Council Overturns Morgan Wallen's Bar Sign Ban

The Nashville Metro Council has overturned its past ruling regarding signage at Morgan Wallen’s This Bar, allowing a large sign to be placed at the front of the venue on Broadway.

In May, the council rejected a permit application to install the 20-foot-tall sign outside the bar, citing the singer’s previous alleged “harmful actions.”

The council voted 30-3 to deny the sign. Four council members abstained from the vote. Council member Delishia Porterfield, who argued against the sign being constructed outside Wallen’s new bar, referenced Wallen’s recent history of throwing a chair off a six-floor building that landed near police officers, as well as his past use of alleged racial slurs as her reason for rejecting the bid.

“I don't want to see a billboard up with the name of a person who's throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs,” Porterfield said.

Seven months later, WSMV4 reports that Wallen has received a second chance after the Metro Council approved the 20-foot-tall sign above the main entrance.

Morgan Wallen’s This Bar officially opened on 1 June. “We’re thrilled to welcome our first guests on Saturday, June 1, to This Bar leading into CMA Fest,” Grant Burlingame, Vice President of Operations at TC Restaurant Group, said in a statement (per Rolling Stone).

“This venue has been a labour of love for us and Morgan. His fans and music lovers alike will love the experiences they will find at This Bar. We’re proud to open its doors.” 

Wallen previously said about the bar’s opening, “I sing about finding myself in ‘this bar’, and now it’s coming to life. This venue will hold true to everything I love and is inspired by my fans and the way they have embraced me and my music.”

Earlier this month, Wallen entered a plea of “conditionally guilty” in his case of throwing a chair off the roof of Eric Church’s bar, Chief’s, which reduced his felony charges to misdemeanours.

While the case—and the rejection for the This Bar sign—have been hanging over Wallen’s head for the last eight months, he’s enjoyed an incredible year. He won the coveted Entertainer of the Year award at this year’s CMA Awards, and tickets for his upcoming music festival, Sand In My Boots, have sold out.

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