If there’s one thing Nordista Freeze is known for in the city of Nashville, it’s the art of spectacle. For seven years and counting, the Indie Rock musician has been hosting the highly anticipated Space Prom, a hyper-retro throwback event that brings together some of Music City’s most beloved local acts to perform their favorite hits from the 1980s before a consistently sold-out crowd.
“I’ve always loved Doo Wop, Soul, and pop music from the 50s and 60s, so it felt sort of strange to organize a whole show dedicated to strictly 80s music,” Freeze shared. “But people love 80s hits. It seemed like a great way to get a crowd together and have a lot of fun in the process.”
The very first Space Prom took place at a small Chinese restaurant called Lucky Bamboo on Nashville’s west side almost a decade ago. It’s hard to imagine packing the sheer magnitude of the event that people are familiar with today into such an unconventional space, but that was before anyone knew what it would ultimately become.
“They had a little stage in the back for local acts. It was a small space – probably about a 200-person capacity. We didn’t really know what to do when 550 people showed up.”
The unexpected success of the first Space Prom seemed to signify two things:
- Freeze and co. had a red-hot commodity on their hands
- They were gonna need a bigger boat
If you’ve attended a Space Prom within the past few years, you know that it’s now held at Brooklyn Bowl, a popular venue just north of downtown Nashville that holds around 2,500 people. Every year when Nordista Freeze struts in with the glitter and glam team, the place sells out.
“It’s all about making that single show count – especially the one here in town,” he said.
Space Prom is essentially a collective of local entertainment and business entities that come together one night out of the year to put on one hell of a show.
This past February was my first time in attendance, and I’m not speaking hyperbolically when I say that I’ve never seen a local production quite like this. It felt like someone plucked a scene straight out of Bonnaroo and placed it right in the heart of Nashville.
Local hitters like Flight Attendant, Massie99, Cody Parsons, Sunshine Scott, and Danny Wagner (Greta Van Fleet) tore up the stage, but the real stars of Space Prom ’25 turned out to be the last group of people you’d ever expect – the crowd.
It all started when the venue’s fire alarm was accidentally pulled, cutting off power to the PA system and halting the night dead in its tracks – though certainly not dead beyond resuscitation.
“When dealing with unexpected mishaps, you kind of have to learn how to react like an acrobat,” Freeze said. “You need to land on your feet, you know? In that moment, all of us in the band looked at each other and weirdly knew exactly what to do.”
Freeze turned to the crowd and, using body language alone, calmed all 2,500 vexed bystanders into a collective state of silence. It was like watching a maestro conduct order from a symphony on the brink of chaos.
It took a moment to grasp exactly what was going on, but pretty soon, the old familiar melody bloomed into a chorus of gradual synchronicity.
“Mamaaaa
Just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger now he’s dead”
Apparently, “Bohemian Rhapsody” has been something of a fixture in the band’s setlist for some time, so it stands to reason that getting the whole crowd to sing it a cappella was the most sensible course of action.
Bearing witness to it all was a singular experience that I find hard to fully describe… a debacle unfolded that would have otherwise incited panic and a sort of dumbfounded “what the hell do we do now?” moment for any host.
Not for Nordista Freeze though.
As a show runner myself, I can especially appreciate the art of damage control on the fly.
What I found most fascinating was how Freeze managed to grapple the impending mayhem and take control of the situation by, ironically enough, turning control over to the crowd entirely.
The Space Prom team commences preparation for the following year only a few weeks after the event. The pulse never stops beating, though it’s impossible to know just how much goes into it unless you’re directly involved.
In its own way, Space Prom is a grand manifestation of Nordista Freeze’s general demeanor as a showman.
“When I was a kid, I’d watch my dad put on puppet shows for other children. I guess my whole approach to performing came from watching him, observing how he interacted with the audience – making them laugh, getting them involved. I think that’s where it all started for me.”
He tends to demonstrate this “acrobat” principle quite literally at times, as he’s known for his tendency to dive into the crowd, climb telephone poles and various stage structures, etc…
Whereas dangling puppets in front of giggling children and rushing a packed crowd like a mercenary tearing through the enemy’s frontline aren’t quite the same thing, it would appear that the art of exhibition runs thick in Nordista Freeze’s bloodline.
If you’re curious to know what’s next for the Gonzo Man of Indie Rock, you can check out his new album, “On the Banks of Disappearing,” which he recorded with producer Jason Rais in only five days’ time.
It explores the ins and outs of love, heartbreak, and the course of all things in between.
“It’s about the full cycle – each song sequentially lays out a part of the relationship from start to finish.” It’s a story like any other. As it stands, Nordista Freeze’s story is far from over.
