The Radio Café on Woodland Street.
Its sister venue, The Basement, remains open at 1604 8th Ave. S. Tuesday's New Faces concert at the Basement is now a benefit for Basement East staff.