Daniel Donato Marks Ryman Headlining Debut With Nashville Tripleheader

Daniel Donato released a new album, Horizons, last Friday and marked the occasion with his debut headline concert at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium. The day of celebration began with a performance at Grimey’s record store in East Nashville and ended with Donato returning to Robert’s Western World on Broadway.

After the eventful day and night in Nashville, Donato posted a message on social media explaining the significance of playing The Ryman and Robert’s. Describing the meaningfulness behind his Music City experience, Donato wrote:

Dreams are just an alleyway away.

I started buskin’ on the streets, then found my way to Robert’s Western World to discover the magical spirit of traditional country music, where I started gigging all the time. Each night, while waiting for the cash from the tip jug, I’d sit and stare at the Ryman. I was captivated by its majestic history and beacon-like grace. Every night on stage, I go to the Ryman in my mind, but on Friday night, we finally got to go there in space and time. The evening was beyond words. Friday’s Horizons, release show and Cosmic Country’s first ever headlining experience at The Ryman will forever live in my mind as an apex experience of what life can offer when serving truth, beauty, and goodness.

Every hour of the journey is the reward, and every person the Universe brings you to and with along the trail is someone that holds light for you, to reveal more resolution of what you are seeking, all to find that what you are seeking is seeking you.

I am eternally grateful for every individual who has given their faith, time, and energy to me to help bring Friday’s show into fruition. I love you in a place of no space and time. Our Cosmic Community is the highest frequency group the music business has ever witnessed, and I am blessed to be a part of your lives and will always bring my whole body, mind and soul to the stage each night for as long as I live.

Let’s do it again for two nights next year. In the mean time, go listen to Horizons, friends!

The solo acoustic set at Grimey’s included four songs from Horizons, “Blame The Train,” “Along The Trail,”“Another Dimension” and “Broadside Ballad,” alongside “Half Moon Night” and “Fortunate Sparrow.”

Donato and his Cosmic Country bandmates – drummer Will “Bronco” Clark, bassist Will “Mustang” McGee and multi-instrumentalist Nathan “Sugar Legg” Aronowitz – played eight Horizons songs over the course of their two sets at The Ryman. “Blame The Train,” “Along The Trail” and “Broadside Ballad” got their second turns, along with “About The Angels,” “Hangman’s Reel,” “Better Deal Blues,” “Sunshine In The Rain” and “Chore.”

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country made the short journey across the alley behind The Ryman to the backdoor entry to the longstanding honky tonk Robert’s Western World. Pedal steel guitarist Mike Drassler accompanied Donato at his old stomping ground for the set that consisted entirely of country covers.

Visit nugs to watch an on-demand livestream replay of Daniel Donato’s Ryman headlining debut and scroll on for additional coverage from Friday in Nashville: