T‑Pain, The Killers, Janelle Monáe headline massive First Amendment music festival

Audience members raise their hands in celebration as they face a well-lit stage

Photo: Nathan Zucker

By Caché McClay & Angele Latham

This article was originally published in USA TODAY on April 9, 2026, as part of the First Amendment Reporters initiative, which is made possible by a collaboration among Freedom Forum, Journalism Funding Partners and the USA TODAY Network. Freedom Forum and JFP did not provide editorial input.

The inaugural Freely Fest drew thousands to Nashville's Bridgestone Arena to celebrate freedom and the First Amendment with live music and special performances.

The new music festival made its debut in Nashville on April 8, a day filled with music, interactive experiences and performances by some of the industry’s biggest names across genres. Presented by the nonpartisan nonprofit Freedom Forum, the Freely Fest highlighted the power of music alongside the fundamental freedoms protected by the First Amendment — speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.

The sold-out event featured a lineup of performances inside Bridgestone Arena’s 20,000-capacity venue, with artists including The Killers, T-Pain, Dominic Fike, Janelle Monáe and more. Singer-songwriter Avery Anna kicked off the evening around 5:30 p.m., opening the show with a series of country music ballads.

"The freedom to speak my mind and talk about my emotions and also practice whatever I believe in and my faith, that's like the foundation of my whole life. I don't know what I would do without that. And I think it's a beautiful thing to not only exercise that myself, but understand that I need to give other people the opportunity to as well," Anna told The Tennessean prior to the event.

Monáe followed Anna's set, bringing fans to their feet with a high-energy performance that opened with her 2023 track "Float."

"Nashville has had some of the best musicians come through here. This is a Music City," Monáe told the crowd.

During her set, she paused to underscore the significance of the event and share a personal message with the crowd: "I'm proud, so proud, to be Black. I'm so proud to be a part of the LGBTQI+ community. I'm proud to be non-binary, pansexual. I am so proud to just be in community with you, and I'm proud to protect other marginalized groups and stand alongside you and amplify your voice." Monáe said. "We will not sit back and allow innocent babies and people to be murdered in Gaza, Palestine, Sudan, the United States, and anywhere else."

Academy Award-winning actress Ariana DeBose hosted the event and reminded fans of the five core freedoms in between performances.

"The music we love exists because the First Amendment protects us from government interference," DeBose said in between performances.

Fike emphasized this notion during his set, saying "I dig this idea as a festival—freedom of speech—I think that's really dope."

As one of the night’s headliners, T-Pain delivered a high-energy set late in the show, opening his segment with his 2005 breakout hit "I’m Sprung." He kept the momentum going with fan favorites like "Booty Wurk," the "2 Step" remix, his 2007 collaboration with Kanye West, "Good Life," and more, with each track drawing loud sing-alongs and cheers from the crowd.

The Killers closed out the show with a performance to a packed arena, taking the stage around 9:45 p.m. with their hit "Mr. Brightside." They kept the momentum alive with several other fan favorites such as "Somebody Told Me," "Human," "A Dustland Fairytale," "Runaways," "Read My Mind," and "All These Things That I’ve Done," just to name a few.

"Nashville how do you feel? You feel better? You feel like you might've got healed tonight?" the band's frontman, Brandon Flowers, asked the crowd before performing the band's last song of the night, "When You Were Young."

Nashville-based artists and musicians were also spotlighted throughout the night between sets, including Morgxn, Marcella Simien, Bobby Cannavale, Javier Muñoz, and Kyshona. Kyshona sang "Travelin' Soldier," a song famously covered by The Chicks in 2002, which she dedicated to the soldiers overseas.

Before the performance segment, the festival offered a full day of public experiences and live activations on the Bridgestone Arena plaza from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring live music, free food, and giveaways related to the First Amendment theme. Interactive experiences woven throughout the festival included trivia games and a "wish wall" where attendees could add sticky notes answering the question, "Who are you speaking freely for?"

Freely Fest was shaped by award-winning director Bruce Cohen as its creative director.

Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network and The Tennessean's music reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.

The Tennessean's First Amendment reporter Angele Latham can be reached by email at [email protected] or on X at @angele_latham. The USA TODAY Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.

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