Country duo Florida Georgia Line has bid farewell to their Nashville haunt, the FGL House, in favor of new stomping grounds for country up-and-comer Lainey Wilson. The beach-themed bar, a four-story establishment that spanned 22,000 square feet, closed its doors to make way for Wilson's retro-inspired Bell Bottoms Up, which will boast a western disco-themed rooftop among other features in its 27,000 square feet space, as per The Tennessean. FGL House, opened by members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley in 2017, was among the early wave of celebrity country acts to plant their flags along Nashville's trendy Lower Broadway.
Shutting down this chapter didn't come lightly for the duo who had celebrated their ribbon-cutting with fanfare back in June 2017. The closure marks the first of its kind for country-star branded bars in the city, creating to put it mildly, a ripple effect in Nashville's downtown scene. The TC Restaurant Group, known for handling hotspots named after Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and Miranda Lambert among others, confirmed they'll be backing Wilson's new project, set to open this summer. Wilson expressed her enthusiasm in a statement saying, "I’ve always wanted to create a destination for all my fans to visit and create new memories at, in the heart of Country music city,” also adding, “So, to have a permanent destination in Nashville, is such a dream come true,” as Rolling Stone reported.
Amid spurs and farewell toasts, Florida Georgia Line confirmed the news via their Instagram story. "We love being one of the first to have a bar downtown but all great things eventually come to an end. FGL House has closed, to make way for a new unrelated venture. Hope y’all made some fun memories there — we sure did!” the duo stated. This news comes some years following the duo's announcement of a break in February 2022 during their Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit. On their legacy and future, Hubbard told a KASE 100.7 interview, "I think 'taking a break' is the proper term, as opposed to breaking up. …we're sort of using these last 12 shows as a time to celebrate FGL, celebrate the fans, celebrate each other, and then support each other on the next chapter of our musical and creative journey, which is gonna be individually for a while."
As Nashville says so long to FGL House, members Hubbard and Kelley have turned the final page on their collective bar venture, singing their swan song, focusing to hone their individual music careers. Hubbard released his sophomore solo album, "Strong," last month, while Kelley's "Tennessee Truth" is eagerly awaited with its release due this Friday, May 10. Their exit from the bar scene seems only to echo their ongoing evolution as artists as Kelley revealed to KASE 100.7, "We're not going our separate ways. We're taking a break from recording our music. We're being artists. We love creating." With FGL's former space transitioning into Lainey Wilson's Bell Bottoms Up, the heart of Nashville's country music scene is set to dance to a new beat.
