Little Big Town

The Read

Little Big Town's whole identity is the blend — two men, two women, parts stacked so tightly that the individual singers disappear into the chord. It has carried them through country-pop phases and back again, and it is the reason a song like “Girl Crush” works as a hush rather than a belt. The band understands that restraint is the hard trick. The Ryman is the ideal test of that, since the room punishes anything oversung and rewards groups who can drop to nothing and still fill it. Expect a mid-set stretch with the band gathered around a single microphone, which is where these shows usually justify themselves. A Thursday in December, in the best-sounding room in town.

The Room

Ryman Auditorium

116 5th Ave N

Built in 1892 as a tabernacle by river captain Thomas Ryman, who was converted at a Sam Jones revival — little did he know it would become the church of American roots music.