Kells, Pollstar Magazine's 2021 Venue Executive of the Year, says the recognition is especially appreciated after a year navigating the COVID-19 pandemic to bring live music back safely and successfully.
"It's such a big part of the industry, financially," Kells said. "That's how artists make money and truck drivers and bus drivers and stagehands and guitar techs - that's how they earn a living and keep the lights on for their family. But it's also how fans are connected and able to come together in a communal group and sing along at the top of their lungs. Lots of people recognized how important it was to have live music back and we did it in baby steps…. It was a lot of hard work by a lot of people, so it feels really good to be recognized for that."
Pandemic or no pandemic, Kells says a consistent level of dedication from the entire Bridgestone Arena team is what makes the venue truly special.
"I hear it from people all the time," he said. "They say, 'We know that when we look at our calendars that this day is going to be a good day. We know this is going to sell tickets, we know this is going to be relatively easy on the production side and the load in is going to be easy and the cup of coffee is going to be hot in the morning.' We hear it again and again and it goes to show what our staff is doing and how they operate at a consistently high level and a friendly level. We're a yes building. We say yes to fun ideas, we say yes to the needs of the performers, because there's a way we can all work hand in hand and have a great successful night."
While Bridgestone does host a myriad of artists from across the globe, the arena also provides a home - as well as a lofty goal - for musicians climbing the ladder in the Music City.
"We are their home arena and it's fun to see performers when they reach that milestone," Kells said. "Maybe singing the anthem at a Preds game is a major milestone, then opening for a tour here is a major milestone, and when they finally get to headline Bridgestone Arena, it really sincerely means something to people because this is their home arena. This is where they come to see Disney on Ice with their children. And so all of a sudden mom or dad is on stage and singing in front of 13,000 people and they're able to bring family and neighbors and everybody's able to participate in the show here and be part of that. And it's really fun to see and it's great to be recognized by your neighbors and your friends for that."
The arena will host another pair of premier events this spring when the 2023 NHL Awards and the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft come to town - it's the first time both events have been in the same city in more than 15 years. Kells says his team is ready to make both truly special.
"That's going to be great," Kells said. "It's one of those things where every time we're given the opportunity to do an event… We try to look at it a different way. How can we do it better than it was performed here before or performed someplace else before, and how do we make it uniquely Nashville Predators? How do we make it uniquely Nashville? That's going to be an exciting thing for us in the next 10 to 11 months as we're building towards those two combined events, is how do we make it specifically Nashville, and you'll know where you are. If you're live and in person or if you're watching on television - you'll know that's Smashville and that's an amazing time."
