Since I moved to Nashville about 25 years ago, I have probably seen upwards of between 75 & 100 shows at the Ryman Auditorium. For those who’ve never been to Nashville before and don’t know, the Ryman is basically hallowed ground when it comes to music venues. If people come to Nashville today and they visit The Grand Old Opry, they visit a more slick venue out next to one of the biggest shopping malls you’ll ever see… But from 1943 to 1974, the home of the Opry was the former church built in 1892 and current National Historic Landmark know as “The Ryman.” They call it “The Mother Church of Country Music,” but the names of the legends who have performed at the Ryman span much more than just country. On the second floor, there is a mural of artist’s names who’ve played there, and it’s a who’s who of music royalty. The seats are old wooden church pews… The acoustics are just amazing… The only bad seats in the place are a fews random spots behind some load-bearing poles… I love it. Everyone I’ve ever seen perform there has taken time from their set to pay homage to the rich history of that stage and the musical ghosts that haunt that beautiful building. I have seen some AMAZING shows at The Ryman…

But last night, I saw the best show I’ve ever seen there. And I don’t think it was particularly close.

My partner asked me to request off from work for the night of the 11th because she had bought us tickets to see Bridget Everett at the Ryman. And I realize most of the people reading this just thought to themselves: “Who?” Actually, she probably didn’t say we were going to see Bridget Everett… She almost certainly said she got us tickets to see “that woman from the show Somebody Somewhere,” because I—like most of you—didn’t have any idea who “Bridget Everett” was. Some time before, we had stumbled upon this sweet, quirky, hilarious, heartbreaking, authentic show on HBO, and we grew to love it. But if I’m being honest, as wonderful as the show was, I wasn’t expecting much from a concert at The Ryman staring the lead actress of Somebody Somewhere. But she had so kindly gotten us tickets, and since I’m in love with her and all, I *might* have acted a little more excited than I actually was. In reality, I was fully expecting to be disappointed.

I was NOT disappointed. Holy shit, I was not disappointed. I was the furthest thing from disappointed. I was blown away. And if you know me, you are probably aware of the fact that when I experience something beautiful, I have a probably-somewhere-on-the-spectrum-level obsession with telling people about it. I spent today trying to explain to just about everyone I met about what I had experienced the night before at The Mother Church. And while trying to do that and finding NO ONE who had ever seen or even HEARD of the show (created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, and which Bridget Everett brought to life), I realized that disappointingly few people have seen Somebody Somewhere. So here is what I’m going to do: I’m going to try to explain what I experienced last night, and I’m going to try to convince you to watch the Peabody Award-winning HBO series Somebody Somewhere.

The performance was Cabaret. Under my terribly-named blog, you learn a little bit more about it with the words “Jesus, Politics, & Bathroom Humor.” If it gives you any idea of the heart of the show, under the heading “Bridget Everett Tour,” it says “BIG TITTIES, BIG DREAMS TOUR 2026—Cabaret, Comedy & Pure Emotion.” I know almost nothing about Cabaret. In my head, it was something close to Burlesque I think? But it’s different. They are cousins, for sure… but while both of them are meant for adult audiences & are live & beautiful & theatrical & satirical & bawdy & often involve extravagant costumes, I think Burlesque is often characterized as more “risqué,” where Cabaret is more about an intimate connection between the performer/story teller and the audience. Anyway, I believe her first song was called “Big Cunt Energy,” which was almost certainly a first for The Mother Church. Within minutes, Bridget Everett was telling a story about a man offering her $500 to suck on her toes… To which she responded something about having TWO feet. And then she—with her band “The Tender Moments” (which, I found out, features Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz of Beastie Boys fame)—launched into a song about sucking on toes. And before I knew what was happening, this big, beautiful woman was singing a song about sucking on toes and motioning to strangers in the audience to take her shoes off. Which they did. And she motioned for them to suck her toes. Which they did. The audience roared in some mixture of laughter and shock and release. She might have brought out some whipped cream, and I realized my cheeks were already cramping up from smiling and laughing so hard.

