NASHVILLE –GRAMMY-winning recording artist Kings of Leon, one of the biggest rock bands in the world, will headline the free Jack Daniel’s Bash on Broadway: New Year’s Eve in Music City for 2015, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC) announced today.

“I can think of no place I’d rather play New Year’s Eve than at home with 100,000 of my closest friends,” said Nathan Followill.

The Jack Daniel’s Bash on Broadway has consistently grown in size, attendance and direct visitor spending since its inception 7 years ago. In 2014, the free event resulted in $17 million in estimated direct visitor spending, more than 22,000 rooms sold in Nashville, drew a record crowd of over 130,000 people and was televised nationally as part of ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve international broadcast.

“The purpose of this event is to bring in significant direct visitor spending to Nashville and to market the brand of Music City, and it has been increasingly successful each year on those fronts,” said Ken Levitan, chair of the NCVC board of directors and president of Vector Management. “With the Kings headlining this year, our opportunity to grow both of those areas – particularly with an international audience – is significant.”

“The Kings’ following internationally is beyond impressive – no doubt they are one of the biggest rock bands in the world right now,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the NCVC “Not only are they great musicians, but they love Nashville and are great ambassadors for us. We are honored to have them play their hometown and know it takes our event to a new level in terms of reach and expectations.”

While the crowd size will not be confirmed until the conclusion of the event, the NCVC is logistically planning for 150,000 fans on Broadway, the largest crowd size ever for a Nashville concert and the largest Music City New Year’s Eve event to date.

This is not the first time the NCVC has partnered with the band to assist in promoting Nashville. In February, the organization partnered with the band to play a concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in conjunction with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch. The concert was an immediate sell out, and was viewed by more than 75,000 people via its livestream on the web.

Kings of Leon was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame and received the Music City Ambassador Award from Mayor Karl Dean in 2012 for bringing international attention to Nashville’s diverse music scene.

About Kings of Leon: Comprised of three Followill brothers -- Caleb (guitar), Nathan (drums), and Jared (bass), as well as first cousin Matthew Followill (guitar) -- Kings of Leon formed in 2000. Oklahoma natives, the Followill siblings spent much of their youth traveling to churches across the South with their mother and father, a Pentecostal preacher.

Kings of Leon’s debut album Youth and Young Manhood was released in 2003 and became an immediate sensation in the UK and Ireland, where NME declared it "one of the best debut albums of the last 10 years" and The Guardian described the band as "the kind of authentic, hairy rebels The Rolling Stones longed to be". The group achieved opening spots for U2, Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan after the release of their sophomore album, Aha Shake Heartbreak, and continued to garner acclaim with Because of the Times, which debuted at No. 25 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

In 2008, the group released Only By The Night, the record that catapulted the band into the mainstream. The multi-platinum-selling album debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, hit No. 1 in five countries, sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide, and earned Kings of Leon three Grammy® Awards, including wins for their Modern Rock radio multi-week No. 1’s "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody".

Kings of Leon continued to follow their own muse and refused to play it safe in their 2010 album Come Around Sundown. Keeping with their grand and propulsive rock sound combined with intimate post-punk moods, the album upped the ante by connecting the dots between the blues, classic rock and gospel influences of the Followills’ childhood to the alternative and indie rock of their adulthood. Come Around Sundown and their latest release, 2013’s Mechanical Bull, earned the Kings Grammy ® nominations in the Rock category and continue to top charts worldwide.

Kings of Leon got their start in Nashville by playing open mic nights, songwriters’ nights and booking gigs at local songwriter hot spots like the Bluebird Café. Members collaborated with other Nashville songwriters – most notably Angelo Petraglia – who helped them hone in on their unique rock & roll sound. While Kings of Leon continues to record and tour worldwide, each member calls Nashville home.

The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp: The mission of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp is to maximize the economic contribution of the convention and tourism industry to the community by developing and marketing Nashville as a premier destination. Visit the NCVC’s website at www.visitmusiccity.com, tune in to our internet radio station at www.highway65radio.com