Brantley Gilbert To Play Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater With Classical Orchestra

For Brantley Gilbert‘s Nashville tour spot on May 4, the hard-hitting Georgia boy will be joined by conductor Jim Gray and classical orchestration from The Ones That Like Me Orchestra.

The orchestra has bolstered everyone from Imagine Dragons, Patti LaBelle, Ben Folds, Flaming Lips, Miranda Lambert, and Barbara Streisand. In addition, Gray has worked with jazz legends Branford Marsalis and Diane Krall, as well as the Los Angeles, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, San Diego, Charlotte Symphonies and Boston Pops.

Staind’s Aaron Lewis and Josh Phillips will join as special guests.

“There are so many great songwriters in Nashville, I think it’s easy to get caught up in what an artist stands for – and maybe lose what those songs are,” Gilbert says. “Every song I write is a piece of my life, and over time, I’ve learned a lot of other people’s lives, too. That’s special, and this seemed like a very special – and different – way to present these songs…It’s the last thing people expect, I know. But I think when folks hear how these songs fill out with the classic instruments, they’re going to be surprised at what’s there.

“There are some things we all really like,” Gilbert continues, “like a lot of loud guitars, drums that punch you in the stomach, and that can really kick you into another gear, especially in the winter. But to me, it’s when you strip songs down and put’ em back together, that’s when it gets interesting. I know Aaron and I are going to kill it out there, and I can only imagine how awesome hearing these songs a whole new way is going to be!”

Tickets for Nashville’s show will be available to members of the BG Nation in a pre-sale starting on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. CT and will be available to the public on Friday, Feb. 2 at 10 a.m. CT.