She told stories of embarrassment & laughter, heartbreak & trauma, family & dysfunction, love & loss… All lovingly punctuated with songs that could make you howl with laughter or break down crying. It reminded me of when I went to the beautiful Rock Island State Park here in Tennessee to watch the full solar eclipse. We were right in the path of totality, and for those magical two & a half minutes, there were no strangers. There was cheering everywhere. I hugged these guys I never met before. They smelled like they had been camping for a few days without a shower. Possibly weeks. But we had just experienced something special, and everyone there felt connected. Last night in The Ryman, I looked around at the scattering of fellow weirdos around me and imagined embracing them in celebration of what we had just witnessed… But was all too aware of how shitty & creepy of a reputation men who look like me have earned. There were multiple standing ovations. Nearer to the end, she sang Elton John’s/Bernie Taupin’s song “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” and the entire place sprung to our collective feet, wiping away our collective tears, and shouted our collective thanks. It was fucking. BEAUTIFUL! For a couple hours, the horrors of the 24 hour news cycle seemed like they were in another galaxy.

She finished with this lovely song from the show Somebody Somewhere—the reason so many of us even knew who she was or had girlfriends who were sweet & caring enough to buy us tickets. When the performance was done, we floated out of there. So imagine my horror finding out that so few people knew of this hidden gem of a show…

Which leads me to the second part: Trying to convince y’all to watch that show. I’m not even joking… Somebody Somewhere is worth the cost of an HBO subscription all by itself. Everett plays Sam Miller, a woman in her 40’s who moved back to her small town home to care for her dying sister, stepping back into the disfunction of her family, and reconnecting with friends from school. You may have seen that Jeff Hiller won the Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy for his portrayal of Sam’s best friend Joel—a man who oozes equal parts silliness & gayness & kindness from every pore. The characters are so vivid & likable & real… Her sister, her aging dad and alcoholic mother, their hilarious friend Fred Rococo. I swear to God, it’s so beautiful…

It doesn’t FEEL like TV. It feels like you are watching life happen, with all of its sadness & joy & confusion & laughter. But it’s not voyeuristic, like you’re watching through a window. It’s like you were invited into a living room with them… getting a little bit drunk… offering someone a Kleenex when they describe how their life is falling apart… intimate enough friends that Sam doesn’t feel the need to put a bra on under the oversized T-shirt she is wearing… with no pants on, and underwear that has seen better days. It even deals with faith and God and church in a way that is so honest that it feels foreign. If you don’t trust me, trust the critics. ALL THREE seasons have a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It weaves through both the small details of life AND the things that feel overwhelmingly giant with grace & irreverence & honesty & laughter & tears… Just like that incredible show we went to last night. Jesus, it’s beautiful. You have got to watch it. There… I’m done.

Okay, I’m ALMOST done. When I see something beautiful like this performance or this series, I don’t feel right unless I’ve communicated my appreciation to the artist who created it. Applause alone feels woefully insufficient. My soul feels like a chord that doesn’t resolve to the tonic. I want need to COMMUNICATE how much I loved something. I want to look into a person’s eyes and tell them that the thing they just created has changed me in some way… That I’m different now, and they had something to do with that… So if, by some small miracle, this blog post gets in front of the eyes of Bridget Everett, I just want to say—from the bottom of my heart—THANK YOU. You are amazing, and if I was ever in the front row, I would suck on those toes any time.

And for you readers, I would also like to say thank you. If you are in the Atlanta area, there is another show TONIGHT (March 13) at The Tabernacle. There are shows coming up in Boston, Philadelphia, & DC as well. Do yourself a favor, and GO. And do yourself another favor and go watch Somebody Somewhere on HBO. Last thing (I think): If you value this blog and my writing, you can support me by BECOMING A PATRON for as little as $2/month. Or you can LEAVE A TIP on PayPal or by Venmoing me at chris-boeskool. Or you can just follow along ON FACEBOOK or ON BLUESKY. But mostly, just go watch one of the sweetest, most beautifully captivating shows I’ve ever seen. THANKS AGAIN!